Pat Perez continues career renaissance at Carnoustie

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland – The beauty of links golf is that superhuman strength isn’t necessary for success. The courses over here reward control and creativity. Distance is an advantage anywhere, but the firm turf allows players to advance the ball on the ground instead of requiring them to send it into orbit. That’s why players like Tom Watson and Greg Norman can contend at this championship when they’re well past their prime. Pat Perez is further proof that links courses make The Open Championship accessible to the widest variety of players. He’s 42 years old, two years removed from shoulder surgery and sporting a little paunch. He shows up at most majors knowing that he doesn’t stand a chance. Making the cut on the supersized courses used in the four Grand Slam events is a moral victory. Halfway through this year’s Open, though, he has a chance to hoist the Claret Jug. He’ll start Saturday just one shot behind two other players who will never be confused for linebackers, Zach Johnson and Kevin Kisner. Perez shot 69 and 68 in the first two rounds at Carnoustie. “That’s what’s so awesome about this place. You can play it so many different ways,� Perez said. Take the par-5 sixth hole, where the fairway is bisected by pot bunkers. While Ben Hogan famously squeezed his tee shots between the traps and an out-of-bounds fence, today’s big hitters can fly the trouble and reach the green in two. Not Perez. Perez hit two 4-irons and a 9-iron. He loves the links so much that he often returns to Scotland in the fall to compete in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, which is contested on the Old Course, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns. Perez isn’t afraid to acknowledge that the odds are against him. He has one top-10 in 24 major starts while missing the cut 10 times. The spotlight will shine this weekend on players like Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth, all of whom will start Saturday within three shots of the lead. But Perez thinks that will work to his advantage. “The best part for me is that no one thinks that I can win,� Perez said. “For me, that makes it easier to play. I don’t have any pressure.� He may try to downplay his chances, but Perez is in the midst of a renaissance after that shoulder surgery. The winner of one PGA TOUR title in his first 15 years, he has a victory in each of the past two seasons. Last year, he qualified for the TOUR Championship for the first time in his career. He is 22nd in this season’s FedExCup after winning the CIMB Classic. “You can have 22-year-olds playing great. Phil, 48, is winning World Golf Championships. That’s what’s so awesome about our sport,� Perez said. “But if I’m there, I’m there. If I’m not, I’m used to that.�

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