Inside Kenny Perry and His Alzheimer’s Affected Wife’s Life: His Selfless Act, Comeback to Golf, and More

Scottie Scheffler is not the only family man in the Tour. The current world No. 1 is not the only person for whom family comes ahead of his career at the elite level of professional golf. Take 14-time PGA Tour winner Kenny Perry, for example. The veteran golfer had all but vanished from professional golf for the last three years. 

The reason? He wanted to take care of his wife. “I’ll let the world know … my wife’s sick,” the veteran golfer said on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio last year. His wife, Sandy, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at age 62. There came a time when Perry knew he had to make a choice, and he didn’t flinch from taking the tough call. 

Kenny Perry knew it was time to return home for good

Perry quit because it would have been difficult for his 62-year-old wife to follow him around the course. It happened before at the Senior Open in 2022. The PGA Centenary Course has three championship layouts, and Sandy went to the other 18-hole course. That was the last straw for the veteran. 

It’s not that Sandy can’t recall an event from the past. It’s more of a short-term memory loss and inability to do day-to-day tasks. “Hopefully, the drug companies—or somebody—will figure out something that will slow it down. That’s the miracle I’m looking for,” Perry said. “She lost her independence. I pretty much take care of her,” the 14-time PGA Tour winner told PGATour.com last year. 

They met in kindergarten, and sharing a life was a dream they both cherished. Perry couldn’t see it crumble after all the hard work. A flurry of visits to almost every doctor in Nashville followed. The only solution that emerged was to slow it down. There is no cure for Alzheimer’s.

The first few years were puzzling. Perry spent more time with doctors than with his PGA Tour peers. With time, though, the veteran has figured out a way to maintain both. He isn’t on the road as often as he was a few years ago. But Perry is teeing off at this year’s first major of the PGA Tour Champions, banking on a quick arrangement. 

Perry is playing with ‘stolen’ clubs

Perry made a comeback to the Tour last year at the Invited Celebrity Classic. But the 10-time PGA Tour Champions winner has taken it slow. Perry played only nine events last year. This is his only appearance this season. 

As for golf, he practiced with a simulator at home. “But I stole my putter. I stole an old crazy putter from my roommate in Dallas at the Celebrity Challenge.” Oh, he is using his caddie’s irons. Not playing frequently hasn’t put a dent in his game, however. 

Perry was T20, and T26 in his last two appearances. After the first round, Perry, a two-time US Senior Open Champion, shared the first-round lead at the Regions Tradition. He has hired a couple who walks with his wife every week. So, the veteran golfer has brought Sandy to Greystone Founders Course.