Pining for Ryder bid, Perry to skip U.S. Open at Torrey

DUBLIN, Ohio -- Kenny Perry has made up his mind.

Rather than beat his head against the wall and compete in a lengthy U.S. Open sectional qualifier on Monday, rather than possibly playing on a major venue that he doesn't like, the 36-hole co-leader at the Memorial Tournament is stubbornly staying home when the national championship is staged next month.

Kenny Perry is 17th on the Ryder Cup points list. (AP)

Instead of potentially playing in the U.S. Open in two weeks at Torrey Pines, a course where he has had zero success, he's staying home in Kentucky -- the state that this fall will host the Ryder Cup, an event he's desperately trying to make.

Talk about multiple levels of twisted irony. In his mind, the best way to wear red, white and blue is to skip the country's national championship.

All year, Perry has admittedly been in an outright sprint to earn points to qualify for the Ryder team, and next week will play in Memphis, which will mark his seventh straight PGA Tour event. The U.S. Open, mind you, presents a double-points opportunity for Ryder hopefuls, but the way Perry sees it, if playing in the qualifier messes up his chances in Memphis, why do it?

Perry has made three trips to the Buick Invitational, which is staged at Torrey Pines, over two decades, and has never played on the weekend.

It's a defensible position for a 47-year-old who is trying to best pick his spots and identify the places where he can reap points. Just last week, at the Colonial event in Fort Worth, Texas, Perry admitted that he's feeling dog tired, and playing in a 36-hole Open qualifier on Monday would only make it worse.

Perry is a two-time Memorial champion and began play on Saturday tied with Aussie Mathew Goggin at 7-under par.

Interestingly, Perry has only once played at Torrey since it was overhauled in 2002, when Rees Jones stretched the course to 7,600 yards. In January, Perry shot 74-71 and technically finished in a tie for 67th, though he didn't play on the weekend in keeping with the cut rule on the books at that time.

Otherwise, he played at Torrey Pines in 1988, when he missed the cut, and in 1997, when he shot 74 and withdrew. Since the Buick Invitational is played on two courses at the facility, Perry has logged a maximum of three career rounds at the South Course, the one to be used as the Open venue June 12-15.

Perry is a Kentucky native and resident who stands 17th on the Ryder Cup points list. The Ryder matches will be played in Louisville on Sept. 19-21.