T h e S T A T E o f G o l f C O V E R S T O R Y
Rod Perry:
“I felt if I could play a bit better, maybe I would have a chance. Thankfully, not one of our great players get hot like Matt Dobyns did last year. It left the gates open and I was able to come through.”
JC Anderson of St. Louis; three-time National Champion Mike Small of Champaign, Ill.; 2007 Champion Chip Sullivan of Troutville, Va.; and Mark Sheftic of Blue Bell, Pa., tied for fourth at 283. Sheftic and Sullivan, who shared the 54-hole lead, faded after the front nine and each posted a 76.
Small, the men’s golf coach at the University of Illinois, sprinted out with four front-nine birdies to climb within a stroke of the lead, but saw his chances end when he missed the fairway on the ninth hole, which led to a bogey. He later bogeyed the 14th hole and fell out of contention. He closed with a double bogey at 18 for a 72.
Perry elevated his game at the right moment on the challenging 7,489-yard Crosswater Club, which is a longer than any major championship layout this year. “The greens were relatively soft and you knew you had to play well," said Perry.
“I looked at the scoreboard after I bogeyed 15, which is something that I normally don’t do,” said Perry. Thankfully, not one of our great players get hot like Matt Dobyns did last year. It left the
2013 PGA National Champion
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By Bob Denney, The PGA of America
SUNRIVER, Ore. -- Rod Perry spent most of his career trying to carve a niche in professional golf among his peers. Spending just four days in the rarefied air of Central Oregon, Perry proved that he belonged.
The 39-year-old PGA head professional at Crane Lakes Golf and Country Club in Port Orange, Fla., turned in a near-flawless 3-under-par 69 Wednesday afternoon at Crosswater Club, punctuating his performance by making a downhill 15-foot birdie putt on the par-5 16th hole. It was the lift he needed for a three-stroke victory in the 46th PGA Professional National Championship.
Presented the 2012 PGA Professional Player of the Year award on Friday, Perry finished with a 72-hole total of 10-under-par 277, which was worth a check of $75,000 in the showcase event for PGA Professionals and the right to hoist the crystal Walter Hagen Cup. He is the first left-hander and the fourth North Florida PGA Section member to win the National Championship.
“This is by far the biggest win of my career; it’s huge,” said Perry. “Winning that PGA Player of the Year Award in 2012 made me think for a second, hey, maybe I am one of the better players in The PGA, and maybe I can compete on a consistent basis. Finishing second last year at Bayonet Blackhorse, I know I didn’t play my best.