There was a time in the PGA that Tiger Woods OWNED Firestone Country Club (FCC). Time to possibly add another name to the FCC lore. Jerry Kelly.
Firestone South and Jerry Kelly
Kelly returns as the reigning champion for the Kaulig Companies Championship, slated for next weekend in Akron, Ohio. His last three tourneys here are Woods-esque . First, second, first. In a recent article, Kelly talked about the course.
“Firestone Country Club is the best course we play on the PGA Champions schedule. It tests everything.”
It’s not for the short hitter, but it rewards accuracy. And the greens?
“There’s some difficulty in the putting. Once you get off the greens, there’s some tough up and downs…I’m always excited to get back here.”
2023 and onward
The former high school hockey player is having another solid year on the Champions tour. No wins yet, but he did have two starts on the PGA tour. He finished tied for 54th at the Players Championship last March and missed the cut at the Sony Open in Hawaii. On the older circuit, he has a number of 2nd (Principal Charity), 3rd (US Senior Open) and 4th place finishes (Chubb Classic, Invited Celebrity Classic, Regions Tradition), but he’s still chasing that first greenside ceremony. Maybe this week.
Long Ago….
The Wisconsin native graduated from the University of Hartford in 1989. 1995 saw Jerry become the Player of the Year on the old Nike Tour (now the Korn Ferry Tour) as the year’s money leader, where he, David Toms, Stuart Appleby and seven others graduated to the PGA Tour.
Kelly’s first year on the PGA was 1996 when he cashed checks totalling $336,748. From that first year to 2008, he averaged 31 events. He broke the one million dollar yearly earnings in 2001 but still hadn’t raised a trophy!
But that would change in 2002.
Jerry Kelly in 2002 and 2009
One of the story lines during the 2002 PGA Tour season besides Tiger Woods (five wins) was the number of first time winners that year. Kelly started the trend with the Sony Open in Hawaii. Then the tour saw Matt Gogel, Len Mattiace, Kevin Sunderland, Ian Leggatt, Matt Kuchar, Craig Perks, KJ Choi, Chris Smith, Spike McRoy, Craig Parry, Chris Riley, John Rollins, Charles Howell III, Phil Tataurangi, Bob Burns, Jonathan Byrd and Luke Donald join the ranks of event champions.
Jerry, KJ and Len would win a second time that year. Kelly’s 2nd win was in the Western Open, which at the time was the third oldest PGA Tour event, just behind The Open Championship (British Open), and the US Open.
Kelly shot a final round 65 to defeat Davis Love III by two strokes, coming from third place starting Sunday’s round. With the win, Kelly jumped to third place in the money list for the year with just under 2.4 million. The win pushed his career earnings to over 6 million dollars.
Jerry’s other win on the PGA Tour was the 2009 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Tied for 8th after the first round, Kelly mastered the second round with a 66 to take the lead and hold on for the victory. Sunday’s round was a sea-saw affair with Charles Howell III taking the lead on the 9th with a birdie.
Jerry fell three behind with a bogey at 10 and Howell’s birdie, but two birdies on 11 and 14 and pars out gave the win to the Madison native.
Champions victories
Kelly’s first year on the senior circuit was in 2017 but he still found time to play in some regular tour events the next few years. But the health of his wife was what helped him prioritize his play.
He has eleven PGA Tour Champions victories. 2022 was another banner year with three wins, most recently the Shaw Charity Classic. And much of his Champions success can be traced to his spouse.
Jerry and Carol
It has been documented on the battles Jerry’s wife, Carol, has had to endure with her cancer, not once but twice. Marla Ridenour had a wonderful and touching story on Carol’s strength and motivation for Jerry. And last year he made it clear on how this golf course is important to them:
Photo by Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal
“It may not be our normal restaurant-laden place or the hotel that is our favorite on tour, but the golf course is that special…She’s[Carol] like, ‘You know what, I want to be there for you, I love that golf course, it’s really cool just to be out there.’ I mean, this is a different world once you step inside these gates. I love it…that she wanted to come here.”
So as the tournament prepares for the pros and volunteers and you the fans, Jerry will most certainly be the favorite in the event. And if she’s able, Carol will be there to help him hoist a trophy maybe for the first time this year!
Many players are slated for the South course. The ageless Bernhard Langer is one. But Jerry would like one thing from Langer:
"He can retire now."
Jerry Kelly on Bernhard Langer's 46th win. pic.twitter.com/Dy5lTKMvQy
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) July 3, 2023
Need tickets? Here’s the Kaulig Companies Championship link for purchasing.
Much of the data and information come from the PGA Tour’s media guide.
In the meantime, here’s hoping all your putts are gimmies!
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