The Oklahoman

$10 million man?

Despite his longshot odds to win, Pat Perez is just happy to be at East Lake

- BY DOUG FERGUSON

All 30 players who made it to the Tour Championsh­ip have a mathematic­al shot at the FedEx Cup and its $10 million prize.

That includes Pat Perez, the No. 11 seed, who calculated his own odds of winning.

“All the top guys would have to play bad, which they haven’t done all year,” Perez said Wednesday. “So for them to all do it at once, and me win, it’s about the same odds as the Powerball.”

These sobering words come from perhaps the happiest guy at East Lake.

Perez finished 40th on the money list in 2002, his rookie year. He never has come seriously close to losing his full PGA Tour card in 16 years. But it took him until now, at age 41, to reach the Tour Championsh­ip for the first time.

He is among eight players at East Lake for the first time. He also is the oldest in the field.

“I didn’t think it was going to take me 16 years to get here, but it has, and I’m just going to enjoy every minute of it,” Perez said. “It’s awesome to be here. That’s all I can say, really.”

Well, not really. Perez, whose career has been filled with explosive moments with his game and his words, had plenty to say about the achievemen­t of someone who stands out among the new generation of golfers. He is not a power player, ranked outside the top 100 in driving distance. Young players strut. Perez waddles. They are dedicated to the gym and tailored fitness routines. “I like to sit,” he said. But he managed to get it done when he least expected it.

This time a year ago, Perez was coming off shoulder surgery he feared might end his career earlier than he wanted.

He had gone seven years since his lone PGA Tour victory. He was waiting to hear if he would get a sponsor’s exemption to Malaysia. All he had was motivation from being dropped by an equipment company, and a fresh perspectiv­e that good golf is nothing to take for granted.

The rest is a blur. He won in Mexico, his third tournament back from his surgery. He tied for third at the Tournament of Champions, challenged at Torrey Pines with a tie for fourth and was one shot out of a playoff at the Wells Fargo Championsh­ip. And here he is among the elite on the PGA Tour for this season.

 ?? [AP PHOTO] ?? Pat Perez tees off from the 12th hole during the second round at The Players Championsh­ip on May 12 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Perez made it to the Tour Championsh­ip for the first time in his 16-year career on the PGA Tour.
[AP PHOTO] Pat Perez tees off from the 12th hole during the second round at The Players Championsh­ip on May 12 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Perez made it to the Tour Championsh­ip for the first time in his 16-year career on the PGA Tour.

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