Seven Australians will tee it up at THE PLAYERS from Friday morning, Percy and Cameron Davis pitting their skills against one of golf’s most exacting tests for the first time at very different times of their careers.

As Davis continues to establish his PGA TOUR credentials, Percy is realising a lifelong dream that he concedes looked unlikely to come to fruition.

Yet last Friday he was told that providing the winner of last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational was already exempt, he was in.

Twelve months after the TOUR was forced to shut down as the spread of the pandemic was felt globally, Percy understands better than most the affect the virus can have physically.

“I actually got COVID in December, which sucked, and I’m still struggling with that,” Percy revealed.

“That was in December, so that’s what, nearly three, four months now.

“The symptoms weren’t that bad. I just lost all my strength, and fatigue and stuff like that.

“I’ve lost a lot of distance and stuff.”

Currently 95th in the FedEx Cup points list with two top-10s this season, Percy’s long-awaited arrival at TPC Sawgrass has attracted the attention of fellow Aussies very accustomed to an annual date at Ponte Vedra Beach.

Fellow Victorian Marc Leishman was surprised to hear of Percy’s debut as the pair shared range time earlier in the week and Percy himself admits at times appeared out of reach.

“Just with a few injuries here and there and age, I’m like, well, maybe that’s one event I’m not going to play,” Percy said.

“When you write down your goals when you’re younger than this, you think, yeah, I’ll be there, but it took a long time.

“I didn’t know I was in the field until Friday night. I knew I was in, but I wasn’t guaranteed I was in, so it was sort of like, oh, we’ll see, we’ll see. As long as a non-exempt player didn’t win last week, I was in.”

Hailed for its ability to reward a wide range of playing styles and with a honour board with a mix of Hall of Famers and unheralded champions, Percy believes his experience may make it worth the wait.

Bombers aren’t disproportionately advantaged at TPC Sawgrass and Percy intends to use a razor-sharp iron game honed on the Melbourne Sandbelt to make it a Stadium Course debut to savour.

“I’m playing pretty good right now. I’m driving it straight, which helps,” said Percy, who was tied for seventh two starts back at the Puerto Rico Open.

“With the wind getting up, it’s going to be pretty important.

“I think Jim Furyk has come second quite a few times here and KJ Choi and this and that. Obviously distance doesn’t mean a lot here.

“Obviously keeping the ball in play means a lot and hitting quality iron shots. That’s my game. And the par-5s, I can reach all the par-5s, so there’s no disadvantage there.”