Perry shoots 61, sits on 8-shot cushion in Colonial

Associated Press

With the focus back on the leaders after Annika Sorenstam missed the cut, Kenny Perry didn't go unnoticed again as he ran away from the rest of the field at the Bank of America at the Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas

Perry matched the Colonial record with a 9-under 61 in yesterday's third round. He was at 17-under 193 and led by eight strokes — the largest lead after 54 holes on the tour this season.

On target from the start, Perry birdied his first three holes and then made three straight birdies to end his front nine. With three more birdies on the back nine, he finished his best round in 17 years on the PGA Tour.

"I can't remember holding it together that many holes in a row consecutively," Perry said. "I've had stretches of six, seven, eight holes pretty good. But I don't remember having this many."

Perry was also the leader after the second round, but his 64 Friday was basically a footnote with Sorenstam wrapping up her historic appearance on the PGA Tour.

"They have never paid attention to me anyway, so it doesn't matter to me," Perry said.

A couple dozen media attended his post-round news conference in the same room that was filled with more than 300 people the previous three days for Sorenstam.

There was a more-traditional feel around Colonial a day after Sorenstam finished her historic appearance as the first woman in 58 years to play on the PGA Tour. She missed the cut by four strokes at 5 over.

"It was completely different," said Kane'ohe's Dean Wilson, who shot 69 for 207, and played with Sorenstam the first two rounds. "There was not as much of a gallery, and not as much excitement in the air. It's kind of what I'm used to. A lot of people were asking me where my gallery went."

When Wilson went to the 10th hole, the same place where Sorenstam started her PGA Tour experiment Thursday, less than 50 people surrounded the tee box. Only a handful of those followed after Wilson and Dallas resident Harrison Frazar hit their shots.

Rory Sabbatini was the closest to Perry at 9 under 201 after his 67 that started with an eagle. Jim Furyk (69) was at 202.

"Kenny seemed like he was playing a different golf course than the rest of us," Furyk said.

"I got off to a good start and thought, 'OK, here we go.' That put me back to level with him," Sabbatini said. "And I go to the fifth hole and I looked at the scoreboard, all the work I thought I had done the first five holes was just obliterated by what he was doing."