Perry Wins After Sister’s Death

Kenny Perry’s first Champions Tour victory Sunday came on a sad note. His sister Kay had died Saturday night of breast cancer, two years to the day after the death of their mother—also from cancer. From the New York Times:

“When I heard the news last night, it was a long night,” Perry said. “I didn’t sleep a lot, thought about just getting on a plane and heading home. “But Dad was great. He called me, he said, ‘Son, you just need to go out there and represent Kay today.’”

He did, making a 30-foot eagle putt on the par-5 17th en route to a 2-under 70 and a one-stroke victory over Jeff Sluman and John Huston.

“I was very calm all day. I had no nerves,” Perry said. “Normally, I’m a little jumpy, a little jittery, tense. Today, I was just — I felt like I was on a low. I was really down. I was kind of depressed, and my swing was in rhythm. It wasn’t fast, and I had great control of the golf ball.”

Condolences and Congratulations.