You think Kenny Perry doesn't have the pedigree to win the Masters Tournament?

Co-leader Kenny Perry tees off on No. 4 on Friday during the second round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. (Rainier Ehrhardt/Staff)

You think a nearly 49-year-old man can't win his first major?

You think a guy who missed, skipped or withdrew from every major since 2007 isn't going to hold up for another 36 holes?

Yeah, Perry has heard it all before. He has heard it since he was a little kid who couldn't beat his father at golf, cards or tiddlywinks.

"I'm going to beat you till I die," said the elder Ken Perry to his competitive son.

"Any kind of game, sport, whatever, he beat me so bad I cried all the time," Perry said Friday after his bogey-free 67 left him tied atop the Masters leaderboard with Chad Campbell. "And then he would laugh in my face as he was doing it. ... He was relentless. He was ruthless. He was a smart man. He knew it was going to make me tough. That's all he was trying to do, was make me tougher."

Let's make this clear so there is no misunderstanding. Ken Perry, an insurance salesman in Franklin, Ky., was no abusive father. He's a loving man who playfully pushed his son to crave the chase and the win. In the three decades since, Perry has put those lessons to good use.

He has won 13 times on the PGA Tour. He has won more than $28 million. He is ranked 11th in the world.

Whether he wins or loses this week, Perry isn't going to consider his career incomplete. He made it from a nine-hole home course. He made it without swing coaches or sports psychologists. He made it without much of anything to build a tour career upon.

"It means a lot more to me, I think, because of where I've come from and where I've been able to go and how much success I've been able to have," he said. "I've had a great career. And I'd be very satisfied if it ended today, where I'm at, in my life, in my career."

It's not ending today, however. It didn't end after Perry made a mess of the 18th hole in a playoff at the 1996 PGA at Valhalla after spending 40 minutes in the TV booth instead of practicing. It didn't end after knee surgery set him back three years ago. It didn't end last year when he was getting ripped pretty good for focusing so hard on making the Ryder Cup team in his native Kentucky at the expense of the majors.

Kenny Perry acknowledges the fans' applause after closing his second-round 67 with a birdie on No. 18 for a share of the lead. (Jackie Ricciardi/Staff)

Perry put all his eggs in that Ryder Cup basket and delivered in a rousing American victory.

"I laid all my cards on the line that week," he said. "People remember my debacle at the PGA, how I screwed that up, and all of Kentucky remembered me for that. I was throwing it out there, and I was going for broke. I was either going to hit a home run or I was going to get thrown out."

He hit a homer that he shared in an emotional embrace with his father in front of his home-state fans and the whole world.

"The Ryder Cup, I can't express to y'all how much that meant to me," Perry said. "To me, that was the ultimate of anything I have ever, ever been a part of or accomplished, be it any of my 13 wins. None of those meant anything compared to what I experienced that week with my family, my dad."

Now the man just 16 months away from being eligible for the senior circuit is on the threshold of a career-redefining moment. How will that rank with the Ryder Cup?

"If I have the opportunity to get Trevor (Immelman) to put that jacket on me, I'll answer that question Sunday night," he said.

He seems ready to do it. He is a better putter than he was in any of his eight previous trips to Augusta. He is unfazed by all the drama of the Masters. His kids are all grown up. He is playing with house money.

"Everything is a bonus now; it really is," Perry said. "I'm just going through each and every day enjoying life a little bit. I think I can win. I'm not going out there very casually. I'm still burning inside, wanting to kick everybody's butt. I've got a will inside of me."

Will he? Even he wonders:

"I understand what I'm trying to do, what I'm trying accomplish. Can I? I think I can. I really believe I can win this tournament. Will I? I don't know."

Perry eventually beat his father on the golf course, of course. He was 14 and sitting one down at the par-3 closing hole at Franklin Country Club.

"I've got you again," his father teased.

What did Perry do?

"I hit a 4iron in the hole for a 1," he said. "He made par, and I finally beat him."

Do you still think Kenny Perry can't win the Masters? Think again.

Reach Scott Michaux at (706) 823-3219 or scott.michaux@augustachronicle.com.