PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Kenny Perry, even at age 47, has the soft hands of a jeweler.
Not to mention the quiet feet of a cat burglar.
Earlier this week, Perry attended a Bible study at the nearby home of Fred Funk, who won the vaunted Players Championship title three years ago at age 49, the oldest player ever to take homs the massive crystal trophy.
So when nobody was watching, Perry sneaked through Funk's abode looking for the latter's trophy room. He went straight for the Players trophy when he found it, too.
"I was definitely snooping," Perry laughed.
He might be wrapping his mitts around his own trophy at this pace, because if the older guard has creaky nerves, it's hardly showing. Of the four players atop the leaderboard, three are 43 or older, including 50-year-old Bernhard Langer, a refugee from the Champions Tour who is playing for the 23rd time at TPC Sawgrass.
Come to think of it, Langer attended the Funk get-together as well.
"I think it's the type of golf course where it doesn't hurt to have played it a bunch," Langer said.
Perry has played 20 times and made it to the weekend in all but five instances. Langer has played 23 times and missed the cut only twice. These two have been alive for a combined 98 years, 62 of them as professionals.
One of the big storylines of the year has been that eight players in their 20s have won PGA Tour titles, including five of the past six. But at Sawgrass, all those at-bats over the years can't hurt.
"Experience plays some part," Langer said. "It's more of a golf course where precision is more important than length."