Skip Kendall Bio
Jules Ira “Skip” Kendall (born September 9, 1964) is an American professional golfer who has built a long career across developmental, main, and senior tours. He currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions and formerly competed on the PGA Tour and the Web.com Tour. Over the course of his career, Kendall has tallied six professional victories and recorded more than two dozen top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour. He is also remembered for his willingness to share ideas with fellow players, including the spread of an alternative putting grip among his peers.
Early Life and Background
Skip Kendall was born in 1964 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he grew up and attended Nicolet High School. As a teenager, he was a multi-sport athlete, playing soccer, basketball, and golf for his school teams. In soccer, he earned All-State recognition as a senior, and in basketball he was named team MVP and captain during the 1982 season. In golf, he finished second in the Wisconsin state tournament as both a sophomore and a senior, an early signal of the career path that would follow.
After high school, Kendall moved west to attend the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He graduated in 1987 with a degree in Business Education, completing his formal studies in the same year he chose to turn professional. His time in Las Vegas helped bridge his amateur competitive experience with the demands of the professional game.
Path to Professional Golf
Kendall’s path into professional golf was built on a strong amateur foundation in Wisconsin and the steady development of his game at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. His runner-up finishes in state competition as a high school underclassman and senior gave him confidence that he could compete at higher levels. College golf refined his course management and prepared him for the rigors of a tour schedule.
Upon graduating in 1987, Kendall turned professional and began his career on the developmental circuits. His breakthrough to the PGA Tour came in 1992, when he earned medalist honors at the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, securing his place among the game’s top competitors and opening the door to more than a decade on golf’s premier stage.
Skip Kendall Career
Early Career (1987–1997)
Skip Kendall turned professional in 1987 after completing his degree at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He spent his first years sharpening his game on developmental tours, building the consistency required to compete at the highest level. In 1992, he finished medalist at the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, a major milestone that earned him full status on the PGA Tour. Throughout the early 1990s, Kendall gained valuable experience against established players, laying the groundwork for the breakthrough years that followed.
PGA Tour Breakthrough (1998–2004)
Kendall’s most productive stretch on the PGA Tour began in the late 1990s, when he recorded a series of runner-up finishes that established him as a consistent threat. He finished second at the 1998 Buick Invitational and again at the 1999 Canon Greater Hartford Open, narrowly missing his first PGA Tour victory. He added further runner-up results at the 2000 Southern Farm Bureau Classic and the 2004 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, bringing his total of PGA Tour runner-up finishes to four.
The 1999 season stood out as one of the strongest of his career. In addition to his second-place finish in Hartford, Kendall posted a tied for tenth result at the Players Championship, made 24 cuts, and recorded 13 top-25 finishes. He earned $962,642 that year and reached his highest position on the Official World Golf Ranking at number 69. In 2004, he had another strong financial season, earning $1,206,438 with seven top-25 finishes. His best major championship results during this era included a tied for tenth at the 1998 PGA Championship, a tied for seventeenth at the 2004 U.S. Open, a tied for eleventh at the 2004 Open Championship, and a fifty-sixth place finish at the 2000 Masters Tournament.
On the Web.com Tour, Kendall captured four victories, an achievement that complemented his main tour work and underscored the depth of his game. He finished his PGA Tour career with over $9.8 million in earnings, a testament to his longevity and consistency even without a victory at the top level.
PGA Tour Champions Era (2014–Present)
Since 2014, Skip Kendall has competed on the PGA Tour Champions, the senior circuit for players aged fifty and over. In his early years on the Champions tour he recorded three top-10 finishes, including a tied for tenth result at the 2015 Shaw Charity Classic. That same season he finished ranked 69th on the Champions Tour money list, a respectable showing in a crowded field of accomplished veterans.
Driving Style and Strengths
Kendall built his career on steadiness, course management, and a creative approach to the short game. He is perhaps best known for popularizing the claw putting grip, an alternative method that he introduced to fellow professional Chris DiMarco. His willingness to experiment and share ideas with peers has been a hallmark of his time in the game.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among Kendall’s signature achievements are his medalist finish at the 1992 PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, his four runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour, and his four victories on the Web.com Tour. Reaching a career-high ranking of 69 in 1999, surpassing $9.8 million in PGA Tour earnings, and posting a tied for tenth finish at the 1998 PGA Championship stand as the defining milestones of his career.
Skip Kendall Career Wins
Across all tours, Skip Kendall has accumulated six professional victories. Four of those wins came on the Web.com Tour, where he developed much of his competitive sharpness, while two additional victories came in other professional events. Despite his success at the developmental level, he has never won an event on the PGA Tour or the PGA Tour Champions, although his four runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour and his three top-10 results on the Champions tour reflect a player who consistently contended against elite fields.
Web.com Tour Highlights
Kendall’s four victories on the Web.com Tour marked him as one of the steady performers of the developmental circuit and helped him graduate to the PGA Tour. His success on that tour translated into long-term PGA Tour status and provided the foundation for his late-1990s and early-2000s breakthrough seasons. In PGA Tour playoff appearances, Kendall holds an 0-3 record, while his Web.com Tour playoff record stands at 1-0.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond his Web.com Tour success, Kendall added two additional professional wins in other events, rounding out his career total to six. He also posted numerous top-10 and top-25 finishes across the PGA Tour, with standout seasons in 1999 and 2004.
Skip Kendall Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Skip Kendall was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where his family supported his early involvement in soccer, basketball, and golf. His development as a young golfer in Wisconsin, including runner-up finishes in the state tournament, helped shape the multi-sport background that defined his formative years.
Personal Life
Skip Kendall and his wife Traci have three children. The family resides in Windermere, Florida, where Kendall has lived while competing on the PGA Tour Champions. He maintains an active presence on social media, sharing updates on his professional schedule and family life.
2025 Season Performance
Skip Kendall continues to compete on the PGA Tour Champions in 2025, building on the steady form he has shown since joining the senior circuit in 2014. With his career PGA Tour earnings of more than $9.8 million, he has cemented his place as one of the tour’s durable competitors and continues to chase his first Champions tour victory.
His legacy as a player who never won at the highest level but consistently contended, with four PGA Tour runner-up finishes, four Web.com Tour wins, and a career-high world ranking of 69, remains a point of pride. As the 2025 season unfolds, Kendall remains a respected figure in the Champions locker room, known for his competitive spirit and contributions to the game’s evolving techniques, including his role in popularizing the claw putting grip.