BELMONT, Mass. – Kenny Perry was approaching a crossroads in his career and in his life, and he could hear the whispers.
Life on the PGA Tour isn’t easy. Sure, the money’s good and there’s something to be said for being paid (handsomely) to play a sport many folks pay an arm and a leg to play recreationally. But there are downsides the weekend hacker doesn’t necessarily take into account.
For Perry, those downsides started to weigh heavier and heavier on the 54-year-old. Splitting time on both the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour was a drain, and he needed to put things into perspective. On the PGA Tour, Perry knew he could still play, but he just didn’t feel at home anymore. He even started to feel a little unwelcome.
“I felt a little out of place on the PGA Tour,” Perry said Wednesday at the Senior Players Championship at Belmont Country Club. “I heard a little grumbling of, ‘Why are you taking up places for the young kids on the PGA Tour?’ when I would play. I felt like I was taking a spot up a little bit and I can understand that. If I was a rookie out there and you let an old guy come in and kicks you out and you end up being first alternate and don’t get in the tournament, that can be bitter and I understand that. But I did put 30 years out there and I felt like I earned it, too.”
Ultimately, Perry made the difficult decision to step away from the PGA Tour and play full time on the Champions Tour. He went back to Memorial last weekend — in part to say good-bye to Jack Nicklaus — and announced he’d no longer be playing on the Tour.
It’s a decision that every player on the Champions Tour makes at some point. It’s not always easy to accept, of course, but the transition is made easier by a more laid-back environment on the Champions Tour.
“I came out here thinking this could be bittersweet in a sense that I’m leaving the PGA Tour and the European Tour, but it only took two or three weeks and I fell in love with this tour,” 23-time Champions Tour winner Bernhard Langer said Wednesday. “There are so many positive things that are happening out here. And I’ve done the other thing long enough; I’m very, very happy to play the rest of my life on this tour.”
As you get older, in any walk of life, priorities change. For someone like Perry, traveling the world, staying in hotels and eating restaurant food can’t really compare to watching your grandkids grow up. That’s why Perry’s status for this summer’s Senior British Open is up in the air: Two new grandchildren are due right around that time.
And it’s not like a move to the Champions Tour means your career is over. There’s still plenty of money to be made — the winner’s share of the Senior Players Championship $2.7 million purse is $405,000 — and the Champions Tour has pretty passionate following. Fans who watched these players blossom into stars on the PGA Tour continue to follow them into the twilight of their professional careers.
All in all, not a bad life, especially when you strip away the necessary evils that come with playing the PGA Tour.
“I just feel more comfortable out here on the Champions Tour,” Perry said. “These are the guys I loved, I looked up to, I competed against for 30 years, I tried to emulate, I tried to be like.
“To me, this is where I belong, and I feel very comfortable out here. It’s like wearing an old pair of shoes; it just feels natural to me.”
Thumbnail photo via Denny Medley/USA TODAY Sports
