Kenny Perry

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Kenny Perry
Personal Information
Birth August 10, 1960 (1960-08-10) (age 48)
Elizabethtown, Kentucky, U.S.
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight 220 lb (100 kg)
Nationality  United States
Residence Franklin, Kentucky, U.S.
College Western Kentucky University
Career
Turned Pro 1982
Current tour PGA Tour
Professional wins 13 (PGA Tour: 12, Other: 1)
Best Results in Major Championships
Masters T12: 1995
U.S. Open T3: 2003
British Open T8: 2003
PGA Championship 2nd: 1996

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.[1]

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.

Contents

[edit] Professional wins (13)

[edit] PGA Tour wins (12)

[edit] Other wins (1)

[edit] Results in major championships

Tournament 1988 1989
The Masters DNP DNP
U.S. Open T54 DNP
The Open Championship DNP DNP
PGA Championship DNP T51
Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
The Masters DNP DNP CUT DNP DNP T12 CUT CUT DNP DNP
U.S. Open DNP DNP DNP T25 DNP CUT T50 CUT DNP DNP
The Open Championship DNP CUT DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
PGA Championship T49 77 DNP DNP T55 T49 2 T23 T10 T34
Tournament 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
The Masters DNP DNP CUT T39 CUT T29 DNP DNP DNP
U.S. Open DNP DNP T45 T3 CUT T23 58 DNP DNP
The Open Championship DNP DNP DNP T8 T16 T11 CUT DNP DNP
PGA Championship T30 T44 T29 T10 CUT T23 T49 T23 WD

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

[edit] United States national team appearances

[edit] Professional

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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