Return to form pleases Perry

Perry: Returned to form

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America's Ryder Cup hopes have been handed a boost with Kenny Perry's return to form in the BMW Championship.

Perry has failed to post a top-40 finish in his past three starts, a worrying dip in form after he won three times in five starts earlier this summer.

But he put that poor run behind him by firing a four-under-par 66 in the first round at St Louis, which left him just a shot off the lead.

His return to form augers well for the Ryder Cup clash with Europe at Valhalla in Perry's home state of Kentucky, which is being shown live on Sky Sports from 19th September.

A delighted Perry, who played his first round with Ryder Cup team-mates Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim, said: "I made seven birdies and three bogeys.

"Two of my dropped shots were due to poor club selection rather than poor execution.

Good grove

"It was a very good round. I was just hitting all my irons at the flag. I was in a good groove right from the start.

"I drilled it right down the middle and my swing felt good. I felt comfortable over the ball. It was just easy, a fun day."

The entire American team is in action in St Louis and Perry and Steve Stricker, who also shot 66, recorded the best scores, while Mickelson, Kim and JB Holmes all returned 68s.

The only Europeans in the field - Sergio Garcia and Padraig Harrington - shot opening rounds of 68 and 69 respectively.