| Fullname | Kermit Millard Zarley, Jr. |
|---|---|
| Birth date | September 29, 1941 (age 84) |
| Birth place | Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 175 lb (79 kg; 12.5 st) |
| 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 on Christianity, Jesus, and the Bible.
Early life and amateur career
Zarley was born in Seattle, Washington. He attended from the University of Houston. Zarley was a distinguished member of the Houston Cougars golf team. He was the individual champion at the 1962 NCAA Division I Championships and also led his team to victory. Zarley graduated in 1963.
Professional career
Zarley had three dozen top-10 finishes in PGA Tour events during his 18 years on Tour including three wins. He 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 PGA Senior Tour. Between tours, he finished second or tied for second seventeen times.
In 1965, Zarley co-founded the PGA Tour Bible Study group with fellow PGA Tour players Jim and Babe Hiskey.[2] 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.
Personal life
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.[3] Zarley is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature.
Zarley resides in Scottsdale, Arizona.[2]
Awards and honors
Zarley received an honorary Ph.D. from North Park University in Chicago in 2001.[3] The university has a lecture series named after him.[4]
In popular culture
- 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."[5]
Amateur wins
Professional wins (6)
PGA Tour wins (3)
| 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 | Gibby Gilbert |
| 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)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1976 | Florida Citrus Open | Hale Irwin | Lost to par on sixth extra hole |
Source:[6]
Tournament Players Series wins (1)
- 1984 Tallahassee Open
Other wins (1)
- 1964 Arizona Open
Senior PGA Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oct 9, 1994 | The Transamerica | −12 (70-68-66=204) | Playoff | Isao Aoki |
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 |
Results in major championships
| 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 |
Note: Zarley never played in The Open Championship.
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 8 |
| The Open Championship | 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 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (1973 PGA – 1976 PGA)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (three times)
Books
- The Gospel (1987). Scripture Press. Out-of-print. German adaptation--Das Leben Jesu: Die authentische Biographie (1991). Hanssler.
- The Gospels Interwoven (1987). Scripture Press. Reprinted by Wipf & Stock (2001). ISBN 1-57910-775-3. (with introduction by S. Lewis Johnson)
- Palestine Is Coming: The Revival of Ancient Philistia (1990). Hannibal Books. Re-issued by Wipf & Stock (2005). ISBN 1-55635-181-X.
- The Third Day Bible Code (2006). Synergy Books. ISBN 1-933538-43-0.
- Warrior from Heaven (2009). Synergy Books. ISBN 0-9815462-2-6.
- The Restitution of Jesus Christ (2008). Self-published. No ISBN.
- The Solving the Samaritan Riddle: Peter's Keys Explain Early Spirit Baptism (2015). Wipf & Stock. ISBN 9781498225281.
- The Restitution: Biblical Proof Jesus Is Not God (2023). ISBN 978-1735259161
- The Gospel Corrupted: When Jesus was Made God (2023). ISBN 978-1735259185
- Christ on the PGA Tour (1965-1982) (2025). ISBN 979-8991848954
References
- ^ "Golf Major Championships"
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Author Kermit Zarley". Kermit Zarley. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- ^ "2011 Kermit Zarley Lectures". North Park University.[dead link]
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Kermit Zarley". PGA Tour. Retrieved 2025-09-08.