By Fred Altvater
I happened to looking through the Ohio State University Golf Team’s Record Book and a single name kept popping up. Yes, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Weiskopf, John Cook and Joey Sindelar are among Buckeye greats that are mentioned with great regularity, but one name in particular stood out.
Chris Perry attended OSU 1980-1984 and was an All-American selection three of those seasons, 1982, 1983 and 1984 before joining the professional golfing ranks.
Notable Buckeye Records
Perry is one of only 20 former Buckeyes to record a score of 66 or lower in a collegiate event and his lowest 36-hole score of 67-70=137 also ranks among the best.
His best four-round score 285 (70-73-72-70) in the 1982 BIG Ten Championship ranks No. 12 on the Buckeye All-Time scoring list. 
His 1982-83 season stroke average of 71.9 ranks sixth best by a Buckeye and he also holds the 9th and 13th best season scoring average, as well.
In 54 collegiate events Perry’s career stroke average 72.46 ranks him second behind only Daniel Wetterich. Didn’t Jack Nicklaus, Tom Weiskopf and John Cook, plus a host other greats play golf at Ohio State? That career scoring record shows his consistency and is definitely something to be proud of.
With 24 collegiate rounds in the 60’s, Perry ranks second, but is first among all Buckeyes with 71 rounds of par, or better during his college playing days.
Chris also ranks first with 40 top-10 finishes, 35 top-5’s, 33 top-3’s and 13 collegiate wins.
Three of the four years Chris spent in Columbus the Buckeyes won the BIG Ten Championship and finished fourth in the NCAA’s in 1983, plus he was the BIG Ten Champion in 1983
The Robert Kepler Invitational is one of the most prestigious collegiate tournaments in the country and is held annually on OSU’s Scarlet Course. He won the Kepler twice, first in 1983 and again in 1984.
While at OSU, Perry finished runner-up to legendary amateur Jay Sigel in the 1983 U.S. Amateur.
Chris turned professional after graduation in 1984. He won one event on the Nike Tour (now Korn Ferry Tour) and was named Nike Tour Player of the Year in 1994. He bested Peter Jacobson by three strokes to win the 1998 B.C. Open on the PGA Tour.
1999 was his best season on the PGA Tour. He finished the year with two runner-up finishes and ranked fifth in earnings with $2,145,707. He compiled 14 top-10 finishes, second only to Tiger Woods and led the tour with 468 birdies.
In the early 2000’s, he developed hand and elbow injuries that limited his play and eventually forced him to step away from competitive golf.
Growing up in a family with a father that won the Cy Young award and an uncle that is in the Baseball Hall of Fame gave him an inside look at professional athletes and the business side of sports. He learned an early lesson from perennial batting champion Rod Carew. Even though you are one of the best, you must continually improve your weaknesses to stay in the game.
Today Chris resides in Columbus with his wife, Kathy. The couple have 3 children all who have graduated from college and are doing well.
Watch the complete interview with Chris Perry on Back 9 Report TV: https://youtu.be/xs93ZQJje88
