Perry, American As They Come

I feel compelled once again to step-up and defend Kenny Perry as he continues to get bashed by some of the media. He's not only a great guy and terrific golfer, he embodies an important part of the American Ideal - do your own thing regardless of what others say about you. As of late, it seems every writer is a critic of anyone who doesn't follow lock-step with the herd. I like to think of Americans as independent, following their own, very personal dreams. To often it seems we have more in common with lemmings these days, too fearful to not follow the trend, even if it takes us over a cliff.

Think about it. Kenny Perry is an aging pro who can see the Champions Tour turnoff clearly up ahead. He's played golf as a professional his entire career and has had the opportunity to play in Majors here and abroad for decades. This year he'd like to have the honor of playing for his country on the US Ryder Cup Team which just happens to be in his home state. So he makes this his goal and builds a game plan to make it happen. He's executed it perfectly and is a lock to make the team.

Paul Azinger ought to be jumping up and down praising Kenny for what he's done. As the captain, he should be the first to support his players. Too bad their aren't a few more pros saying loudly that it's a major goal to play at Valhalla. US Ryder Cup losses in the last two decades have become such a big issue that it's easy to see why some golfers might not want to play this year. The US approach has put way too much emphasis on the importance of winning, versus the honor of playing. It's gotten to the point where a young player knows that if he blows a putt at an inopportune time, it might haunt him the rest of his career.

Kenny, it's great to have you on board. I hope your teammates will be as motivated as you. Win or lose, it should be a great competition. Paul, it's up to you to start managing the mindset your team and the country will have about the matches. This is really your role and where you can make the biggest difference. The players are competent professionals who can play golf, you need to create an environment that will bring out the best in them. Standing up now to support Kenny Perry would be a good first step. I can tell you that letting the media do their typical runaway hype job is not the way to go.