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By John Reger
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer
PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA (TICKER) -- It is an age when professional golfers are thinking more about the Champions Tour rather than the PGA Tour, but some of those within 50 years of age are not ready to quit competing against the younger players.
Kenny Perry is 47, has won nine times on the PGA Tour, and made a run at the $5.1 million Bob Hope Chrysler Classic before ultimately finishing tied for third.
"I struggled today, I was cold from the start and was stiff and couldn't warm up," Perry said. "I had a chance to win the tournament."
It was the third top-5 finish in two years and Perry knows he can still compete on this tour.
"I think you always want to compete on the PGA Tour," Perry said. "I'm healthy still, I'm strong, I still hit it plenty far. I don't see why I can't compete out there."
Perry is one of several golfers over 45 who are still finding success on the PGA Tour.
The most shining example is Fred Funk. Funk, who turned 50 in 2006, has thrived on both the PGA and Champions Tours.
Funk won on both last year, taking the title in the Turtle Bay Championship on the Champions Tour in January and, a month later, captured the Mayakoba Golf Classic on the PGA Tour.
"Look at Fred Funk," Perry said. "He's kind of a guy I'm looking to. He stayed highly motivated all the way up until he turned 50 and is still doing well now."
This year Funk played both events in Hawaii on the PGA Tour and finished tied for 25th at the Mercedes and tied for 10th at the Sony Open. He stayed in Hawaii to play in the Champions Tour's MasterCard Championship and was second going into Sunday's final round.
There are three years before Perry has to make that decision, but it is something that has crept into his thoughts, though he knows there are still goals to achieve on the PGA Tour.
"Jay Haas has kind of done the same thing, I'm trying to follow in his footsteps," Perry said. "I really want to get on the Ryder Cup team. It's in Kentucky, that's my home and I am very focused."
It hasn't been that long since Perry won on the PGA Tour. He won the Bay Hill Invitational and the Colonial in 2005 and has said that experience has helped him in the later stages of his 23-year career.
"I've got a lot of knowledge in my head from all these years and what it feels like to me and what I'm after," Perry said. "The kids, like Anthony Kim, he doesn't understand what I'm thinking and what I'm feeling, where I'm coming from."
Plus there are things that affect Perry, that youngsters like Kim can't even fathom.
"Watch all these kids, they have so much club head speed now and my speed has really come down," Perry said. "I just don't have the mobility like I used to. I can really tell a big difference."
There are those who are not huge fans of splitting their time on the two tours. John Cook, who turned 50 last October, had decided last year that he would devote most of his time to the Champions Tour.
Last year, the first two winners of the PGA Tour events - Vijay Singh and Paul Goydos - were both older than 40 when they won. Two more players over 40, Steve Flesch and Woody Austin, won on the tour last year.
Perry believes he can win again and if he does, it will be the seventh time since he turned 40. His other three victories came when he was under 40.
"It's been a year and a half since I contended," Perry said. "I'll take a lot of positives from this and I believe I can win again."
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