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Perry, Holmes make Bluegrass State proud

Submitted by SHNS on Mon, 09/22/2008 - 18:39

LOUISVILLE -- It required no grand insight to identify the most valuable state in this 37th Ryder Cup. Kentucky not only provided vocal and highly partisan galleries, but the two U.S. players with roots in the Bluegrass State, Kenny Perry and J.B. Holmes, sparkled on the course.Perry (2-1-1) and Holmes (2-0-1) were key contributors in the American victory. They both won their singles matches Sunday -- Perry by burying Henrik Stenson 3 and 2 in a barrage of birdies and Holmes surging late to pocket a vital 2-and-1 win over Soren Hansen.The results counted as sweet validation for Perry, who built his schedule this year around wearing U.S. colors in his home state. Perry, at 48, knew this probably was his last chance to find redemption for a winless Ryder Cup effort in 2004 and his late collapse in the 1996 PGA Championship at Valhalla."I said this was going to define my career, but it made my career," Perry said. "It was a magical day. I had great confidence and a great calm about me. This has been the greatest experience of my life."Perry became so swept away by the moment, he waded into uncommon chest-puffing mode when he said, "To come out and make eight birdies today and have the putting touch of Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus was just phenomenal."Crazy as it sounds, Perry wasn't far off -- he made birdies on four of the first five holes to take command. His biggest problem came on No. 9, when he hurt his right shoulder. Soon thereafter, Perry feverishly began popping pain pills."I started eating Advil like candy," he said. "I just had to get rid of the pain somehow."Perry's family -- including his 84-year-old dad, Ken -- savored the scene. The elder Perry walked the first hole of Sunday's match before skipping ahead to find a seat alongside the No. 7 fairway. He often got ovations from the gallery; he was hard to miss in his signature blue overalls, with four cigars stuffed inside the chest pocket.RED WHITE AND BOO: Boo Weekley not only emerged as one of the most productive U.S. Ryder Cup rookies, with a 2-0-1 record. Weekley also became a wild fan favorite at Valhalla, a reflection of his unique charisma (to put it mildly) and enthusiastic manner.The galleries matched Weekley's enthusiasm, especially Sunday at No. 7. As Weekley walked toward the green, the fans started an impromptu wave, shouting "Booooo!" as they stood in rolling unison. Weekley offered a bemused smile in return.Then, showing a theatrical sense of timing, Weekley holed out from the greenside bunker for eagle. The crowd went bonkers, and even his opponent, Oliver Wilson, managed to smirk on his way to the No. 8 tee."It's really been amazing," Weekley said of the crowd support. "Your arm hairs stand up and you get chills when they start hollering your name and 'U-S-A.' "Weekley also offered a memorable image after he hit his tee shot on No. 1, holding his driver between his legs and pretending to gallop away as if he were sitting atop a horse. Can you even picture Woods doing that?ANGST EURO STYLE: The British press treats the Ryder Cup with unrestrained, over-the-top fervor. So, as you might imagine, captain Nick Faldo absorbed several pointed questions after Europe lost the cup for the first time since 1999.Many of the questions focused on Sunday's singles lineup. Faldo sent out two of his hottest players, Graeme McDowell and Ian Poulter, late in the day, and their victories became moot after the U.S. clinched.Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood rose to Faldo's defense."We hold the clubs and we hit the shots -- so it's on us, not the captain," Westwood said.Said Garcia of Faldo: "It's not his fault."Quotable: "It's just my nature to be a little goofy."-- Weekley on his flamboyant personality.(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)