James Kenneth Perry Professional career information

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James Kenneth Perry (born August 10, 1960) is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour and will be eligible for the Champions Tour on his 50th birthday later in 2010.

Early years

Perry was born in Elizabethtown, Kentucky and raised in Franklin, Kentucky. He was introduced to the game of golf by his father, Ken, at the age of 7. He started his high school golf career at Franklin-Simpson High School. Shortly thereafter, his father accepted a job opportunity in Paducah, which relocated Kenny to playing golf at Lone Oak High School. After graduating from Lone Oak, he attended Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green.

Professional career

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 1996, Perry was in contention at the PGA Championship held at Valhalla in his native Kentucky. He had a two shot lead on the last hole but took a double bogey and proceeded to be beaten in the playoff by Mark Brooks.

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 100 weeks from 2003 to 2005 and 2009.^[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. 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, which would take his career total to 20.^[2]

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 700 letters and emails in the aftermath of his playoff defeat, including a note from former President George W. Bush

Perry won his second event of 2009 at the Travelers Championship in June, coming from one stroke behind Paul Goydos. Perry shot a final round 63 and won his 14th tour event, one win closer to his goal of 20 career wins. He won the event by three strokes over Goydos and fellow American David Toms With the win he moved into a career high spot of four at the Official World Golf Rankings

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