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 loaned 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.
Perry is a deacon in the Franklin, Kentucky, Church
of Christ.
