Perry surprise favourite at Olympia Fields

The hottest player in the world as the week dawned on the 103rd U.S. Open here at Olympia Fields Country Club is not Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Davis Love III, Mike Weir or even Annika Sorenstam.

It's Kenny Perry, winner of his last two tournaments, including the Colonial where Sorenstam stole the show and Perry stole the victory on May 25. He also won the Memorial at Muirfield Village the following Sunday.

At age 42 and almost completely under the radar, Perry has leapfrogged his way to 11th in the world rankings and fifth on the tour money list with $2.55 million. The winner of the 1994 New England Classic at Pleasant Valley in Sutton, Perry has set a trend in most of his six tour wins in his 17-year career. He wins on hard courses.

``I'm not a different player (than he was in 1994),'' Perry said. ``I'm just more mature and more relaxed. I don't have a lot of pressure. My kids are doing great. My golf course (Country Creek in Franklin, Ky.) is paid off. I don't owe anybody anything, and you know what, I'm just enjoying these last few years of what I got left out here on the tour. It's showing in my play.

``(When I was younger) the kids were tugging at me. They didn't want me to play. Now they're 19 (Lesslye), 17 (Justin) and 15 (Lindsey). Now they're doing their own deal. They're very stable with their lives and very happy, and if they're happy I'm happy.''

Perry, exhausted from the first consecutive wins of his career, took last week off and tried to get some practicing done at home in Franklin. Everywhere he turned, however, there was a handshake, a phone call, an interview. Registering at the U.S. Open yesterday was a calming experience by contrast.

He dealt with reps from his club company, TaylorMade, which brings its players a new custom bag for every major, this week's theme a red, white and blue job after issuing green bags at the Masters in April. A few players shook his hand. Teaching guru David Leadbetter congratulated him. But he doesn't think the back-to-back wins gave him a whole new image.

``I don't think so. Maybe a little bit - they're just all happy for me,'' said Perry. ``They're just shaking my hand wanting to congratulate me. They knew what kind of player I was. I've been out here 17 years. Everybody knows who I am and what I've done and what I've accomplished, but I guess winning those two tournaments back to back might have given me a little more respect.''

Perry knows he is a pre-tournament favorite here even though his best finish in any U.S. Open was a tie for 25th in 1993 at Baltusrol. He seemed a little concerned that he didn't get in much work on his game last week.

``I told my wife (Sandy) I had to leave town just to get some peace and quiet. Hopefully I can get out there (today) and see the golf course for the first time and I'll kind of make my opinion about it and see if it fits me, my game, my style,'' said Perry, who added he'll probably play in the inaugural Deutsche Bank U.S. Championship at TPC Boston in Norton on Labor Day weekend.