FEATURE
Pat Perez plays from the 9th tee during his third round of The 147th Open Championship at Carnoustie
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The New Pat Perez AFP/Glyn Kirk
When guys of his generation - 48-year-old Phil Mickelson and 42-year-old Tiger Woods - have done so much more, Pat Perez, the reigning CIMB Classic champion, is on this late roll of success, writes Jim McCabe. 50
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Perez with Mike Hartford, best friend forever and his caddie since 2000 52
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rushes faster to his defence on those times when it is needed. “It should be obvious to people that if I’ve been working for him all these years, he’s got to be a good dude,” said Hartford, who has been Perez’s best friend forever and his caddie since 2000. True, Perez doesn’t deflect the hard-living, rough-around-the-edges spotlight that so many are quick to shine on him - hey, it’s sort of cool to be portrayed that way - but he points out that Hartford indeed should be your go-to guy on all things about Perez. “This guy has been with me… every step of the way. He’s loyal beyond belief. He’d be with me whether I won 25 times or just the (three times),” said Perez. No one can judge the Perez-Hartford relationship quite like Jon Robertson, who coached both boys as members of his golf team back at Torrey Pines High School in the 1990s. Raised in the laid-back confines of San Diego deep in Southern California, Perez and Hartford were the definitions of yin and yang, HKGOLFER.COM
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Perez reacts to his putt on the 15th green during his second round of The 147th Open golf Championship at Carnoustie - further proof that the rejuvenation of his career is one of golf’s nice stories, one that is rooted in a maturation process that he doesn’t deny “took a lot longer to develop” than with most people. “I just have a new perspective on life,” said Perez, who recently played well in Carnoustie (tie for 17th) in just his fifth chance at The Open Championship. That is one of the new perks to this new-found success, the opportunity to play in the Majors, and Perez doesn’t take it lightly. Not after a big chunk of time (seven seasons, 2010-16) when he teed it up in just three of 28 Major championships, not when guys of his generation - 48-year-old Phil Mickelson and 42-year-old Tiger Woods - have done so much more. No, sir. The “new” Pat Perez remembers very well how the “old” Pat Perez made things so much more difficult than they needed to be. And the “new” Pat Perez, who along with his wife, Ashley, recently welcomed the birth of their first child, Piper, in September, recalls how the “old” Pat Perez was less enthusiastic about embracing responsibilities. It is all a part of who he is on this late roll of success. The arrival of his child might very well alter his schedule for early in 2018-19, but Perez is committed to enjoying the ride and maintaining perspective. “I’m just a 42-year-old guy who had a great year for once (2016-17) and I’m just hoping to continue and see how much better I can get,” he said. HK GOLFER・OCT 2018
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o k n o w Pa t Pe r e z i s t o understand the dynamics of his f lavorful persona. That there can be two diverse sides to his PGA TOUR saga - one win in his first 378 starts; two triumphs in the last 85 tournaments - is in synch with the contrasting takes on his temperament. Raw, volatile, rock ‘n roll, borderline crude, and a modern-day Rat Pack wannabe. That’s the image Perez has been assigned by some journalists who gravitate only to those storylines that have sex appeal. And the side of Perez that his friends and family know best - that he’s loyal and hard-working, determined and sensitive - well, it lacks sex appeal, accurate though it may be. Which is OK with Mike Hartford, who happens to be the starting point whenever you get around to discussing Patrick Peter Perez. No one knows Perez better, and no one treats the man with greater respect, no one
Robertson told a reporter a few years ago. “One of the most hilarious kids ever,” he opined of Perez, while he portrayed Hartford glowingly. “There isn’t a better human being than that guy.” Perez was high energy, a “live wire,” as they say, a kid who loved to push the envelope. Hartford was methodical and more l ikely to t hin k t hings out before acting, always staying within the boundaries. No surprise, it was Hartford who ran a landscaping company as a teenager. Even less of a surprise, Perez was his best employee. “He used to practical job behind the mower,” said Hartford, who was one year ahead of his friend in high school. Howe ver, Pere z ’s t h i r st for a rapid pace to his life didn’t quite translate into overwhelming success for his professional golf career. There were two years on the Web. com Tour (accompanied by Hartford, his trusty friend/caddie, of course) before Perez qualified for the PGA TOUR in 2002 at the age of 26. That it took until his eighth season to win for the first time was surprising enough, given that he was such a standout as a junior and amateur; that it took another eight years before win No. 2 arrived - the OHL Mayakoba Classic at Mayakoba in Mexico in the fall of 2016 - was something even Perez had a tough time explaining. So, to rea l ise he wa ited for ju st 23 tournaments to win for the third time - at the 2017 CIMB Classic to kick off his 2017-18 campaign - cements a level of pride that Perez doesn’t even try to hide. In his 16th season, Perez had qualif ied for the 2017 TOUR Championship for the first time, a 41-yearold trying to keep up with the mega-powerful generation nearly half his age. “My game’s a lot harder to play than Dustin Johnson’s or Jason Day’s or Justin Thomas’s - guys who fly it 320,” said Perez. “If you look at some of the players I beat, I’ll take that as hell of a compliment.” His win at TPC Kuala Lumpur in October of 2017 was followed by a stretch of stellar work - a fifth in South Korea at the CJ CUP @ NI NE BR I DGES, a share of fourt h in Hawaii at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and later in April a second-place finish in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans team event. Thus, after having played 15 years without a TOUR Championship berth, Perez just missed making it a second straight appearance
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