Ryder Cup Notebook | Kenny Perry comes through, gets redemption at Valhalla

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kenny Perry said his performance in the Ryder Cup would define his career.

On Sunday the Franklin, Ky., player defined it with a victory.

With his gallery packed with friends and family — including his 84-year-old father, Ken Sr., in his trademark overalls — Perry beat Henrik Stenson 3 and 2 in singles, giving him a 2-1-1 record in what he called one of the most memorable weeks of his life.

It was redemption of sorts for Perry, who blew a two-shot lead on the 18th during the final round of the 1996 PGA Championship at Valhalla and said for years the course owed him one. He rededicated himself this year to make the team, winning three times to earn a spot at age 48.

"I said this was going to define my career, but you know what, it made my career," Perry said.

Perry made sure the 18th wouldn't come into play this time. He birdied four straight holes to take a 3-up lead after five holes and never let Stenson get closer than two the rest of the way.

BOO BEING BOO: Boo Weekley is from western Florida, about 600 miles south of Valhalla, but you couldn't tell it from the way the Kentucky crowd adopted him this week.

From the chants of "Booo" every time he made a putt to the T-shirts proclaiming Kentucky as the home of the "Red, White & Boo," the 35-year-old Weekley became a cult hero over the weekend.

"I feel like I've been adopted," Weekley said.

Maybe that explains Weekley's relaxed demeanor on the tee. Playing in arguably the biggest match of his life, Weekley drilled his tee shot then placed his driver between his legs and began riding it down the fairway.

GOING THE DISTANCE: Ten matches made it to 18 during this year's Cup, the most under the current format since 15 matches made it to the final hole in 1989.

That match ended in a draw, allowing Europe to retain the Cup.

Just one match made it to 18 on Sunday as Hunter Mahan and Paul Casey halved, well off the record eight set in 1993 and 1989.

FAN WARS: The action in the galleries at Valhalla were almost as entertaining as the golf.

U.S. and Europe fans spent most of the week going back and forth, and the battle continued during singles play.

Several U.S. fans brought signs usually saved for football games. One read "The Streak Ends Here" while another read "Not on our turf."

The European supporters had their own way of getting behind their stars, creating chants for some of the more popular players and turning the blue-and-gold Team Europe flag into just about every article of clothing you could imagine.

Europe captain Nick Faldo, however, wished he'd had a few more blue-and-gold fans behind the ropes.

"I wish we weren't quite so outnumbered in the crowd," Faldo said. "Maybe high gas prices kept some from coming over."

WESTWOOD STUMBLES AGAIN: A day after Lee Westwood's record-tying unbeaten streak ended at 12, the longtime European star hoped to return to form against Ben Curtis.

Instead, Westwood fell 2 and 1, leaving him without a victory for the first time in his Cup career and capping a rough week in which he fought both the course and the crowd.

Westwood missed the first match of his career when Nick Faldo decided to sit him out of the foursomes matches on Saturday morning. He then followed with a loss in four-ball when he and Soren Hansen lost to Boo Weekley and J.B. Holmes. It was Westwood's first defeat since a loss in fourball during the 2002 Ryder Cup at The Belfry.

NO HEROICS FOR LEONARD: Justin Leonard didn't get to play the hero this time.

Nine years after his 45-foot putt gave the U.S. it's last Ryder Cup win, Leonard didn't win a hole to Europe's red-hot Robert Karlsson, losing 5 and 3.

Leonard, who teamed with Hunter Mahan to go 2-0-1 during the opening two days of the match, is 0-1-2 in singles play.

Leonard worried after Saturday's foursomes match how much gas he had left in the tank and sat out the afternoon matches. It didn't help. He fell behind on the fourth hole and simply couldn't make up ground on Karlsson, who finished the week 1-1-2.

Some of Leonard's magic, however, may have rubbed off on his playing partner this week. Mahan drilled a 60-foot birdie putt on the 17th, helping ensure a half against Paul Casey.

SEEING RED: Tiger Woods would have approved the U.S. team's outfits Sunday.

After wearing blue on Saturday, the team switched to red for the singles matches, and they weren't the only ones.

Thousands of fans, at U.S. captain Paul Azinger's request, followed suit. Azinger, however, didn't approve of all the red outfits.

A pair of European fans toted around red penguin figures and Azinger couldn't help but notice, telling people to forget about the red penguins and focus on the guys in the red shirts.

PASSING THE BATON: Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear met with First Minister of Wales Rhodri Morgan on Sunday to pass the baton from Valhalla to Wales, which will host the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor.

Morgan and Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones participated in the closing ceremonies, which included flying the Wales flag part of the official exchange of responsibility for hosting the Ryder Cup.

The Cup will return to the United States at Medinah outside Chicago in 2012. Future sites include Gleneagles in Scotland in 2014, Hazeltine in Minnesota in 2016 and Whistling Straits in Wisconsin in 2020.