Posted by Jason Sobel
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- I imagine there are people out there -- casual golf fans, maybe those who are new to the sport -- who have seen the recent NBC promos for The Players Championships in which Jimmy Roberts speaks about Craig Perks' victory and wondered, "Who the heck is
that guy?" (Meaning Perks, of course, not Roberts.)
It's a valid question. When Perks won this tournament four years ago, he wasn't exactly a household name. The New Zealander entered the event as the 203rd-ranked player in the world, but became the first player to earn his initial PGA Tour victory at the Players, needing just one putt over the final three holes while chipping in twice.
Since then, he's faded back into anonymity. In fact, it's a pretty good bet that if you started following the tour in, say, late March of 2002, you might never have heard his name.
So far this season, Perks, 39, has made six starts … and missed the cut in each one 'em. It's become somewhat of a trend, as he closed out last year with nine consecutive missed cuts and reached the weekend in only six of 27 events overall. There were similar results in 2004 (16 missed cuts in 27 starts), 2003 (16 missed cuts in 28 starts) and even after his win in 2002 (11 missed cuts in 20 starts after the Players).
Perks has sunk to No. 522 in the World Ranking -- nestled right in between such legends as Kiyoshi Murota and Ken Duke -- which raises the question: What is he still doing on tour? Like David Duval, who earned a five-year PGA Tour exemption with his British Open triumph in 2001, Perks earned a half-decade pass to the world's richest golf tour with his victory, meaning he owns full status through the end of next season.
In listing golf's recent one-hit wonders, the names Ben Curtis and Shaun Micheel are often evoked, but based on what Perks accomplished -- or didn't accomplish -- both before and after his Players Championship victory, he might define the phrase.
