Meet Jason Perry, a modern-day, real-life Tin Cup story.
Perry turned 50 in February and the former mini-tour golfer from 20-plus years ago who lays synthetic turf for a living in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is competing this week in the Senior British Open at Carnoustie in Scotland.
It will be his first start on PGA Tour Champions and his first time playing in a major championship of any sort. The last time he played in a tournament at this level? That would be the 1998 Bell South Classic, a PGA Tour event played in Atlanta at the time, where he was a Monday qualifier and played one round before being disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard.
Perry chased his dream for much of the 1990s, playing the Developmental Players Tour with players such as Heath Slocum and Boo Weekley, as well as the Hooters Tour and Teardrop Tour. But he said he wasted his talent.
“If after the first day I shot 66 or 67,” Perry said, “I was finding the local pub.”
But he hasn’t played a professional event since and hardly anything at this level other than making it to Final Qualifying for the U.S. Open once seven years ago. It will also be his first time playing overseas and anything close to authentic links golf. Asked what he knows about Carnoustie, he said, “I know it’s hard. Other than that, I’ve been watching YouTube videos of it.”
On July 9, Perry shot 64 at Firestone Country Club’s Fazio Course in northeast Ohio, tying for second out of a 137-man field to earn one of five spots available and qualify for Carnoustie. He joined a former middle-school math teacher from Michigan, Jay Jurecic, and a South Dakota real estate loan officer, Donald Carpenter III, among those to advance to the senior major.
Perry drove 10 hours home that night to get back to work. He’s spent the past 10 years installing artificial turfs and for the last couple has been the owner of JP’s Custom Turf & Landscaping. He was wrapping up a few final jobs installing putting greens and landscape turf so he could practice before traveling overseas.
“It’s just coming together,” he said of his game. “I was just waiting to turn 50 and give it a try.”
