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. 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. 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. Zarley is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature.
Zarley resides in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Awards and honors Zarley received an honorary Ph.D. from North Park University in Chicago in 2001. The university has a lecture series named after him.
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."
Amateur wins 1962 NCAA Championship, Pacific Northwest Amateur
Professional wins (6) PGA Tour wins (3) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner(s)-up1Jan 21, 1968Kaiser International Open Invitational−15 (71-67-70-65=273)1 stroke Dave Marr2Jul 5, 1970Canadian Open−9 (69-73-70-67=279)3 strokes Gibby Gilbert 3Jul 30, 1972National 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.YearTournamentOpponentResult11976Florida Citrus Open Hale IrwinLost to par on sixth extra hole
Source:
Tournament Players Series wins (1) 1984 Tallahassee Open
Other wins (1) 1964 Arizona Open
Senior PGA Tour wins (1) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner-up1Oct 9, 1994The Transamerica−12 (70-68-66=204)Playoff Isao Aoki
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (1–2) No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result11994Royal Caribbean Classic Lee TrevinoLost to par on fourth extra hole21994The Transamerica Isao AokiWon with birdie on first extra hole31996Bruno's Memorial Classic John Bland, John Paul CainBland won with bogey on third extra holeZarley eliminated by par on second hole
Results in major championships Tournament1965196619671968196919701971197219731974Masters TournamentT20T35CUTT17T31U.S. OpenCUTT13T36T276CUTT40PGA ChampionshipT8T59T22T68T9T51 Tournament19751976197719781979198019811982Masters TournamentU.S. OpenT24T44CUTT39PGA ChampionshipT43T54T51T19T42CUT 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 madeMasters Tournament 0 0 0 0 0 2 5 4U.S. Open 0 0 0 0 1 3 11 8The Open Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0PGA Championship 0 0 0 0 2 4 12 11Totals 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). . (with introduction by S. Lewis Johnson) Palestine Is Coming: The Revival of Ancient Philistia (1990). Hannibal Books. Re-issued by Wipf & Stock (2005). . The Third Day Bible Code (2006). Synergy Books. . Warrior from Heaven (2009). Synergy Books. . 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. . The Restitution: Biblical Proof Jesus Is Not God (2023). The Gospel Corrupted: When Jesus was Made God (2023). Christ on the PGA Tour (1965-1982) (2025).
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