March 15, 2025 • 19 mins
In 2002, Kiwi golfer Craig Perks produced one of golf's most memorable triumphs when he won the Players Championship.
He joined Piney to discuss the historic accomplishment.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalk zedb.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Ryan Fox is tied for thirty third at two under
the card after an even par third round at the
Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, widely known of course, as
the fifth Major. He is ten shots off the lead
held by American JJ Spawn, who is twelve under the cart.
In two thousand and two, Kiwee Craig Perks produced one
(00:33):
of golf's most memorable triumphs when he won this very event,
and one of the more remarkable finishes to a golf tournament.
He was a stroke behind Stephen Ames when he chipped
in for eagle at the par five sixteenth. Then on
the famous Island Green at seventeen he sunk a twenty
eight foot birdie putt, and on eighteen he took three shots.
(00:56):
Still wasn't on the green, but then this, well.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
That's beautiful and fat is can you play?
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Why not me? The three greatest haulouts the Major Championship type.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
The atmosphere I've ever seen pitches with it.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
I'm sixteenth for eagle, A snake over the hill at seventeen,
another pitch in at a camp.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Not only have you seen one of the most shocking
conclusions in golf history, especially at this championship, you've seen
the biggest surprise winner of this championship in its history.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Craig Perks incredible one put on the last three holes.
Craig Perks is now a TV golf analyst and has
been covering the Players Championship. He joins us now from Florida. Craig,
I can't believe it's been twenty three years. I remember
being glued to it back in March of two thousand
and two. What stands out most vividly when you think
(01:55):
back to that day, Well.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
Good afternoon. Yeah, many strong memories, no question about it.
And some of the commentary from Johnny Miller. You know,
the three greatest wholeouts and major championship history is a
certainly a compliment. I know when I'm still on the
eighteenth tee with a two shot lead and took out driver.
(02:18):
I had been living in Louisiana for about twenty years
at that time, and he said I must have left
my brain and the Bayou. So a lot of great comments,
a lot of great memories, you know, when I showed
up there for my very first Players Championship in two
thousand and two. I was just honored to be in
the field, really just privileged to be a PGA two player,
(02:39):
coming from Palms to North New Zealand and lo and behold,
I walked away with a crystal And yeah, so many
incredibly indelible memories, I guess throughout the years, but it is.
I've chatted with a few people this week and it
seems like everyone remembers me for one week of the year,
(03:00):
and a lot of it. Most of them have said,
I can't believe it's been twenty three years.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Yeah, well, I said, And I was watching the footage
back this morning in preparation for chatting to Yu Kragan
and the emotion when you won, you almost looked overcome
by it? Or what was it like when when you
chipped in on eighteen and you'd won.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
I was overwhelmed, you know. I think at the time
I really didn't know what I'd accomplished. First, I didn't
know the magnitude of the event. And the reason I
state that I was actually in the second to last
group the following year with a wonderful chance to win.
I was one back going into the final day and
no one up to that point had ever won back
(03:42):
to back Players Championship and here I was the unheralded
Kiwi with a chance to do it. But then go
back to two and after I chipped in, you know,
I think just a flood of emotions. I'd you know,
I'd come from New Zealand, gone through qualifying school ten
different times. I had just had been you know, I
(04:05):
was a journeyman. It was a grind. I got to
the point at one point in nineteen ninety nine when
I'd run out of money and I was pleading to
some of my sponsors, just give me one more chance.
I really think I'm good enough to do it. And
lo and behold, I got onto the PGA two the
next year, and you know, and two years later I
won the Players. But I think more than anything, it
(04:26):
was just, you know, it was an appreciation for those
that helped me along the way, the journey that I've
made from New Zealand, and you know, just to win
an event of that magnitude in the exhilarating fashion that
I did it was it was it was pretty cool
to be a part of that.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Can we just go through the last three holes? On
sixteen part five and eagle talk us through sixteen.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Well, it was interesting because I had driven it all
over the entire day. I'd only hit four fairways, and
I've missed a couple of very short parts. Won at twelve,
at fifteen, and I stood on the sixteenth tee and
I still wasn't even contemplating winning. I'd played well up
to that point, and I was really in a situation
(05:17):
my career was just trying to keep my PGA to
a card, and I thought, man, if I could just
have a good finish this week, I could lock up
my card for the rest of the year. And exhale,
I had a wonderful drive down sixteen, the best of
the week, and it just set things in motion, middle
of the fairway with a foe iron from over two
hundred yards and I was always a hooker of the
(05:39):
golf ball or a hard drawer of the golf ball,
and the pin was over there on the right, and
I just told myself to hit it solid, and I
was very fortunate. There was a ribbon rough that blanketed
the edge of the green before it went in the water.
It's not there anymore. And if it wasn't there, my
border for would go on the water, but it stayed
up and I chipped it in and then sort of
(06:03):
to jump ahead here the warp to seventeen was it's
just amazing. I was the heart rate was elevated. I
was having trouble breathing. I was having trouble getting slyron spitting,
but it was it was you know, Pete Din Dean
Beaman created that stadium atmosphere, that colisseum, and it was
(06:23):
electric and I still wasn't thinking about winning. I was
just really trying to enjoy the atmosphere and maybe that
was beneficial.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Well, seventeen the famous Island Green. How intimidating a tea
shot is that?
Speaker 3 (06:42):
Well, I think you've seen the triumphs and the disasters there.
I was. I felt lucky, you know, I was really
overwhelmed getting to the tea. It's as nervous as I've
ever been. And knowing the historyonics at that hole, and
really there's no there's no margin of era. You have
(07:04):
to hit it on the green or you're going to
look like a full I just stood up on the green.
I felt very calm. I had a wonderful yardage and
I didn't even really look at the flag. There was
a huge NBC plaqueard on a TV tower well behind
the green, and I said, I'm just going to aim
at the end, and that was really all I focused on.
(07:24):
I hit it solid. When I looked up, seeing it
pretty much going at that end of the NBC, I
was relieved. And then obviously the seat land in the
middle of the green, knowing all the disasters that occurred
there in previous years, I was more than pleased. I
can tell you that, all right.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
So then eighteen what happened on eighteen?
Speaker 3 (07:45):
Yeah? Well, so this was my first Players Championship and
I've played. I practiced around Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and I'd
hit driver there every single day. And again, I'm a
Keiwi and I have no ide I have no idea
how to win golf. Tom it so I had. You know,
I played on the I'd won a lot in many
(08:06):
two and a little bit in college, but you know,
I wasn't proficient at it. So I didn't stand on
that tea going okay, I got to protect this two
shot lead. I'm really thinking more Okay, I just hit
a good T shot and then hit it in the
green and make it power not not the culmination of
the whole week, and where I positioned myself. You know, legitimately,
great champions would have probably hit a four or five
(08:27):
im down to the right and hit an eight iron
short of the green and knocked it on and made
it five and one by one and walked off, and
everyone would have pat patted to you on the back
and said well done. I just I was still trying
to play golf like I had through my career in
New Zealand and then through college and the Mini Tours
and and the Nike two and so on and so forth,
(08:49):
and so I just thought, I'm going to hit this
drive and I'm gonna take it down the right. It
sets up perfectly. I had a drawer and lo and beholder.
You know, coming down on the downswing, you don't want
to hook it in the water, so you block it
to the right. And then I get over there and
I'm still trying to make it four, not thinking okay,
I just make it five and I can still win.
(09:10):
And then I pitched. I was able to pitch it out,
which I think was a pretty smart play. And then
I hit this wonderful aid iron from one hundred and
sixty yards and thinking it's perfect in the middle of
the green that goes over the green. My first thought was,
Jean Vandervelt, I'm gonna make it double or a triple
or a quadruple, and I'm gonna lose this, and I'm
gonna look like the biggest moron in the entire world.
(09:30):
And I can't believe I've just done this. I've hit
it over the green in three and now I really
do have to get it up and down. And I
walked back there, and you know, again there was this
sense of calm. This wasn't the most difficult thing I've
ever done in my life, so try and keep my
competitive career alive. At spots along the journey was more
difficult because there might not have been it tomorrow here.
(09:53):
If I didn't get this up and down and I
last in the playoff, it would still be my best
ever finished and I might have made, you know, seven
hundred and fifty thousand, and I would have kept my card.
And I was on my way in all this sort
of stuff. But when I walked down there, the lie
was really really good. There was a slight little puff
(10:14):
of breeze back in my face, and I said I've
hit this. All I did was work on my short game.
I love spending time just tucked away somewhere working on
my short gam And I said, you've done this a
thousand times, not thinking I'm going to make this, but
just get this ball up and down. And as soon
as I hit it, I said, I've done it because
I didn't expect it to go in, but I knew
(10:35):
it wasn't going to be more than a couple of
feet past, and li and behold it dropped in and
then obviously pandemonium.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Brilliant, So good gee, what a great description, getting goosebumps
even listening to you talk about it. Defending champion Tiger
Woods finished seven shots behind you in a tie for fourteenth,
but then he handed over the trophy and famously said,
you're unbelievable. How cool the moment was that?
Speaker 3 (10:57):
Well more famously, you know, after you finished the round,
you've got to walk through the grandstand and go to
the scorer's tent and validate it all and make sure
it's official. And my wife was Maureen, she was with me, uh,
and so we walked. They said, some of the red
coats there, Brian going, the tournament director. He escorted me back.
(11:19):
He said, look, the the commissioner will be on a
little platform behind the green, and you're there's a trophy
presentation with listen. I had no idea what what had
just occurred. I had no idea how to walk and
be present in a prize ceremony or anything like this.
I had. I'm just I'm complete rookie and all this,
(11:41):
you know, sort of theatrics and what was going on.
And then so we Marian and I my wife, walked
through the the grand stand and I sort of peaked
to my right and I looked over and I said,
what in the I'm not going to use the explicator,
but I said, what in the you know, what is
Tiger Woods doing here? And then I'm like, okay, so
where he's the defending Champonese hold standing there at the crystal.
(12:03):
Tim Vincon's there. So we walked up under the podium
and Tiger looks me in. I'd play with Tiger two
weeks previous at Drau the event down there in Florida
in the final round and I paid well. I'd finished
fifth and Tiger finished second, and so you know, and
Stevie Williams on the bank obviously, so there's a connection there.
And so we walk up and Tiger looks at me
(12:24):
and laughs and shakes his hand, and then Maureen's sitting
right next to me, and I'm going to swear on
the air. I hope you guys don't go on. Go on,
so it's not that bad. But so I walk up
there shake Tiger's hand. He goes, you know, you're unbelievable whatever,
and then he sort of moves over, slides over and
looks down to Maureen and puts his hand out and
he goes, nice to meet you on Tiger Woods. And
(12:47):
Maureen looks up and goes, yeah, no shit, So you
know it was that was sort of I chuckled and
Maury we laugh about that. Yeah, of course we know
you Tiger Woods. You don't really have to introduce yourself.
So that was funny. And then you know all the
other stuff that I sat there for two and a
half hours going to you know, we had the the
(13:09):
ceremony on the back of the green, and then you
have to talk to Mike Thrico from NBC, and then
you have to go into the media center, and then
you have to go thank all the volunteers and then
you go into the locker room and thank the all
the people that have helped you for the week, and
then you go to a little whatever it may be
with all of the red coats who are the ones
that sort of put on the show, and then and
(13:31):
I am my brain, my mind is just I'm like,
I'm really hungry. Actually I'd like to get out of
here and go home, because that's normally what I did.
It was actually happened on a Friday, not I'll just
miss the cart and go home and go to the
next event. But I'm like, why the hell do I
have to do all this stuff for the next three
or four hours? Again I had I couldn't comprehend the
(13:52):
magnitude of this event. And you know what, I want
to talk to the people in the locker room and
the guys that helped shine our shoes and prepare, you know,
have things ready for us. And then there was a
there was a special champions locker room. Champion Zone walked
in there and lit a little ceremony, so it was
you know, literally I think that when I chipped in
(14:13):
at eighteen, it was six thirty local, and I didn't
leave the golf course till ten o'clock, and I'm like,
what just occurred? And Marey and I are sitting there
just looking at each other, bewildered at what we accomplished,
and we had no idea how our lives were about
to change.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
How do you feel when you go back there?
Speaker 3 (14:33):
Now that's a loaded question. It's really it's really interesting.
Like you said, it's twenty three years I played, you know,
so it was a five year exemption. So the next
(14:53):
three years that I played, the next five years as
poorly as you could ever imagine, completely lost my way.
I was in the wilderness. So I I left, I
quit plan and left the tour at the end of
two thousand and seven, And fortunate enough to I still
loved the game, and I really appreciated what the game
(15:13):
had allowed us and the blessings that I went and
played Open Championships with Nick Fouder at Mirefield Up and
Sevi Balistereos walked with me for nine holes that trooon
after I'd helped them in the gym the day before.
But so I would be all of these incredible experiences
(15:36):
that were just you could They were sort of parts
of dreams that you could never imagine happened. So then
I got into television in two thousand and eight, and
then I went back to the players doing television, and
I've been doing it every year since twenty ten. So
really my experience in my lifetime of memories started in
(16:00):
two So again, literally I've been part of the fabric
of this event for nearly twenty five years, a quarter
of a century. I was so, yeah, I was so
I was such an unheralded winner, and I'm sort of
the outlier in the in the wrong direction if you
look at the role the role call of champions here,
(16:23):
you know, if you think Jack Nicholas is one in
Trevino and Floyd and Norman Price and Elkington and the
great my name doesn't belong there. And I think sometimes
when I go back, I'm so thankful and appreciative and
all that, but sometimes I just don't feel like I
should be part of the fiber and the fabric of
(16:45):
the event because my name sort of you'll see graphics
throughout tomorrow, as you know, maybe even Bud Cawley or
Alex Smalley, they'll say that the guy with the I
don't want to say worse, but let's say the lowest
world ranking to win the Players champ was me at
two thousand, at two two hundred and third in the world.
(17:07):
You know, the greats of this game, the best of
the best, have won this event. So I'm sort of
the sore thumb there, and not in a negative way,
but to be one hundred percent honest, I'd rather watch
this from Afar. I've had my time here. I'm so
thankful that I'm part of the event, but I think
(17:30):
at some point it's it's time to, you know, and
I'm so thankful to be part of television, but I
think that nowadays. I walked around and drove around here
preparing for this week for television, and it's I don't
really know. It's interesting. I'm trying to come up with
the correct words to describe it. But I just it'd
(17:55):
be nice to just step away and just watch from
Afar and be thankful for what I did accomplish twenty
three years ago.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
Well, I can tell you from the list of thing
back we're getting, Craig, that you absolutely belong on that leaderboard.
I know what you're saying. I know you know on
that on that board of champions. I know exactly what
you're saying, and you've articular loved yourself beautifully, but yeah,
I don't think you'll get too many people agreeing with
that particular part of it. Craig, mate, it's been such
a wonderful wander down memory lane with you. Thank you
(18:22):
for being so generous with your time, and you know
we'll always have two thousand and two and I know
the whole legion of golf fans still look back particularly
fondly on that on that day in March of two
thousand and two. Thanks for reliving up with us.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
Yeah, thanks again. It's it's good to be you know.
You think of Subb, you know, winning an Open championship
and Cambo winning a US Open, so you know, Frank
Nobolo a Couplers so much and obviously Grant Wait as well.
But just to be part of the Kiwi legion that
has had some success on the PGA two, I think
that's what I'm most proud of. But listen, thanks thanks
so letting me join you guys and wander down memory
(18:59):
lane a little bit.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
All the best to you, Craig, Thanks again.
Speaker 3 (19:02):
Craig Perks, thank you, Thank you.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
Players Championship winner two thousand and joining us from the
course at which he achieved that wonderful feedback in two
thousand and two.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
For more from Weekends Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to news talks at B Weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalk zedb.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Ryan Fox is tied for thirty third at two under
the card after an even par third round at the
Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, widely known of course, as
the fifth Major. He is ten shots off the lead
held by American JJ Spawn, who is twelve under the cart.
In two thousand and two, Kiwee Craig Perks produced one
(00:33):
of golf's most memorable triumphs when he won this very event,
and one of the more remarkable finishes to a golf tournament.
He was a stroke behind Stephen Ames when he chipped
in for eagle at the par five sixteenth. Then on
the famous Island Green at seventeen he sunk a twenty
eight foot birdie putt, and on eighteen he took three shots.
(00:56):
Still wasn't on the green, but then this, well.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
That's beautiful and fat is can you play?
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Why not me? The three greatest haulouts the Major Championship type.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
The atmosphere I've ever seen pitches with it.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
I'm sixteenth for eagle, A snake over the hill at seventeen,
another pitch in at a camp.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Not only have you seen one of the most shocking
conclusions in golf history, especially at this championship, you've seen
the biggest surprise winner of this championship in its history.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Craig Perks incredible one put on the last three holes.
Craig Perks is now a TV golf analyst and has
been covering the Players Championship. He joins us now from Florida. Craig,
I can't believe it's been twenty three years. I remember
being glued to it back in March of two thousand
and two. What stands out most vividly when you think
(01:55):
back to that day, Well.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
Good afternoon. Yeah, many strong memories, no question about it.
And some of the commentary from Johnny Miller. You know,
the three greatest wholeouts and major championship history is a
certainly a compliment. I know when I'm still on the
eighteenth tee with a two shot lead and took out driver.
(02:18):
I had been living in Louisiana for about twenty years
at that time, and he said I must have left
my brain and the Bayou. So a lot of great comments,
a lot of great memories, you know, when I showed
up there for my very first Players Championship in two
thousand and two. I was just honored to be in
the field, really just privileged to be a PGA two player,
(02:39):
coming from Palms to North New Zealand and lo and behold,
I walked away with a crystal And yeah, so many
incredibly indelible memories, I guess throughout the years, but it is.
I've chatted with a few people this week and it
seems like everyone remembers me for one week of the year,
(03:00):
and a lot of it. Most of them have said,
I can't believe it's been twenty three years.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Yeah, well, I said, And I was watching the footage
back this morning in preparation for chatting to Yu Kragan
and the emotion when you won, you almost looked overcome
by it? Or what was it like when when you
chipped in on eighteen and you'd won.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
I was overwhelmed, you know. I think at the time
I really didn't know what I'd accomplished. First, I didn't
know the magnitude of the event. And the reason I
state that I was actually in the second to last
group the following year with a wonderful chance to win.
I was one back going into the final day and
no one up to that point had ever won back
(03:42):
to back Players Championship and here I was the unheralded
Kiwi with a chance to do it. But then go
back to two and after I chipped in, you know,
I think just a flood of emotions. I'd you know,
I'd come from New Zealand, gone through qualifying school ten
different times. I had just had been you know, I
(04:05):
was a journeyman. It was a grind. I got to
the point at one point in nineteen ninety nine when
I'd run out of money and I was pleading to
some of my sponsors, just give me one more chance.
I really think I'm good enough to do it. And
lo and behold, I got onto the PGA two the
next year, and you know, and two years later I
won the Players. But I think more than anything, it
(04:26):
was just, you know, it was an appreciation for those
that helped me along the way, the journey that I've
made from New Zealand, and you know, just to win
an event of that magnitude in the exhilarating fashion that
I did it was it was it was pretty cool
to be a part of that.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Can we just go through the last three holes? On
sixteen part five and eagle talk us through sixteen.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Well, it was interesting because I had driven it all
over the entire day. I'd only hit four fairways, and
I've missed a couple of very short parts. Won at twelve,
at fifteen, and I stood on the sixteenth tee and
I still wasn't even contemplating winning. I'd played well up
to that point, and I was really in a situation
(05:17):
my career was just trying to keep my PGA to
a card, and I thought, man, if I could just
have a good finish this week, I could lock up
my card for the rest of the year. And exhale,
I had a wonderful drive down sixteen, the best of
the week, and it just set things in motion, middle
of the fairway with a foe iron from over two
hundred yards and I was always a hooker of the
(05:39):
golf ball or a hard drawer of the golf ball,
and the pin was over there on the right, and
I just told myself to hit it solid, and I
was very fortunate. There was a ribbon rough that blanketed
the edge of the green before it went in the water.
It's not there anymore. And if it wasn't there, my
border for would go on the water, but it stayed
up and I chipped it in and then sort of
(06:03):
to jump ahead here the warp to seventeen was it's
just amazing. I was the heart rate was elevated. I
was having trouble breathing. I was having trouble getting slyron spitting,
but it was it was you know, Pete Din Dean
Beaman created that stadium atmosphere, that colisseum, and it was
(06:23):
electric and I still wasn't thinking about winning. I was
just really trying to enjoy the atmosphere and maybe that
was beneficial.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Well, seventeen the famous Island Green. How intimidating a tea
shot is that?
Speaker 3 (06:42):
Well, I think you've seen the triumphs and the disasters there.
I was. I felt lucky, you know, I was really
overwhelmed getting to the tea. It's as nervous as I've
ever been. And knowing the historyonics at that hole, and
really there's no there's no margin of era. You have
(07:04):
to hit it on the green or you're going to
look like a full I just stood up on the green.
I felt very calm. I had a wonderful yardage and
I didn't even really look at the flag. There was
a huge NBC plaqueard on a TV tower well behind
the green, and I said, I'm just going to aim
at the end, and that was really all I focused on.
(07:24):
I hit it solid. When I looked up, seeing it
pretty much going at that end of the NBC, I
was relieved. And then obviously the seat land in the
middle of the green, knowing all the disasters that occurred
there in previous years, I was more than pleased. I
can tell you that, all right.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
So then eighteen what happened on eighteen?
Speaker 3 (07:45):
Yeah? Well, so this was my first Players Championship and
I've played. I practiced around Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and I'd
hit driver there every single day. And again, I'm a
Keiwi and I have no ide I have no idea
how to win golf. Tom it so I had. You know,
I played on the I'd won a lot in many
(08:06):
two and a little bit in college, but you know,
I wasn't proficient at it. So I didn't stand on
that tea going okay, I got to protect this two
shot lead. I'm really thinking more Okay, I just hit
a good T shot and then hit it in the
green and make it power not not the culmination of
the whole week, and where I positioned myself. You know, legitimately,
great champions would have probably hit a four or five
(08:27):
im down to the right and hit an eight iron
short of the green and knocked it on and made
it five and one by one and walked off, and
everyone would have pat patted to you on the back
and said well done. I just I was still trying
to play golf like I had through my career in
New Zealand and then through college and the Mini Tours
and and the Nike two and so on and so forth,
(08:49):
and so I just thought, I'm going to hit this
drive and I'm gonna take it down the right. It
sets up perfectly. I had a drawer and lo and beholder.
You know, coming down on the downswing, you don't want
to hook it in the water, so you block it
to the right. And then I get over there and
I'm still trying to make it four, not thinking okay,
I just make it five and I can still win.
(09:10):
And then I pitched. I was able to pitch it out,
which I think was a pretty smart play. And then
I hit this wonderful aid iron from one hundred and
sixty yards and thinking it's perfect in the middle of
the green that goes over the green. My first thought was,
Jean Vandervelt, I'm gonna make it double or a triple
or a quadruple, and I'm gonna lose this, and I'm
gonna look like the biggest moron in the entire world.
(09:30):
And I can't believe I've just done this. I've hit
it over the green in three and now I really
do have to get it up and down. And I
walked back there, and you know, again there was this
sense of calm. This wasn't the most difficult thing I've
ever done in my life, so try and keep my
competitive career alive. At spots along the journey was more
difficult because there might not have been it tomorrow here.
(09:53):
If I didn't get this up and down and I
last in the playoff, it would still be my best
ever finished and I might have made, you know, seven
hundred and fifty thousand, and I would have kept my card.
And I was on my way in all this sort
of stuff. But when I walked down there, the lie
was really really good. There was a slight little puff
(10:14):
of breeze back in my face, and I said I've
hit this. All I did was work on my short game.
I love spending time just tucked away somewhere working on
my short gam And I said, you've done this a
thousand times, not thinking I'm going to make this, but
just get this ball up and down. And as soon
as I hit it, I said, I've done it because
I didn't expect it to go in, but I knew
(10:35):
it wasn't going to be more than a couple of
feet past, and li and behold it dropped in and
then obviously pandemonium.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Brilliant, So good gee, what a great description, getting goosebumps
even listening to you talk about it. Defending champion Tiger
Woods finished seven shots behind you in a tie for fourteenth,
but then he handed over the trophy and famously said,
you're unbelievable. How cool the moment was that?
Speaker 3 (10:57):
Well more famously, you know, after you finished the round,
you've got to walk through the grandstand and go to
the scorer's tent and validate it all and make sure
it's official. And my wife was Maureen, she was with me, uh,
and so we walked. They said, some of the red
coats there, Brian going, the tournament director. He escorted me back.
(11:19):
He said, look, the the commissioner will be on a
little platform behind the green, and you're there's a trophy
presentation with listen. I had no idea what what had
just occurred. I had no idea how to walk and
be present in a prize ceremony or anything like this.
I had. I'm just I'm complete rookie and all this,
(11:41):
you know, sort of theatrics and what was going on.
And then so we Marian and I my wife, walked
through the the grand stand and I sort of peaked
to my right and I looked over and I said,
what in the I'm not going to use the explicator,
but I said, what in the you know, what is
Tiger Woods doing here? And then I'm like, okay, so
where he's the defending Champonese hold standing there at the crystal.
(12:03):
Tim Vincon's there. So we walked up under the podium
and Tiger looks me in. I'd play with Tiger two
weeks previous at Drau the event down there in Florida
in the final round and I paid well. I'd finished
fifth and Tiger finished second, and so you know, and
Stevie Williams on the bank obviously, so there's a connection there.
And so we walk up and Tiger looks at me
(12:24):
and laughs and shakes his hand, and then Maureen's sitting
right next to me, and I'm going to swear on
the air. I hope you guys don't go on. Go on,
so it's not that bad. But so I walk up
there shake Tiger's hand. He goes, you know, you're unbelievable whatever,
and then he sort of moves over, slides over and
looks down to Maureen and puts his hand out and
he goes, nice to meet you on Tiger Woods. And
(12:47):
Maureen looks up and goes, yeah, no shit, So you
know it was that was sort of I chuckled and
Maury we laugh about that. Yeah, of course we know
you Tiger Woods. You don't really have to introduce yourself.
So that was funny. And then you know all the
other stuff that I sat there for two and a
half hours going to you know, we had the the
(13:09):
ceremony on the back of the green, and then you
have to talk to Mike Thrico from NBC, and then
you have to go into the media center, and then
you have to go thank all the volunteers and then
you go into the locker room and thank the all
the people that have helped you for the week, and
then you go to a little whatever it may be
with all of the red coats who are the ones
that sort of put on the show, and then and
(13:31):
I am my brain, my mind is just I'm like,
I'm really hungry. Actually I'd like to get out of
here and go home, because that's normally what I did.
It was actually happened on a Friday, not I'll just
miss the cart and go home and go to the
next event. But I'm like, why the hell do I
have to do all this stuff for the next three
or four hours? Again I had I couldn't comprehend the
(13:52):
magnitude of this event. And you know what, I want
to talk to the people in the locker room and
the guys that helped shine our shoes and prepare, you know,
have things ready for us. And then there was a
there was a special champions locker room. Champion Zone walked
in there and lit a little ceremony, so it was
you know, literally I think that when I chipped in
(14:13):
at eighteen, it was six thirty local, and I didn't
leave the golf course till ten o'clock, and I'm like,
what just occurred? And Marey and I are sitting there
just looking at each other, bewildered at what we accomplished,
and we had no idea how our lives were about
to change.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
How do you feel when you go back there?
Speaker 3 (14:33):
Now that's a loaded question. It's really it's really interesting.
Like you said, it's twenty three years I played, you know,
so it was a five year exemption. So the next
(14:53):
three years that I played, the next five years as
poorly as you could ever imagine, completely lost my way.
I was in the wilderness. So I I left, I
quit plan and left the tour at the end of
two thousand and seven, And fortunate enough to I still
loved the game, and I really appreciated what the game
(15:13):
had allowed us and the blessings that I went and
played Open Championships with Nick Fouder at Mirefield Up and
Sevi Balistereos walked with me for nine holes that trooon
after I'd helped them in the gym the day before.
But so I would be all of these incredible experiences
(15:36):
that were just you could They were sort of parts
of dreams that you could never imagine happened. So then
I got into television in two thousand and eight, and
then I went back to the players doing television, and
I've been doing it every year since twenty ten. So
really my experience in my lifetime of memories started in
(16:00):
two So again, literally I've been part of the fabric
of this event for nearly twenty five years, a quarter
of a century. I was so, yeah, I was so
I was such an unheralded winner, and I'm sort of
the outlier in the in the wrong direction if you
look at the role the role call of champions here,
(16:23):
you know, if you think Jack Nicholas is one in
Trevino and Floyd and Norman Price and Elkington and the
great my name doesn't belong there. And I think sometimes
when I go back, I'm so thankful and appreciative and
all that, but sometimes I just don't feel like I
should be part of the fiber and the fabric of
(16:45):
the event because my name sort of you'll see graphics
throughout tomorrow, as you know, maybe even Bud Cawley or
Alex Smalley, they'll say that the guy with the I
don't want to say worse, but let's say the lowest
world ranking to win the Players champ was me at
two thousand, at two two hundred and third in the world.
(17:07):
You know, the greats of this game, the best of
the best, have won this event. So I'm sort of
the sore thumb there, and not in a negative way,
but to be one hundred percent honest, I'd rather watch
this from Afar. I've had my time here. I'm so
thankful that I'm part of the event, but I think
(17:30):
at some point it's it's time to, you know, and
I'm so thankful to be part of television, but I
think that nowadays. I walked around and drove around here
preparing for this week for television, and it's I don't
really know. It's interesting. I'm trying to come up with
the correct words to describe it. But I just it'd
(17:55):
be nice to just step away and just watch from
Afar and be thankful for what I did accomplish twenty
three years ago.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
Well, I can tell you from the list of thing
back we're getting, Craig, that you absolutely belong on that leaderboard.
I know what you're saying. I know you know on
that on that board of champions. I know exactly what
you're saying, and you've articular loved yourself beautifully, but yeah,
I don't think you'll get too many people agreeing with
that particular part of it. Craig, mate, it's been such
a wonderful wander down memory lane with you. Thank you
(18:22):
for being so generous with your time, and you know
we'll always have two thousand and two and I know
the whole legion of golf fans still look back particularly
fondly on that on that day in March of two
thousand and two. Thanks for reliving up with us.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
Yeah, thanks again. It's it's good to be you know.
You think of Subb, you know, winning an Open championship
and Cambo winning a US Open, so you know, Frank
Nobolo a Couplers so much and obviously Grant Wait as well.
But just to be part of the Kiwi legion that
has had some success on the PGA two, I think
that's what I'm most proud of. But listen, thanks thanks
so letting me join you guys and wander down memory
(18:59):
lane a little bit.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
All the best to you, Craig, Thanks again.
Speaker 3 (19:02):
Craig Perks, thank you, Thank you.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
Players Championship winner two thousand and joining us from the
course at which he achieved that wonderful feedback in two
thousand and two.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
For more from Weekends Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to news talks at B Weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
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