Senior qualifies for Masters, U.S. Open
John Kelly placed second at the U.S. Amateur.
Published Aug. 29, 2006
Senior John Kelly will have a shot at winning a green jacket in April. Kelly came in second place at the U.S. Amateur Championship, securing an invitation to the Masters Tournament and the U.S. Open.
Surrounded by his MU teammates on the 16th hole of the Hazeltine National Golf Course in Chaska, Minn., Kelly quietly conceded the final putt to his main competition, Richie Ramsay of Scotland, ending the U.S. Amateur Championship match at 4 and 2.
Just moments before, Kelly narrowly missed a putt that circled around the lip of the cup. He needed to make the putt to continue play after falling three strokes behind.
Kelly's run made him the first MU golfer to advance to the final round of play in the U.S. Amateur.
"You just have to try and picture yourself playing another round of golf," he said. "All you can do is play your own game and not worry too much about who you're playing. If you don't play your best, you don't have any chance against who you're playing."
Ramsay and Kelly shared the lead at the beginning of play in the first round on the front nine. Kelly took a one-stroke lead over Ramsay with an eagle on the par five seventh hole, but Ramsay was able to catch up to Kelly on the eighth hole, and from that point on he did not surrender the lead.
The two went into the second round of play with Kelly trailing Ramsay by two strokes, but on the second hole, Kelly birdied to close within one stroke of his opponent. But he couldn't pull back to even with Ramsay, who was making par on almost every hole.
Kelly was able to birdie four holes in the second round but was not consistent enough. His most crippling hole was the par three 13th hole, where his tee shot landed in Lake Hazeltine, forcing him to drop the ball and take a double bogey.
After the hole, Kelly had trouble with his long game, which is usually his strongest point. While Kelly struggled, Ramsay was almost on par with Kelly's long game. Ramsay, who usually focuses on his short game, was able to out-putt Kelly.
Despite the loss, MU golf coach Mark Leroux said he was pleased with Kelly's performance throughout the tournament.
"His chances decrease further into the tournament because of the difficulty of play, but it's not that I don't think John can't do it," he said. "I'm elated."
Peter Malnati qualified for the Amateur and joined Kelly for the tournament, but he placed 108th in the field during stroke play, leaving him out of the match play round.
Malnati stayed in Minnesota to watch Kelly for the weekend despite his elimination.
"I told him that night (he made the cut), I'm not going home because if you are going to make history, I am going to be here to see it," Malnati said in a United States Golf Association news story.
Kelly said he appreciated the support Malnati and the rest of his teammates gave him throughout the final matches.
"(The team) just supporting me, rooting me on, it's been nice," Kelly said. "It's obviously a life-changing experience."
