Unknown, not untested - Perks' win was long time in the making

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Craig Perks was virtually unknown until he won The Players Championship with a stunning finish.

He was far from untested.

"I've worked hard ever since I came to this country for this moment," the New Zealander said. "I've had a path and I've kind of stuck to what I thought would help me get to this position."

It was not a path many players have taken.

An All-American at two universities (Oklahoma, Louisiana-Lafayette), Perks tried to get on the PGA Tour his first year out of college and failed in Q-school. Unable to find financial support, he found work as an assistant pro at Le Triomphe in Lafayette, La.

"I had to get up and work seven days a week, and it was tough," Perks said. "I was really hungry to play and be successful."

Until his roller-coaster round Sunday on the grueling TPC at Sawgrass -- two pars over his final 14 holes, an eagle-birdie-par finish for a two-stroke win over Stephen Ames -- his previous victory had come at the end of his three-year ride on the Hooters Tour.

His check that day was $11,000.

Perks spent four years on the Buy.com Tour, where his combined earnings were $124,015.

For two straight years, his road to the PGA Tour went through Q-school, a six-day tournament that has all the pressure of big-time events minus the six-figure paycheck.

"Those experiences have really helped me become successful," Perks said.

The benefits were immediate and significant.

A payday with benefits

Perks, 35, earned $1,080,000 after four days on the Stadium Course. The career-making victory also gives him membership on the PGA Tour for the next five years, exemption to the British Open for four years, to the Masters for three years and to the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship this year.

Perks was ranked No. 203 in the world. He shot up to No. 64 on Monday.

The finish will be hard to top.

He felt the pressure from Sunday at Sawgrass from the opening hole, where he made bogey and fell three strokes behind. Perks hit only four fairways, made only five pars and twice missed putts inside 2 feet.

Everyone figured he would be a sad figure when the last 2-footer barely caught the edge of the cup. Perks was one stroke behind, facing three of the most pressure-packed holes on the course.

What followed capped another year of high drama at The Players Championship.

A chip-in from 21 feet for eagle, but only after a thick collar of rough kept his approach from running into the water.

A 28-foot birdie putt on the island-green 17th, where the primary goal is simply to put the ball on land in the middle of a lake.

A chip-in for par on the 18th hole, but only after hitting a driver into the trees, chipping out to the fairway and sending his approach over the green into more rough.

"I never dreamed I would finish 3-2-4 the way I did," Perks said.

A table-tennis champion in New Zealand, Perks was busy with swimming, cricket and rugby as a boy. His father had two artificial hips, and Perks went to the golf course to help him tee the ball and pick it out of the hole.

At 13, he finally hit a few balls himself and was hooked.

The journey took a lot longer than he anticipated, but Sunday's payoff made it worth the wait. Perks now has a permanent locker upstairs in the clubhouse at Sawgrass, alongside Tiger Woods, Greg Norman, David Duval, Jack Nicklaus and other stars.

Such is the roll call of winners at The Players Championship that only five have not also won a major championship.