| This is Kenny
Perry's world.
It is a world where Ronnie Ferguson, an elder in Perry's
Franklin Church of Christ, will loan a golfer $5,000 for his last shot at
PGA Tour qualifying school with little concern about its repayment,
because he believes Perry is the kind of role model needed in
professional sports.
It is a world where Perry, who has a fascination with old
Chevys, used to be seen pumping gas at Randall's Service Center, the
repair and restoration shop owned by one of his best buddies, Randall
Carver. Carver was working out of his grandmother's garage in 1989 when
Perry sought him to fix up a 1964 Chevy Nova. "When he told me he
was Kenny Perry, I didn't know who he was," Carver said. Now
the two share such an obsession that this spring they headed to Beech Bend
Park in nearby Bowling Green and sat in traffic backed up over two miles
just to see a hot rod exhibition of 25,000 cars.
It is a world of farms and factories, an area easily accessible by
car and rail that has drawn Toyota, Nissan and Saturn plants, along with
Tyco Adhesives, Harman Becker Automotive Systems, truck brake manufacturer
Arvin Meritor, catalog printer Quebecor World and PIC USA, a global leader
in genetic swine improvement. Simpson County, one of the smallest in
Kentucky, had a population of 16,405 in the 2000 census, yet boasts 64
churches, predominantly Baptist and Church of Christ.
The 7,996 residents of Franklin are drawn to the small-town
atmosphere, but also take advantage of programs put on by an active arts
council. Concerts on the town square on Thursday nights have drawn such
artists as country singers Kathy Mattea and Ricky Skaggs, the Preservation
Hall Jazz Band and jazz vocalist Dianna Reeves.
"You're not in Hicksville," said Karen Eaton, executive director of
the Franklin-Simpson County Chamber of Commerce. "We know everybody and
neighbors are all willing to help. It's kind of a Mayberry-type
atmosphere."
Remarkable run
Perry, 43, began a remarkable 2003 PGA Tour streak with
back-to-back victories at the Colonial and Memorial. Starting at the
Colonial and not including this weekend's PGA Championship, Perry
has finished no worse than tied for eighth in his last seven tournaments.
He won for a third time at the Greater Milwaukee Open and tied for third
at the U.S. Open.
This week he'll try to continue his strong play against the world's
top golfers at Firestone Country Club in the $6 million NEC Invitational.
Firestone is a far cry from Country Creek, designed by Perry
and carved out of three adjacent farms. Encouraged by his brother-in-law,
Bobby Bush, Perry borrowed $2.5 million and opened the place eight
years ago because there wasn't a public golf course within 20 miles in any
direction. Greens fees -- including cart -- are $25 on weekdays and $28 on
weekends. On Saturdays and Sundays, players probably won't get on without
a tee time because there are very few no-shows.
Perry grew up playing on a public course, Paxton Park in
Paducah, Ky., and wanted his home course to have the same atmosphere. Bush
discovered the 142-acre tract along Drake's Creek, which flooded the
bridge to the course's back entrance this spring.
"We liked three different places," Bush remembered. "This one is
near the interstate. I liked the water, the way the hills sort of rolled.
It had a lot of trees on it," Bush said. "We've got flat holes and holes
that are up and down. The dogleg at No. 4, Kenny said he got that
from the British Open. If you hit it 10 steps from the green you're out of
bounds."
Listed on the scorecard at 6,574 yards from the blue tees, 6,054
from the white and 5,048 from the red, the par-72 course is way too easy
for its designer, who shot 60 with a bogey right before the Memorial.
"Higher handicappers can still have fun if you hit it right and
stay out of trouble," Bush said.
Since Perry's back-to-back victories this year, Country
Creek has been a magnet for tourists, who hear network television
announcers mention the course whenever Perry is in contention.
People come to buy logo shirts and other things. There is the $19.95
Tabasco golf team T-shirt -- with one version featuring what looks like a
largemouth bass with a Tabasco bottle in its mouth, and there are $2 logo
golf balls signed by Perry. Perry's gaudy Tabasco shirts
made a splash when he won the Colonial and put on the trademark plaid
winner's jacket over it.
"Our business has increased. A lot of people are stopping by even
if they're not going to play golf," said pro shop manager John Jackson.
"People ask, 'Is he here?' " Bush said. "If he's off three weeks,
he's here occasionally, more on the third week when he's getting ready to
go back out. He's on the range every day before he goes."
Country Creek hosts a lot of scrambles and when Eaton played one in
June, she witnessed an unusual sight.
"There were two men and two ladies coming out of the pro shop
talking about the souvenirs they'd just gotten," Eaton said. "That's not
something you hear in Franklin."
Perry is now Franklin's most famous son, while actress Annie
Potts of the television series Designing Women is its most famous
daughter.
"There's Annie and Kenny and that's it," Ferguson said. "The
rest of us are just plain old folks."
That might not have been the case if Ferguson, 63, hadn't answered
Perry's plea 17 years ago.
Times were tough
When Perry came out of Western Kentucky University to try
for his PGA Tour card, he had about a dozen local sponsors. But his start
was rocky. Perry was playing a Florida minitour, his wife Sandy had
recently delivered their second child and they had just signed the
mortgage on a new house.
He sought help at the Franklin Church of Christ where Sandy had
grown up and Perry had become a converted member, baptized by
Sandy's father. Perry is now a deacon in the church that draws
about 400 every Sunday and seats 750.
"He was playing in Florida and I told Kenny, 'I'd love to
help you. I respect you because of the kind of young man you are,' "
Ferguson said. "I'd love to see you be a professional because of the
morals you have -- you don't drink, smoke or chase women. We need more
like you for young people to look up to."
Later in 1986, Perry showed up at Ferguson's cleaning
business in dire straits.
"He said, 'Did you mean what you said?' " Ferguson recalled. "I
didn't remember what I said. His sponsors had pulled out. He said, 'I know
I will get my tour card if I had one more chance. But I'm broke. I want to
borrow the money.' "
Ferguson said he'd talk to his wife, Emily, and told Perry
to come back the next day.
Ronnie Ferguson and Sandy Perry both attended Lipscomb
University, a private Church of Christ college in Nashville, Tenn., so
Ferguson came up with a plan. Perry wouldn't have to repay his
loan, but if he got his Tour card, he would donate a percentage of his
winnings to a Lipscomb scholarship program.
Perry breezed through qualifying school and Kenny and
Sandy Perry decided on a 5 percent golf tithe. Perry's
program has raised $478,000 since its inception and will exceed $600,000
when his donation from what is already a $3.95 million season in 2003 is
added. The fund has been modified to help students from Simpson County
attend Lipscomb, which runs about $18,000 a year for tuition, room and
board, and a small part goes to scholarships for the golf team. As of
early June, 13 from Simpson County had benefited. Perry's daughter,
Lesslye, also goes to Lipscomb.
"The one thing about Kenny that impresses me is that with
all this publicity, he's the same Kenny that I got connected with
17 years ago," Ferguson said. "He's one of the world's best golfers, but
he's still Kenny to us."
He's the same Kenny who will get the itch to run one of his
souped-up Chevys and will go to the dragstrip with his buddies and kick in
$50 apiece. They probably don't go without Carver, 38, who said
Perry "is like a brother to me."
"Lately, he's more into race car stuff," Carver said. Perry
has ventured into that with Billy Glidden, son of NHRA Pro Stock champion
Bob Glidden.
Carver pulls out pictures of the vehicles he's worked on for
Perry -- a yellow '69 Camaro, blue '67 Chevy II, yellow 2002
Corvette with 405 horsepower, a '69 Camaro decorated with black and white
stripes, a red '68 Camaro for Perry's son, Justin. Perry
just laid out $2,000 for an exhaust system for the Corvette.
"He said he's got room for one more," Carver said.
Home always sweet
Perry jokes about the good cops in Franklin who will look
the other way when he and the boys want to race.
"The law, they like me," Perry said. "They'll pull up beside
me and say, 'Let's cut it loose. Let's see what it'll do.' "
That comment slipped by Jamie Powell, 57, the town's police chief
for the past 10 years.
"I haven't heard that one," Powell said. "He lives in Quail Ridge.
If he drives out there, we don't get calls; it's outside the city limits."
Powell is proud of the fact that he plays regularly at Country
Creek. A lefty who took up golf 3 1/2 years ago, it took him a while to
break 100. Franklin also has a country club, but Powell said, "I like
playing Kenny's better, it's a little more forgiving."
Powell has seen the world outside Franklin when he attends police
conferences, but he has no urge to go elsewhere.
Perry travels the world to play golf and still comes back to
the place that he, his wife and three children call home. Powell feels the
same ties that bind Perry to Franklin.
"When I retire, I plan on living out the rest of my days here,"
Powell said. "I've visited other places. It's always real good to get
back."
|
