Perry stays hot, wins Memorial.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

Byline: Marla Ridenour

DUBLIN, Ohio _ Kenny Perry was fortunate that when the weight of the past 14 days came crashing down on him on the back nine Sunday at Muirfield Village Golf Club, there were no challengers close enough to capitalize.

Perry bogeyed five of his last six holes, but pulled off a crucial birdie at No. 15 and managed to hang on for a 2-stroke victory over playing partner Lee Janzen to capture his second Memorial Tournament. Coming on the heels of his triumph last weekend at Colonial, Perry, 42, became the oldest player to win back-to-back events since Hale Irwin won the U.S. Open and Buick Classic in 1990 at age 45.

"I'm mentally and physically exhausted," Perry said afterward. "The last two weeks ... I've never experienced the press, the people pulling for me, all the phone calls. I had a lot going through my head and I think I just mentally got tired."

Perry shot a 72 and finished at 13 under par, while Janzen could do no better than match Perry's round despite chipping in from a trap for the third consecutive time over two days for a birdie at No. 8.

Masters winner Mike Weir closed with a 65 and finished 10 under, alone in third, while three-time Memorial champion Tiger Woods (65) and Vijay Singh (71) tied for fourth at 9 under. Woods got hot with birdies at Nos. 8 and 9, then added an eagle and four birdies along with a bogey during a back nine 31.

"I had one bad stretch of holes that put me out of contention," Woods said, referring to his 42 on the front nine Saturday. "My goal today was to play the same way I had been playing. I did that.