Life after 50: Jerry Kelly is playing some of the best golf of his life

 

At 51, Jerry Kelly is playing some of the best golf of his professional career — proof that, for some, life after 50 is as exciting as ever.

Kelly is brushing off the adage “over the hill” with two victories in his first season on the PGA TOUR Champions  in 2017.[1] It’s an exciting transformation for Kelly, who prior to last season hadn’t won a PGA TOUR event since 2009.[2]

Kelly went pro in 1989 and qualified for the Champions Tour upon turning 50 on Nov. 23, 2016. But he struggled in those first few months. “I thought I had an advantage and I was going to tear it up right away. That was not the case. The competition is incredibly solid. The scores these guys are shooting, it shocked me right out of the gate.”

Kelly knew he had to change something to compete with the best players over 50 in the world.

“It was in response to me getting crushed out there in the first two-and-a-half, three months. Having it handed to me early was the best thing that could have happened to me, even though I didn’t like it,” he explains. “It just makes you step up your game. It’s either step up your game or you’re going to get run over.”

Kelly’s performance drastically improved with a few simple changes, including changing out his putter, driver, and shoes, and working out consistently. His wife, Carol, also started traveling full-time with him again after their son, Cooper, started college at the University of Colorado in August.

“She came out with me for the first time and I won that week,” Jerry explains, recalling his win at the Boeing Classic. He tied for sixth place a week later at the Shaw Charity Classic, and over the next three months, earned another win and three top-10 finishes.[3] Kelly was also recently announced as Rookie of the Year for the PGA TOUR Champions.

 Source: usatoday