Monday Pin Placement: Kenny Perry Got Lucky 13 For His Dad

Every week, Monday Pin Placement will run as a wrap-up of the weekend's action, with a little commentary mixed in. This past weekend, FanHouse was out at the FBR Open, a tournament known more for its party atmosphere than its golf.

Kenny Perry Nearly Made Me Emotional -- On Friday, Kenny Perry walked in the press room after a smoldering 63 that got him back in a tournament that he nearly shot himself out of on Thursday with a 1-over 72. When he started chatting, it was the same old story you get from any golfer. "I made birdie here, I missed an eagle putt there, I felt I hit the ball solid, it was a good day for me around the greens." Yawn. We've heard all that before, Kenny.

What I wasn't ready for was this. Perry started talking about his ailing father and how he felt he needed to play good golf just keep his father alive.

His dad is 84, but Kenny said he has always enjoyed watching his son play golf, and if Kenny could keep striping tee shots, hitting solid irons and possibly drop a putt here or there, his dad might leave his bedroom and go downstairs to the couch to check out his son on the television.

Pressure.

Like Ryan Wilson said after reading my story about this, "I couldn't imagine that kind of pressure, but that is why he is Kenny Perry and I'm writing about him." Perry, as you probably know, won the FBR Open on Sunday after a final round 69 that got him in a playoff. A shot up on Charley Hoffman with one hole to play, Perry pushed his drive in the right fairway bunker at TPC Scottsdale, chunked his next shot about 30 yards short of the green, flubbed that pitch shot to about 30 feet, and then two-putted to earn him another shot at the 18th. The playoff was far from good golf, but Perry made a 22-footer for birdie and the win and hopefully, a big grin on his dad's face.

Perry made a couple of mistakes and nearly lost the tournament, but came back with a little fight in him and showed that, at 48 years young, he might just be one of the best golfers on tour right now.

It was one of those stories you dream of, only because none of us regular people could actually pull it off.

The Big Names Didn't Feel Like Golfing This Weekend: The FBR Open always pulls some big names; maybe because of the weather and location, maybe because the golf course is always in great shape.

This year was no different, with Phil Mickelson, Anthony Kim, Stewart Cink, Mike Weir and Camilo Villegas headlining the tournament, along with '08 champion J.B. Holmes showing up to defend his title.

Thing is, none of those guys made the cut. Not a one of 'em. Mickelson was five guys away from being in last place, finding his name eerily close to that of David Duval's (yuck!) After his Friday round, Mickelson said, "It just didn't come together. I didn't play well. It's an exciting time here with the Cardinals being in the Super Bowl but I didn't get that momentum and play well." No offense to the near-champions on Sunday, but when you are trying to pull momentum from the Cardinals, you might not be in the right place mentally.

Some "Other" Young Guns Making Waves: It is nice to see Kevin Na, who was thisclose to making birdie on the 18th hole to join the playoff, playing well, along with some of the other young guys not named Kim or Hunter Mahan.

James Nitties, who was once on The Big Break, is a young Australian with some incredible talent, even if he doesn't totally get it yet. Nitties finished t-4, and has listed as his hobbies in the media guide, "clubbing and girls." Yeah, admitting to that with your buddies is one thing. Having someone actually have to type that up because you think it is "cool" is quite another.

He didn't totally strike out during FBR week. Nitties sported a Cardinals pin on the back on his brand-less cap to support the local football club.

Final-Round Handshakes ...

-- If you didn't see the photo gallery from Saturday at the FBR, check it out. I promise you at least one picture of dudes apparently over-served on the course (and twins!)

-- D.J. Trahan jumped 30 spots on Sunday with a final round 65 that included seven birdies and a bogey. Trahan, a 28-year-old from Clemson, has won twice on tour and looks to be in solid form again this year, carding his third top-20 in just four tournaments.

-- You have to love Ryan Moore. The golfer that doesn't have a sponsor besides a glove and ball deal with Callaway said he decided to just go out and play golf this season with no distractions. The theory seems to be working, as Moore earned nearly $200,000 with his t-6 at the FBR. He said good golf would take care of itself and four rounds in the 60s seems to prove his theory.

-- I'll wrap this up with my final thoughts on the new 16th, which is completely surrounded by stadium seating. I've attended the FBR before, and while I don't mind the idea of stadium seating on a golf hole, it takes away from the excitement in Scottsdale. People were standing in line up to an hour and change just to get in to the general admission seats, and considering most only come for the glamour of 16, that isn't really giving people the full experience. Also, if you wanted to get a beer or snack, you had to either leave the stands without an option of coming back to your seats (hello, one-hour wait) or go stand in a beer line with two servers that was nearly as long as the 123 yards the hole measured on Saturday.