| Kermit Zarley | |
| Fullname: | Kermit Millard Zarley, Jr. |
| Birth Date: | 29 September 1941 |
| Birth Place: | Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Weight: | 175lb |
| Residence: | Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S. |
| College: | University of Houston |
| Yearpro: | 1963 |
| Extour: | PGA Tour Champions Tour |
| Prowins: | 6 |
| Pgawins: | 3 |
| Champwins: | 1 |
| Otherwins: | 2 |
| Masters: | T17: 1973 |
| Usopen: | 6th: 1972 |
| Open: | DNP |
| Pga: | T8: 1968 |
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.
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. 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.[3] Zarley resides in Scottsdale, Arizona.[4]
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jan 21, 1968 | Kaiser International Open Invitational | −15 (71-67-70-65=273) | 1 stroke |  Dave Marr | |
| 2 | Jul 5, 1970 | Canadian Open | −9 (69-73-70-67=279) | 3 strokes | ||
| 3 | Jul 30, 1972 | National Team Championship (with Babe Hiskey) | −22 (67-63-66-66=262) | 3 strokes | Grier Jones and Johnny Miller |
PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (1–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1994 | Royal Caribbean Classic | Lee Trevino | Lost to par on fourth extra hole | |
| 2 | 1994 | The Transamerica |  Isao Aoki | Won with birdie on first extra hole | |
| 3 | 1996 | Bruno's Memorial Classic |  John Bland, John Paul Cain | Bland won with bogey on third extra hole Zarley eliminated by par on second hole |
| Tournament | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T20 | T35 | CUT | T17 | T31 | ||||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | T13 | T36 | T27 | 6 | CUT | T40 | ||||
| PGA Championship | T8 | T59 | T22 | T68 | T9 | T51 |
| Tournament | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | |||||||||
| U.S. Open | T24 | T44 | CUT | T39 | |||||
| PGA Championship | T43 | T54 | T51 | T19 | T42 | CUT |
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 8 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 11 | |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 28 | 23 |