ESPN Golf

CROMWELL, Conn. -- Kenny Perry is crazy. He's out of his mind delirious. Just a dreamer who needs a wake-up call.

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Jim Rogash/Getty ImagesEleven of Kenny Perry's 14 wins have come since he turned 40.

That was the general reaction of many when, at the start of the 2008 season, Perry, who was ranked 92nd in the world, set his sights on playing for the United States in the Ryder Cup.

How'd that work out for ya, KP?

After being one of the inspirational leaders of a team that helped the Americans reclaim the title in the biennial competition for the old Red, White and Blue at Valhalla last September, Perry didn't stop there with his lofty goals.

Standing on 12 wins earlier this year, he shared a wild thought: What about 20 career victories? Mind you, this was coming from a guy who had just three PGA Tour wins before turning 40.

After claiming his 14th PGA Tour triumph Sunday at the Travelers Championship, Perry's dream doesn't sound so wild. Not even for a guy who is less than two months shy of his 49th birthday.

"I'm making people think a little bit," Perry said about reaching that 20-win plateau. "Still, six more wins is a lot of wins. You know, I've won three last year, two this year already. Who knows? If I get hot again, get on a little streak, sneak in two more by the end of the year, might be very realistic."

Not exactly boastful words from the man who sits atop the PGA Tour money list at the moment, with a whopping $3.89 million in earnings for 2009, and who just surpassed $30 million in on-course cash for his career.

Perry's wife Sandy didn't exactly shy away from the suggestion of six more wins before her high school sweetheart calls it a career.

"Two down, six to go," she said after watching her husband set the tournament record at 22-under-par 258 by shooting a final-round 63. "I think he can do it. I think we'll win again this year."

What makes Perry think he can? How about the fact that no one owns more wins than Perry (five) on the PGA Tour since the 2008 Memorial. And he just took over fourth place on the post-40 wins list.

So what could slow him down?

"The way he's playing, I don't see why we can't even do better than that," Sandy Perry said. "He feels good, no aches and pains. He's healthy. The sky's the limit. His confidence is up."

Perry certainly could have packed it in after finishing bogey-bogey on the final two holes at the Masters in April to back into a playoff that he lost to Angel Cabrera. Instead, he's learned from that setback and used it to change how he approaches similar situations. He shot a back-nine 31 including birdies on two of his final four holes on Sunday at TPC at River Highlands.

"[Augusta] taught me a lot today," Perry said. "To think all I gotta do is make two pars to win a tournament and I couldn't get it done. ... So I wasn't going to let up. I wasn't going to play defensive golf, and I learned something from that mistake."

The Kentucky native is also dealing with many off-course health issues with his family. Going through those situations has put golf, and life, in perspective.

"My mother's got multiple myeloma cancer," Perry said. "My sister's got breast cancer. There's a lot of sickness in my family. We're struggling. Sandy's mom's not doing very well. She's 80 years old. She's broke her back. She doesn't get around anymore. So you know, I'm just going to enjoy life right now. I'm going to try to help as many people as I can along the way, and I'm not going to worry too much about wins and losses and we're going to enjoy life a little bit."

So with so many serious distractions, what makes Perry's chances of reaching that 20-win mark a real possibility?

"It's like he can will himself to do it almost, like the Ryder Cup," Sandy Perry said.

Anyone out there willing to bet against him?

Kevin Maguire is the golf editor of ESPN.com. He can be reached at Kevin.Maguire@espn3.com.