Kenny Perry Deserving of a Spot on US Ryder Cup Team?

At the age of 47, Kenny Perry’s resurgence this season has been nothing short of miraculous. His increased work ethic and determination have been fueled almost entirely by his desire to obtain a spot on the 2008 US Ryder Cup team.

The Ryder Cup will be played at Valhalla Golf Club in Perry’s home state of Kentucky. Perry has continually stated that it has been a dream of his to represent his country in his home state, where he has been a pillar of the golf community for the past three decades.

Because his ultimate goal is to gain a spot on Paul Azinger’s 2008 Ryder Cup team, he has structured his schedule to allow him the best chance of gaining the most possible Ryder Cup points.

Perry has without question taken advantage of this scheduling strategy. In 17 PGA Tour appearances this year, Perry has two wins, has finished in the top 10 five times, and has finished in the top 25 10 times.

Other than Tiger Woods, Perry is the only player on tour to have more than one win this year.

Perry currently ranks third in FedEx Cup Points, fourth on the Money List, and has moved up to 19th in the World Golf Rankings. But most importantly for Perry, he sits fourth in the Ryder Cup Point standings.

Although you cannot help but respect Perry’s drive and determination to make the 2008 Ryder Cup team, some of his scheduling decisions might not bode well for him if he gets into a situation where he needs to be chosen for the team by Paul Azinger as a captain’s pick.

Most people would not expect a 47-year-old middle-of-the road player to be able to compete against the PGA Tour’s up-and-coming talent, but Perry has defied these odds.

Still, it is somewhat concerning that Perry skipped the US Open at Torrey Pines and has now chosen to forgo the British Open at Royal Birkdale.

For a player who has clearly shown his obsession with competing against the best player’s from Europe in the Ryder Cup, this is perplexing. It seems that Perry either does not have confidence in his game or does not believe that he can successfully compete against the best players in the world at the US Open and the British Open.

Every single player likely to be part of the European Ryder Cup team will be participating in the British Open. You would think that a competitor as fierce as Perry would be excited about the opportunity to compete against these players prior to September’s Ryder Cup.

Perry will turn 48 in August and has been on the PGA Tour for 25 years, so you cannot fault the man for doing whatever it takes to achieve the one goal he has left before moving onto the Champions Tour.

However, if it comes down to Azinger having to decide whether or not to choose Perry with one of his captain’s picks, he might be apprehensive.  Perry’s decision to skip two tournaments in which he would be matched up against the best players in the world, including most, if not all, of the players that will be on the European Ryder Cup team is a risky one.

Other than Tiger Woods winning the US Open on one leg, Kenny Perry has been one of the biggest and most inspiring stories of the PGA Tour this year, and most golf fans are pulling for him.

If Perry keeps on playing the way he has been, he should amass enough Ryder Cup points to ensure a spot on the team.

But, a player currently sitting fourth in the Ryder Cup standings should really have more than enough confidence in his game to compete against the world’s best players on the game’s largest stages.