Kenny Perry

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

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 struggled to retain his qualification 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.

In 2005, Perry won at the Bay Hill Invitational and the Bank of America Colonial. The following year, 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. He received some criticism for skipping major championships in 2008 in order to concentrate on qualifying for the Ryder Cup team. He was eager to make the team as the event was being held in his native Kentucky, and he helped the USA to retake the cup for the first time since 1999.

Despite rumors that he would retire following the USA's Ryder Cup victory, Perry confirmed at the start of the 2009 PGA Tour season that he hoped to win a further 8 events, taking his career total to 20. Perry won his first event in 2009 in his third start at the FBR Open, where he defeated Charley Hoffman on the third playoff hole with a birdie. It was his 13th career tour win. He maintained a rich vein of form throughout the first few months of the 2009 season, making ten cuts in ten events and registering five top-10 finishes during this streak. He was leading the 2009 Masters Tournament by two strokes with two holes to go, but recorded two straight bogies to go into a playoff with Ángel Cabrera and Chad Campbell. He then bogeyed the second hole of the playoff, handing victory to Cabrera. Perry would have become the oldest winner of the The Masters at 48 years old, 8 months, and 2 days. He received over 600 letters and emails in the wake of his playoff defeat, including a note from former President George W. Bush.

Perry is currently the highest all-time PGA Tour money winner without a major championship. For his success in leading the USA to victory in the Ryder Cup, he and fellow Kentuckian J. B. Holmes were named Kentuckians of the Year for 2008 by Kentucky Monthly magazine. He is good friends with former World Number 1 player Vijay Singh, who calls him "Biggie".