Kenny Perry wins 50th anniversary Buick Open

By Lisa Paine
Posted Thursday, July 3, 2008

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By Lisa Paine
VIEW Sports Editor

GRAND BLANC TWP. — The 2008 Buick Open title was anyone’s to win after 2006 defending champ and the World’s No. 1 golfer, Tiger Woods was recovering from season-ending leg surgery that took place last Tuesday.

Finishing with a 66 on the fourth day of play, it was a 19-under-par effort by Kenny Perry that left him on top of the leader board Sunday for his second win at Warwick in this year’s 50th anniversary tournament.
In Thursday’s first round of play, a three-way tie at -8, set the table for Friday. On a hot and humid day two that saw temperatures reach 86, Bo Van Pelt took over the lead at -14 to go into Saturday’s round. The field was narrowed to 85 with a cut at -3 that John Daly and Bateman failed to make after rounds of 74.

Daniel Chopra became the leader at -16 at the end of play Saturday, and Van Pelt fell to -11 after he and others struggled to make the necessary birdies, leaving putts short and fairway shots in unplayable locations. Dudley Hart trailed Chopra by one stroke at -13.

2000 champ Rocco Mediate struggled with more than his golf game and said he was worn out and tired after all the commitments following his runner-up finish to Woods at the U.S. Open. He flirted with the cut, but qualified for the final round at -4.

Chopra sat in a pretty good position Sunday, but the wheels came off his game early as he battled on the front nine to drop back to +4. The lead changed nearly every hour as golfers made the turn. Kenny Perry, 47, and the 2001 Buick Open Champ, was -17 after nine, and Woody Austin was just one behind at -16. Hart, Perry and Austin traded the lead and tied many times through the final nine, and Bubba Watson challenged at the end to nearly force a playoff with Perry.

After bogeying No. 13, Perry dropped out of the lead at -17, but Hart shanked a way-wide tee shot into the Buick Dealer area at No. 12. He fell to -17 at No. 13, burying a shot into the upper lip of the bunker. Austin moved to -18 on No. 13.

Meanwhile, Perry hit into another bunker at No. 15 and left his putt seven feet shy. Hart moved to -18 at No. 14 to tie with Austin, who then grabbed a share of the lead with Perry. At No. 15, Perry dropped back to -18 and Austin took the lead at -19. That was short-lived as Perry drew to -19 at No. 16. Hart then knotted the score at -19 after a fringe shot landed in the bunker, be he made good on a 4-foot putt.

At No. 16, Austin again regained the sole lead at -20 after his second shot landed past the bunker, but he laid up for a good putt opportunity. He dropped to -19 at No. 17 after he hit the green, but his birdie attempt went wide, leaving a long 40-foot putt that he missed for bogey.

On the final hole, Perry also left himself a long putt that went just wide to finish at -19. Back at No. 17, Watson sat in third place at -18 with a nice chip onto the green and a par putt. One hole up at No. 18, Austin hit a drive straight down the middle, but his second shot just caught the fringe. He made a solid hard putt that went long — just skimming the cup — that left him with a 12-foot putt that he missed to finish at -18.

Watson was the last man to challenge after Hart pulled his last drive way left. Hart left himself a birdie opportunity, but bogeyed the hole. Watson also got himself out of trouble with an awesome shot that fell to within about 15 feet of the final hole, but his putt also just skimmed past the cup. Perry won $900,000 and gets to drive a new Buick Enclave CXL for a year.

Perry is now No. 3 on the FedEx Cup list behind Woods and Phil Mickelson. He attributed his win to the bunker shot that he chipped into the cup at No. 14 for a very slim cushion. He headed to the driving range anticipating a playoff hole that never happened.