PITTSBURGH -- Kenny Perry tried not to get ahead of himself Sunday on the 18th tee at the Senior Players Championship. Reds Jerseys 2020 . He knew all too well how quickly fortunes can change on golfs biggest stages. There was the devastation at the PGA Championship in 1996. Disaster at the Masters in 2009. Disappointment at the Senior PGA last month. If there was a way to lose a major tournament, the affable 52-year-old Kentuckian seemed to have found it during his otherwise sterling career. "I thought I was snakebit," Perry said. "I got close so many times and I just seemed to mess up down the homestretch and not make it happen." This time, Perry didnt leave anything to chance. After tap-in birdies at Nos. 16 and 17 gave him a two-shot lead over Fred Couples, Perry made par on the No. 18 to close a spectacular weekend at Fox Chapel. His bogey-free 6-under 64 left him at 19-under 261, two shots ahead of Fred Couples and Duffy Waldorf. "My word was patience," Perry said. "I wasnt going to put any pressure on myself to win the golf tournament because I had so much heartache, so many losses. ... I was just thinking You know what, Im tired of worrying about that." Instead of feeling the pressure, Perry exerted it. He withstood an early charge from Waldorf, who birdied his first four holes, then kept firing at pins on the back nine while Couples putter failed him. The Hall of Famer leads the Champions Tour in putting average but could generate little magic Sunday. He drove the green on the short par-4 seventh only to three-putt for par. Couples later knocked it within 8 feet on the 15th only to send his birdie attempt streaking past the hole. He pulled the comebacker to the left and the bogey gave Perry his opening. Perry stuffed a pitching wedge within inches on the 16th then hit a 6-iron to within 2 feet on the par-3 17th. He tapped in the birdie to maintain his two-stroke lead then played smartly on the 18th. He left it just short of the green in two and watched as Waldorf and Couples both reached the long par-5. Their long eagle attempts never sniffed the cup, and when Perry rolled in his par putt, he thrust the ball in the air just before the sky opened for one last deluge on the water-logged course. Fox Chapel took on more than 4 inches of rain during the week, turning what was supposed to be a stiff test into a pitch and putt for long hitters like Couples and Perry. The conditions begged for players to attack the pins. Rather than simply protect par as he did during his near-misses in earlier majors, Perry knew he could go for it. It paid off with a $405,000 check and one very significant weight off his shoulders. "Im hoping the floodgates are going to open," Perry said. "But I dont know, anytime you get into contention you get nervous, you get antsy. But today I had a peace about me ... if I can kind of draw upon this the next time I get into the heat of things hopefully Ill finish it off like I did today." Couples was hoping to polish off his third major victory on the Champions Tour, but after cruising through the first three rounds he couldnt match Perrys shotmaking on the final day. Couples now has four runner-up finishes this season, including each of the last two majors. "There were a couple shots you always should have back," Couples said. "The putt on (15) looked so easy and I just hammered it and I kind of flinched at it coming down the hill ... it was a little bit of a sour day the way I played after I teed off." Perry trailed by as many as eight shots earlier in the tournament before tracking down Couples over the weekend. He drew within two thanks to consecutive 63s in the second and third rounds and kept it going Sunday. It was sweet vindication for a player who has won more than $31 million during his 31-year career but is better known for those rounds that went all wrong. Perry led Mark Brooks by a shot at the 1996 PGA Tournament at Valhalla just outside Louisville, about two hours north of his hometown of Franklin, Ky., only to bogey the final hole to fall into a playoff with Mark Brooks. Brooks birdied the first extra hole for the victory. The agony grew exponentially 13 years later, when he stood on the 17th tee at Augusta with a two-shot lead. Consecutive bogeys dropped Perry into a three-way tie with Angel Cabrera and Chad Campbell. He failed to get up and down on No. 10, the second playoff hole, and Cabrera made par to capture the green jacket. Perry had another close call at the Senior PGA in May. He led through three rounds at Bellerive in St. Louis but was dogged by knee pain and overtaken by unheralded Kohki Idoki. On Sunday, there would be no folding. Buoyed by a hot putter, Perry teamed with Waldorf to wear down Couples. Waldorf began the day four strokes behind Couples but wasted little time making up ground. He rattled off four straight birdies to start his round and shot 29 on the front nine. He cooled off after making the turn and finished with a 6-under 64, giving Perry enough room to pull away. "Its not surprising, (Perry) is obviously a great player," Waldorf said. "Winning these majors isnt easy and he did a great job this week." Michael Allen and first-round leader John Huston tied for fourth at 12 under. Colin Montgomerie, playing in his first Champions Tour event, closed with a 65 to tie for ninth. Fake Reds Jerseys . The Maple Leafs will play on the road for the first time this season after dropping home contests to Montreal and Pittsburgh to begin the campaign. After losing a one-goal decision to the Canadiens on Wednesday, they were bested 5-2 on Saturday by the Penguins. Reds Jerseys 2019 . Markieff Morris and Marcus Morris, city natives, handled the catering for teammates that begged them for the tasty postgame feast.VIGGIANO, Italy -- A powerful final burst from Diego Ulissi helped the Italian cyclist win the fifth stage of the Giro dItalia on Wednesday, while Australian rider Michael Matthews retained the overall leaders pink jersey. Ulissi came from behind with 150 metres to go to cross the line solo, with his arms raised high in celebration at the end of the 203-kilometre (126-mile) leg from Taranto to Viggiano. Australias Cadel Evans was second, with Julian David Arredondo Moreno of Colombia third, both of them in a group which crossed a second behind Ulissi in the first uphill finish of this years Giro. "Starting as the big favourite is always difficult. I showed I was ready," Ulissi said. "So Im enjoying this moment. I wanted this win too against the big names who were up there in the finale of the stage." Weather again played a part, with wet and windy conditions, although there was sunshine on the five-kilometre (three-mile) climb to the finish. Matthews fought hard to stay near the front in the final kilometre and finished sixth. He will wear the pink jersey for a fourth day, a record for an Australian cyclist. The Orica-GreenEdge rider extended his lead to 14 seconds, with Dutchman Pieter Weening moving into second spot. Evans is third. "I think the boys rode really well alll day, they worked hard to keep me out of the wind and of problems," Matthews said. Stitched Reds Jerseys. "I still havent won a stage, which I really wanted, but Im still in the pink jersey and well try again to fight to win tomorrows stage." Former champion Ryder Hesjedal of Victoria is 69th while Svein Tuft of Langley, B.C., is 171st. There was an early break of 11 riders and, although their lead rose and fell at several points, the Orica-led peloton was happy to control the gap to an average of four minutes. There were several attempted breaks up front with 30km (18.6 miles) to go, but none stuck and the group was back together on the penultimate climb -- the first ascent up to Viggiano -- just before the slippery roads caused the first big crash of the day. There were several more crashes as the rain made the tight and technical descent even trickier. Gianluca Brambilla attacked bravely on the descent, opening up a 30-second advantage, but Joaquin Rodriguezs Katusha team chased him down and he was caught on the final climb, setting up the scintillating finish. Thursdays stage is another hilly finish, up to Monte Cassino, the site of a major World War II battle. At 247km (153.5 miles), it is the second longest stage of this years race. The Giro ends in Trieste on June 1. ' ' '