Friday, January 11, 2002

Kelly pressing for
first PGA victory

The Sony Open title
has barely eluded the
veteran three times

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By Paul Arnett
parnett@starbulletin.com

Jerome Patrick Kelly can eat at a local restaurant and rarely have his dinner interrupted by a hungry autograph seeker.

The 36-year-old PGA Tour veteran believes he is as close to winning his first event as he was to making a hole-in-one at the par-3 17th during yesterday's opening round of the $4 million Sony Open.

And while he is still a stranger to winning after six years of trying, he is well enough known in these parts for his strong showing here in 2000. It was overshadowed by Paul Azinger's wire-to-wire win and a triple bogey Kelly shot on the first hole on Sunday. He wound up in a tie for ninth with a final-round 72.

Like then, Kelly got off to a good start yesterday. He fashioned a 4-under 66 in the tradewind weather welcomed by those who have played here before. It was good enough for a tie for third with Jesper Parnevik and John Cook, one shot behind leaders Chris Riley and Kenny Perry.

Not that Kelly minds talking with members of the media after the first 18 holes. But these days, the guy who earned his way in the major leagues by winning twice on the Buy.com Tour en route to being the leading money winner in 1995, wants the tape recorders and microphones in his face come Sunday.

"I've been close in this tournament," Kelly said. "I've definitely had my chances. Three times I've been in good enough shape to say I could have won the tournament. I didn't make the push that's needed down the stretch."

The stretch drive is something Kelly has become very familiar with of late. He had seven top 10 finishes last year, including a second-place showing at the Reno-Tahoe Open. It was the second one of his career. The first one in 1996 was at the Greater Milwaukee Open near his home in Madison, Wis.

Last year, Kelly was 35th on the money list with nearly $1.5 million in Tour earnings, and he was the leader entering the final round of The Players Championship, only to fire a 73 and lose to Tiger Woods by four shots.

Despite all the success, he has yet to hoist a trophy or pocket one of those $720,000 first-place checks being offered at this week's first full-field event of the 2002 tour season.

"I don't think anybody's out here trying to win harder than I am," Kelly said. "It just hasn't happened for me. I've been in position quite a lot. A lot of top 10s. If you look back to a lot of those, one hole separated me from the win."

Kelly didn't have any of those bad holes in yesterday's windy weather. Granted, he had a couple of hiccups along the way, but he birdied six of the final 11 holes, including the last three. In that final run, Kelly just missed an ace at the 17th. He's still wondering what kept the ball from going in.

"I used a 7-iron to within half an inch," Kelly said. "It was right behind the hole. Nobody knows how it stayed out. There may have been a little troll at the bottom of the hole that kept it up I think."

Kelly also birdied the 18th, but it wasn't in traditional fashion. His drive went through the fairway and into the bunker. He used a 4-wood that he hit flush enough to hit the lip and go on through. His 6-iron from 211 yards out hit the pin and wound up four feet from the hole, which Kelly made to put him atop the leaderboard.

"I actually started getting into a decent groove by the end of the day," Kelly said. "It's tough when the wind is blowing like this.

"But if you hit the ball solid, the wind doesn't move it that much and it separates the field. I love the changes in the golf course. It's a better course. I thoroughly enjoy coming here. My family loves it. And that's important to me."