No mistakes this time as Perry wins Travelers Championship

Although he threw away a glorious opportunity to don the US Masters’ green jacket, Kenny Perry made no mistake at River Highlands, Connecticut to lift the Travelers Championship, following a tournament record four-round total of 258.

Perry, who finished bogey-bogey at Augusta in April, before losing in a sudden-death playoff against Angel Cabrera tore the River Highlands golf course apart in the closing round, shooting a 63 to finish three strokes ahead of Paul Goydos and David Toms and make it a 1-2-3 for veterans; all three are in their 40s.

In fact, all through the week, Perry systematically dismantled River Highlands and tied the course record of 61 on the opening day. But even though, he held the half-way lead, Perry found himself trailing Goydos by a shot heading into the final round. As a result, Perry posted a front-nine score of 32 and stood on the par-4 15th hole with a five shot advantage over Goydos and apparently coasting to victory.

However, Goydos wasn’t done with and made a 20-foot put out of the fringe for an eagle, before also making birdie on 16. Perry meanwhile had birdied 15, but following Goydos’ birdie on 16 may have just began to feel that there was work still to be done. However, he closed Goydos out on the 17th where that rival missed out on a birdie putt, while Perry made his birdie after his approach landed him within 8 feet of the hole.

Perry recognized he was thinking about his Masters collapse as he played the back nine, and told himself to play aggressive.

“I knew that I had to keep making birdies,” he said. “I wasn’t going to let up. I wasn’t going to play defensive golf. I learned something from that mistake.”

Perry collected just over $1million for the victory, and takes his career tally for tournament wins to fourteen, just six short of the target of twenty he has set himself before he is eligible to join the seniors. The win also means Perry has won five times in the space of a year – the most of any player on tour – and has twelve top-ten finishes in the same period. He also moves to the head of the FedEx Cup standings.