Kermit Zarley

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Kermit Zarley
Personal information
Full nameKermit Millard Zarley, Jr.
Born (1941-09-29) September 29, 1941 (age 83)
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight175 lb (79 kg; 12.5 st)
Sporting nationalityFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Residence Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.
Career
College University of Houston
Turned professional1963
Former tour(s) PGA Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins6
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour3
PGA Tour Champions1
Other2
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament T17: 1973
PGA Championship T8: 1968
U.S. Open 6th: 1972
The Open Championship DNP

Kermit Millard Zarley, Jr. (born September 29, 1941) is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. He is also an author of several books on Christianity, Jesus, and the Bible.

Contents

Biography

Zarley was born in Seattle, Washington. He graduated from the University of Houston and was a distinguished member of the golf team. He was the individual champion at the 1962 NCAA Division I Championships and also led his team to victory.

Zarley had three dozen top-10 finishes in PGA Tour events during his 18 years on Tour including three wins. Zarley had three top-10 finishes in major championships; his best was a solo 6th at the 1972 U.S. Open. [1] Zarley won once on the Senior/Champions Tour. On both Tours, he finished second or tied for second seventeen times.

Due to his unusual name, Zarley was often called "the Pro from the Moon" or "Moon Man." It is because comedian Bob Hope once interviewed him on national television and remarked, "Kermit Zarley, with a name like that he must be the pro from the moon." [2] In a Wayne and Shuster sketch about a golf tournament being held on the streets of Toronto, Johnny Wayne's character is named "Zarley Kermit, Jr."

In 1965, Zarley co-founded the PGA Tour Bible Study group with fellow PGA Tour players Jim and Babe Hiskey. [3] It is still active in the world of professional golf. In the period between his careers on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour, he wrote three books on religion and world affairs. He received an honorary doctorate degree in 2001 from North Park University in Chicago, which has a lecture series named for him. [4] Zarley resides in Scottsdale, Arizona. [3]

Zarley, who has studied the Bible since his teens, is the author of several books on Christianity, Jesus, and the Bible. His first book, The Gospels Interwoven, in which he attempted to join all four gospels together into one narrative, received praise from Billy Graham and Richard C. Halverson. [5]

Zarley is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature, and received an honorary Ph.D. from North Park University in Chicago in 2001. [5]

Amateur wins

Professional wins (6)

PGA Tour wins (3)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1Jan 21, 1968 Kaiser International Open Invitational −15 (71-67-70-65=273)1 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Dave Marr
2Jul 5, 1970 Canadian Open −9 (69-73-70-67=279)3 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Gibby Gilbert
3Jul 30, 1972 National Team Championship
(with Flag of the United States.svg Babe Hiskey)
−22 (67-63-66-66=262)3 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Grier Jones and Flag of the United States.svg Johnny Miller

PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 1976 Florida Citrus Open Flag of the United States.svg Hale Irwin Lost to par on sixth extra hole

Tournament Players Series wins (1)

Other wins (1)

Senior PGA Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runner-up
1Oct 9, 1994 The Transamerica −12 (70-68-66=204)Playoff Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg Isao Aoki

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (1–2)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 1994 Royal Caribbean Classic Flag of the United States.svg Lee Trevino Lost to par on fourth extra hole
21994 The Transamerica Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg Isao Aoki Won with birdie on first extra hole
3 1996 Bruno's Memorial Classic Flag of South Africa.svg John Bland, Flag of the United States.svg John Paul Cain Bland won with bogey on third extra hole
Zarley eliminated by par on second hole

Results in major championships

Tournament1965196619671968196919701971197219731974
Masters Tournament T20T35CUTT17T31
U.S. Open CUTT13T36T276CUTT40
PGA Championship T8T59T22T68T9T51
Tournament19751976197719781979198019811982
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open T24T44CUTT39
PGA Championship T43T54T51T19T42CUT

Note: Zarley never played in The Open Championship.

  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary

TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament 00000254
U.S. Open 000013118
The Open Championship 00000000
PGA Championship 0000241211
Totals0000392823

Books

References

  1. "Golf Major Championships".
  2. Connor, Floyd (June 1, 2001). Golf's most wanted: the top 10 book of the great game's outrageous duffers. Potomac Books Inc. p. 55. ISBN   978-1-57488-360-2.
  3. 1 2 "Kermit Zarley - The PGA Tour's Christian Pioneer". BC Golf News. July 2009. Archived from the original on September 5, 2011. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  4. "2011 Kermit Zarley Lectures". North Park University.[ permanent dead link ]
  5. 1 2 "Author Kermit Zarley". Kermit Zarley. Retrieved May 21, 2025.