For This Victory, He’ll Earn Perks

Not many people knew about Craig Perks. No one will forget the theatrical finish Sunday that brought him an unlikely victory at the Players Championship and a trip to the Masters.

In a roller-coaster round expected out of a newcomer to such a pressure-packed stage, Perks completed a day of high drama with an eagle-birdie-par finish to become the first player to earn his first victory at the event regarded as golf’s fifth major.

“You’re unbelievable,” defending champion Tiger Woods told him at the trophy presentation. “Absolutely unbelievable”

The 35-year-old from New Zealand closed with an even-par 72, a score that doesn’t even begin to reflect his wild adventures on a firm, punishing TPC at Sawgrass course.

“That was the easiest 72 I ever shot in my life,” Perks joked after his two-shot win over Stephen Ames.

He made only two pars over his final 14 holes, none after No. 10.

Perks easily could have seen his chances disappear when his approach from 199 yards on the par-five 16th came perilously close to the edge of the water. It hung up in the thick collar of rough just right of the green.

With his feet pressed close to the wooden frameboards, he holed the pitch from 21 feet for eagle to take a one-stroke lead.

“I’m an aggressive player,” he said. “I wasn’t going to back away from that flag.”

He handled the next test with ease, finding land on the island-green 17th and holing a 28-foot birdie putt for a two-stroke lead over Ames, who had closed with a five-under 67 about three hours earlier.

Breathing room? Forget it.

Instead of playing it safe off the 18th tee, Perks hit a driver over the rough and behind the trees. He punched out to the fairway, then went over the green.

Needing to get up and down to avoid a playoff, Perks pitched in from 29 feet. He raised his wedge as it trickled into the cup, then slammed his cap into the grass to celebrate.

Perks, who finished at eight-under 280, became the first player since Hal Sutton in 1983 to win the Players Championship in his first try. No one in the 28-year history of the tournament had ever made it his first victory.

Perks and Carl Paulson both asked themselves Saturday night, “Why not us?”

The question after another day of drama and disaster was, “How did that happen?”

The stunning finish came after Perks missed a two-foot par putt on the 15th hole that dropped him out of a share of the lead. He showed amazing resiliency and no quit, the traits that belong to winners of the Players Championship.

Perks won $1,080,000, the richest prize on the PGA Tour, but that’s not all. He earned a three-year invitation to the Masters and an exemption into all the major championships this year.

Paulson, the 54-hole leader by one shot over Perks, bogeyed four consecutive holes on the front nine and closed with a 77 to finish at 284, along with Sergio Garcia (71), Scott Hoch (72), Billy Andrade (72) and Jeff Sluman (74).

Woods failed to become the first repeat winner in the Players Championship.

He didn’t make a birdie until the 10th hole and finished with a 74, the first time he has been over par in the final round since the Nissan Open two years ago.

Given the swirling winds and brown patches on the dry, firm greens, Woods had a feeling that six or seven under par might be enough.

“I just wasn’t able to get off to a good, solid start today and post some birdies,” he said. “I made my share of mistakes.”