Kenny Perry

James Kenneth Perry (born August 10, 1960) is an American professional golfer.

Perry was born in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, but lived most of his formative years in Franklin, Kentucky, in Simpson County. He started high school at Franklin-Simpson High School, but transferred to Lone Oak High School in McCracken County, Kentucky, when his father's job took him to work in nearby Paducah. After graduating from Lone Oak, Perry attended Western Kentucky University.

Perry turned professional in 1982. He failed in his first two attempts to qualify for the PGA Tour at Q-school. He missed by 1 stroke one year and received word that his wife had gone into labor during the fourth round the next year. He had been sponsored by a group of about twenty individuals, many local citizens from Franklin, in his early play on the mini-tours and his first two attempts at Q-school. In 1985 a Franklin businessman and David Lipscomb University (now simply Lipscomb University) graduate lent him $5000 for a last shot at Q-school. Rather than repay the loan, he was asked to give a percentage of his tour earnings to Lipscomb if he qualified. He tied for 40th at Q-school, earning his card with a two-shot cushion. Perry and his benefactor agreed on 5 percent, and he has maintained that commitment to Lipscomb ever since in the form of a scholarship for residents of Simpson County.

In Perry's first few seasons, he found it a struggle to retain his qualified status. He made his first big (for the time) check on the PGA Tour ($55,000) with a T-4 finish at the Panasonic Las Vegas Invitational in May 1987. Shortly after that tournament, Perry repaid all of the money put up by all of his original sponsors, even though he had no legal obligation to do so. Perry got his first win in 1991 at the Memorial Tournament. Two more wins followed in the mid 1990s, another in 2001, and three victories in 2003.

Perry won in 2005 at the Bay Hill Invitational and the Bank of America Colonial. In 2006 he became the tenth man to reach US$20 million in PGA Tour career earnings in addition to taking an 8-week break from the tour to recover from knee surgery. He was in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for over 50 weeks from 2003 to 2005.

Since returning from arthroscopic knee surgery in early 2006, Perry struggled to find the previous form he had from 2003 to 2005. However, in 2008, he had a steady start making 10 of 11 cuts, and from May he had five top ten finishes including three victories Memorial Tournament, Buick Open and the John Deere Classic (in which he beat Jay Williamson and Brad Adamonis in a playoff), in five starts taking the active lead in the FedEx Cup.

Perry is currently the highest all-time PGA Tour money winner without a major championship.

Professional wins (13)

PGA Tour wins (12)

• 1991 (1) Memorial Tournament
• 1994 (1) New England Classic
• 1995 (1) Bob Hope Chrysler Classic
• 2001 (1) Buick Open
• 2003 (3) Bank of America Colonial, Memorial Tournament, Greater Milwaukee Open
• 2005 (2) Bay Hill Invitational, Bank of America Colonial
• 2008 (3) Memorial Tournament, Buick Open, John Deere Classic

Other wins (1)

• 2005 Franklin Templeton Shootout (with John Huston)

Results in major championships

DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
WD = Withdrew
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.

United States national team appearances

Professional

• Presidents Cup: 1996 (winners), 2003 (tie), 2005 (winners)
• Ryder Cup: 2004, 2008 (winners)

See also

• Golfers with most PGA Tour wins

References

External links

• Profile on the PGA Tour's official site
• Results in ranking events for the last two years from the Official World Golf Ranking site
• Lipscomb University press release - on the occasion of the honoring of Perry's benefactor
• Golf Today profile from 2003