A good walk spoiled by Perry in Atlanta

Given that they had poured so much emotion into their Ryder Cup victory the week before, it's understandable that American players would feel an emotional letdown at last weekend's Tour Championship in Atlanta. But did Kenny Perry sound like a big baby with his comments at a tournament that is important to an organization that has blessed him with the chance to earn more than $21 million in his life.

"I don't want to be here," Perry told reporters after spending four hours playing golf, which should never be confused with any sort of hardship. "It's ruined my greatest week in my life, coming here. I'm just trying to get my last-place check [$112,000], post a 72-hole number, and go home. I really am."

Pass the man a pacifier with that putter.

Sure, he rode an emotional high at Valhalla in his native Kentucky, but it's not like going to play 72 holes for exorbitant piles of money the next week was cruel and unusual punishment. Think folks in Galveston, Texas, wouldn't like to have Perry's problems? How about anyone opening their 401(k) statement these days? Can't you just hear it now? "Honey, our savings have shrunk by $173,489, but at least we're not being asked to play golf for more than $100,000."

The partnership with corporate America is mandatory to the survival of his workplace and perhaps if Perry would come out of his pampered PGA Tour world he would discover that it's not the most solid of landscapes these days. Thus, one can only wonder how his comments went over with officials high up at Coca-Cola and FedEx. Since those folks were largely responsible for Perry getting payments of $120,400 (T-24 in the tournament) and $250,000 (season-long points race), it would be interesting to see if they apologized for having "ruined" his week.

It's too bad he didn't have Jim Furyk's style. Easily one of the most dignified members of the PGA Tour, Furyk also went from the Ryder Cup to the Tour Championship, yet here is how he handled it:

"You know, after you have a big win on Tour, it's a little bit of a hangover the next week and emotionally it's tough to get up and get ready. [But] we have a wonderful sponsor here, a big tournament, the Tour Championship, and I want to thank the Tour for looking at the schedule and kind of re-doing it."

Furyk was referring to the fact that the Tour Championship originally was penciled in for Sept. 11-14, 2008, which would have led into the Ryder Cup. That was a recipe for disaster and thankfully the PGA Tour did something about it. Officials made Sept. 11-14 an off week so that Ryder Cup participants would be able to rest. Thanks were in order for PGA Tour officials, but instead Perry sounded like a spoiled PGA Tour member.

"I don't even care [about the tournament]," said Perry. "But I committed. That would look real bad if I withdrew."

Yes, it would have. But staying made it worse - because he opened his mouth and sounded so ungrateful.

Faxon set to try again

Brad Faxon will return to the PGA Tour for the first time since August 2007 when he tees it up today in the Turning Stone Resort Championship in Verona, N.Y. Having undergone total reconstructive knee surgery late last year, Faxon tried to play at the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Conn., in June, then in Greensboro, N.C., in August, but both times the knee just didn't feel up to it. He'll be joined in New York by Davis Love as the PGA Tour contests the second of its seven-tournament Fall Series . . . The initials R.A.R. on his golf bag are for his 6-year-old triplets - Rachel, Abigail, and Ryan - and when Dudley Hart tees it up next April in the Masters for the first time since 2001, they'll be there. The initials on the bag, yes, but also the kids. That presents a bit of a dilemma "because I'm going to need three" of the white jumpers worn by the caddies at Augusta National. Players who take part in the par-3 contest the day before the Masters begins are allowed to provide their own caddies and often children get the job. Since he has three candidates, Hart needs a full complement of jumpers.

Humble approach

Bubba Watson, when asked at the Tour Championship to assess the FedEx Cup standings this year: "Hopefully they'll tweak it a little bit because it's too much [volatility]. I'm one who got helped and it's still not right. I'm not downing myself; I'm happy to be here, but I don't think we should call it the Tour Championship. I've never won a tournament in my life and I'm 96th in the world. I'm going to accept everything. I'm going to take the check they give us here. I'm going to go to the Masters, just like they say I can. But I haven't proven myself. I haven't done anything. It's kind of unfair to see Padraig Harrington, who has won two majors [this year], and he's not here. The fans want to see [him] instead of me. They don't want to see me slashing it around." Wouldn't you want to hear him when he was trying to "down" himself? . . . Being sidelined since June, Tiger Woods won't play enough rounds to win the scoring title (Sergio Garcia currently leads), nor will he finish atop the money list (Vijay Singh will). Some folks will push him for Player of the Year honors (but how can Harrington's two major titles be ignored?), and he cannot repeat as greens-in-regulation champion (Briny Baird appears to be your man). But in one category Woods remains the undisputed heavyweight champ, setting a personal best, no less. He averaged a whopping $962,500 for the six tournaments in which he played. Just that average alone would have him ranked 91st on the PGA Tour money list, by the way.

Collision course

In the days following the Ryder Cup, England's Ian Poulter made an accusation to reporters that Anthony Kim, on the course to support his teammates, had bumped into him during a Saturday afternoon four-ball match against Perry and Furyk. The incident reportedly happened at the 14th tee. "I don't take too kindly to someone you would respect as a golfer trying to barge their way through you as if you weren't there. That's pathetic," Poulter told reporters. At the Tour Championship, Kim confirmed that he bumped into Poulter, but only while trying to get over and congratulate Perry, on a tee shot stuck to within 3 feet. "I wasn't even paying attention and I look up and Ian had just bounced off me. I didn't see him, to be honest with you. Obviously, he took it pretty personally." . . . Hunter Mahan on Kim: "The thing I take from him is just his confidence in himself. I don't think it's arrogance; I think it's just that he believes that he is the best player when he steps out there. For anybody who knows anything about psychology, he talks his mind into playing great. He may not hit it great, but he'll talk his mind into playing good. Not many people can do that." . . . Asked if he could envision himself winning 22 times after he turns 40 - something Singh has done - Mahan laughed. "I can't imagine even playing after I'm 40," said Mahan, 26. "It's been 5 1/2 years I've been a pro already and it feels like a lifetime."

Queuing up

Trevor Murphy of St. Johnsbury, Vt., and Steve Alminas of East Longmeadow both made it through their prequalifiers to earn spots into the first stage of the annual PGA Tour Q School. Murphy was T-16 in Palm Springs, Calif., Alminas T-9 in Wylie, Texas. In Valdosta, Ga., Shawn Warren of Windham, Maine, and Hal Jacobs of Maynard both missed the cut . . . At the first stage of European PGA Tour qualifying, Michael Capone of Cranston, R.I., and Needham native Jack Lander both fell short, as did onetime US Amateur champion David Gossett . . . A second first-stage qualifier for the LPGA Tour is underway in Venice, Fla., and among the participants is Jaclyn Sweeney of Andover. A sophomore at Oklahoma State, she is playing in the qualifier as an amateur. Libby Smith of Essex Junction, Vt., Kim Augusta of Rhode Island, and Lynn Valentine of Connecticut are also in the field . . . Harvard got a fourth-place finish from Clarie Sheldon of Milton (73) as the Crimson won the Yale Women's Fall Invitational. Sarah Whitney of William & Mary, via Hingham, (75) was joint ninth, while Boston College, which finished eighth, was led by Natalie Draganza (76, T-14) . . . Georgetown's Chelsea Curtis, a junior from Mashpee, followed up last week's win with a T-2 in the Badger Invitational . . . Garrett Beyor of AIC, a sophomore from Monson, shot 145 to finish second while Brendan Livingston of Westford and UMass-Lowell, was third at 146 in the Northeast-10 Championship at The Orchards in South Hadley. LeMoyne won the team title, with UMass-Lowell second, Saint Anselm third, and Assumption fourth. Livingston's opening 67 was the low round of the tournament . . . Jon Curran of Hopkinton shot 67-70-68 to finish joint second and help host Vanderbilt finish fifth in the annual Mason Randolph Men's Championship.

Win for Seavey-Martin

Jeff Seavey (Samoset Resort) and Jeff Martin (Point Judith CC) combined for a 5-under 67 to win the NEPGA Assistant Pro-Pro Stroke Play Championship at the Renaissance Golf Club in Haverhill . . . Tough stretch for the area's top senior amateurs. Their New England championship in Woodstock, Vt., was cut to just 18 holes in August and the same thing happened to this week's Massachusetts Senior Championship at Eastward Ho! in Chatham. Tom Bergeron of Crumpin-Fox shot 1-under 70 to edge Leigh MacKay of Souther's Marsh by one to take the rain-shortened event . . . John Vaccaro, an amateur from Albany, N.Y., shot 73-71 to cruise to a five-stroke win in the Rhode Island Senior Open at Alpine CC in Cranston . . . Frank Dully and Tami Bane of the host club shot 1-over 71 and posted a four-stroke victory in the annual NEPGA Pro-Lady Championship at Kernwood CC . . . Kammy Maxfeldt of Birchwood CC in Westport, Conn., shot a 1-over 145 to win the New England Women's Open at Shelter Harbor GC in Charlestown, R.I., by a stroke. Susan Bond (Weekapaug GC, Westerly, R.I.) was second and Rebecca Hayes Carroll (Wianno, Osterville) was third, another shot back . . . They went the extra distance at The International's Pines Course, but the end result was a $30,000 donation to the Jimmy Fund. John Dennis hosted the "Tame the Tigers" event, which featured former Red Sox Jim Rice, Mike Andrews, and Bob Montgomery, plus a host of other golfers who took on a golf course set up at a whopping 8,300 yards.