Craig William Perks (born 6 January 1967) is a professional golfer from New Zealand who won the 2002 Players Championship.
Early life and amateur career
In 1967, Perks was born in Palmerston North, New Zealand. He was also raised in the town.
Perks attended university in the United States. He played college golf at the University of Oklahoma and the University of Southwestern Louisiana in Lafayette, Louisiana.
Professional career
In 1993, Perks turned professional. He played on the second tier Nike Tour for several seasons. Perks became a member of the PGA Tour after a tie for 35th in the 1999 PGA Tour Qualifying School earned him his tour card for the 2000 season.
At the age of 35, in 2002, Perks unexpectedly won The Players Championship. In the final pairing, he played the final three holes in only nine shots, three under par, with only one putt. Perks chipped in for eagle, sank a birdie putt on the Island Green, then chipped in for par to win by two strokes. He was even par 72 for the final round, but only had two pars in the last fourteen Starting the year at 256 in the world rankings, Perks climbed from 203 to 64 with the win, and was named the New Zealand Sportsman of the Year for 2002. It granted a five-year exemption on tour, but was his only win in 202 starts.
After making only one cut on the PGA Tour during 2006 and 2007, he announced his retirement in November 2007, and became a commentator on the Golf Channel.
Awards and honors
In 2002, Perks was named the New Zealand Sportsman of the Year
Professional wins (5)
PGA Tour wins (1)
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
! Legend
|- style="background:#f2ecce;"
| Players Championships (1)
|-
| Other PGA Tour (0)
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
!No.
!Date
!Tournament
!Winning score
!To par
!Margin of<br>victory
!Runner-up
|- style="background:#f2ecce;"
|align=center|1
|align=right|24 Mar 2002
|The Players Championship
|align=right|71-68-69-72=280
|align=center|−8
|2 strokes
| Stephen Ames
|}
Hooters Tour wins (4)
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
!No.
!Date
!Tournament
!Winning score
!To par
!Margin of<br>victory
!Runner-up
|-
|align=center|1
|align=right|4 Jul 1993
|Croatan National Classic
|align=right|66-67-71-71=275
|align=center|−13
|2 strokes
| Mike Brisky
|-
|align=center|2
|align=right|8 Aug 1993
|Collins Pro Classic
|align=right|73-68-67-71=279
|align=center|−9
|1 stroke
| Jeff Barlow
|-
|align=center|3
|align=right|18 Sep 1994
|Boast Classic
|align=right|66-69-68=203
|align=center|−13
|3 strokes
| Andy Morse
|-
|align=center|4
|align=right|30 Apr 1995
|Coca-Cola Classic
|align=right|64-65-69-62=260
|align=center|−24
|2 strokes
| Dennis Zinkon
|}
Playoff record
PGA Tour of Australasia playoff record (0–1)
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
!No.!!Year!!Tournament!!Opponent!!Result
|-style="background:#F2C1D1;"
|align=center|1
|2000
|Crown Lager New Zealand Open
| Michael Campbell
|Lost to eagle on second extra hole
|}
Nike Tour playoff record (0–1)
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
!No.!!Year!!Tournament!!Opponent!!Result
|-style="background:#F2C1D1;"
|align=center|1
|1996
|Nike Carolina Classic
| Glen Hnatiuk
|Lost to birdie on first extra hole
|}
Results in major championships
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"
!Tournament
!2002
!2003
!2004
|-
|align=left|Masters Tournament
|CUT
|CUT
|CUT
|-
|align=left|U.S. Open
|CUT
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|-
|align=left|The Open Championship
|T50
|CUT
|CUT
|-
|align=left|PGA Championship
|T29
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|}
CUT = missed the half-way cut<br>
"T" = tied
The Players Championship
Wins (1)
{|class="wikitable"
!Year!!Championship!!54 holes!!Winning score!!Margin!!Runner-up
|- style="background:#f2ecce;"
| 2002 || The Players Championship || 1 shot deficit || −8 (71-68-69-72=280) || 2 strokes || Stephen Ames
|}
Results timeline
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"
!Tournament
!2002
!2003
!2004
!2005
!2006
!2007
|-
|align=left|The Players Championship
|style="background:lime;"|1
|T17
|CUT
|CUT
|CUT
|CUT
|}
CUT = missed the halfway cut<br/>
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Results in World Golf Championships
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
!Tournament!!2002
|-
|align="left"|Match Play
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|-
|align="left"|Championship
|61
|-
|align="left"|Invitational
|T42
|}
"T" = Tied
Team appearances
- World Cup (representing New Zealand): 2002, 2004
See also
- 1999 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
- 2000 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates