Perry's major appetite whetted by Masters meltdown

By Mark Lamport-Stokes
FARMINGDALE, New York (Reuters) - Kenny Perry said he had learned from his collapse at the U.S. Masters two months ago and is hungrier than ever to win a maiden major title.
The PGA Tour veteran led the Masters by two shots with two holes to play before bogeys at 17 and 18 dropped him into a playoff with fellow American Chad Campbell and Argentina's Angel Cabrera.
Perry's bid to become the oldest player to win a major ended when he hit a poor approach shot on the second extra hole, his bogey being trumped by Cabrera's par for victory.
"I know I can do it," the 48-year-old Perry told reporters at a rain-softened Bethpage State Park on Monday while preparing for this week's U.S. Open, the second major of the season.
"It's just I've got to rethink it a little bit when I'm coming down the last couple of holes and not get ahead of myself. But I look forward to the challenge."
Although he struggled to hold his emotions back through reddened eyes after his Masters meltdown, Perry said the experience had been a positive one overall.
"I enjoyed it," the 13-times PGA Tour winner said. "It was a good ride. I look forward to the opportunity to try to get in there again. It made me hungrier, basically.
PLAYOFF LOSS
"I've been down a few times," added Perry, who also lost a major playoff at the 1996 PGA Championship to fellow American Mark Brooks.
"Kind of like '96, I had that deal done too at the PGA but I just did not quite finish it out. But it just gave me a lot of confidence, it gave me the ability to know that I can do it. I had it."
This week, Perry will have to tackle one of the longest layouts of all time at a major championship.
Bethpage's Black Course, which first staged the U.S. Open in 2002, will measure 7,426 yards off the back tees and features seven par-four holes in excess of 450 yards.
"It all depends how they want to set the tees," Perry said. "They have got a lot of options out there to make the golf course play any way they want it to play."
The 109th U.S. Open starts on Thursday.
(Editing by Ed Osmond)

Source: Reuters