Masters gives seniors his first step toward pros

By Catherine Crane

Published April 13, 2007

One of MU golf's own was present at the Masters Tournament last weekend in Augusta, Ga. Senior John Kelly qualified for a chance to play in the 2007 Masters after earning the runner-up spot at the U.S. Amateur last summer. Kelly was low amateur at the Masters and didn't advance to play on Saturday and Sunday, but he still had the thrill of a lifetime.

"That first tee shot is something I'll never forget," Kelly said. "That feeling of nervousness and hitting a really good drive in front of all those people. Being so nervous and you're anxious to get started, and I got a huge ovation for that."

Kelly had the backing of MU faithful who made the journey to Augusta to watch him in his first Masters tournament. Chants of "JK" could be heard from the crowd when Kelly was near.

"A lot of Mizzou fans were down there, surprisingly," Kelly said. "I was playing with Vaughn Taylor in one of the practice rounds, and he said he'd never heard one player get so much support from one university. He couldn't believe it."

Kelly also received support from the professionals. Kelly had the opportunity to play with golf greats including Seve Ballesteros, Jerry Pate and Ben Crenshaw on his practice round.

They all instilled their wisdom upon the 22-year-old amateur.

"They were helping me out a lot around the greens, telling me to be patient," Kelly said. "A lot of little things they helped me out with, and just trying to give me my best chance at playing my best."

Kelly recorded a 77 on each of the first two days for a 154 total — just two strokes away from advancing. The back nine were particularly tricky for Kelly. Kelly sailed through the front nine on both days at even par of 36, but he recorded a 41 on the back nine both days.

"I wish I could tell you exactly what it was," Kelly said. "The back nine is a more risk/reward nine where you can make some good numbers, or you can make some big numbers. It was just a few bad swings on the back nine that got me. It wasn't that I was folding under the pressure by any means."

Kelly's MU golf coach, Mark Leroux, said the senior looked perfect in his first Masters appearance.

"He was swinging particularly well, probably the best I've ever seen," Leroux said. "Then I got a chance to look at some photos and videos of his swing and looking at it in slow motion, it looked just perfect."

Beau Crawford, an MU senior and Kelly's MU teammate said he is as sure of Kelly's golf skills as Leroux.

"He's good," Crawford said. "He's definitely got what it takes. It's no big surprise when he gets to play in something like that."

For Kelly, who wants to go professional, playing at the Masters was his next step.

"This was a good stepping-stone to realize that I can play with these guys," Kelly said. "I've seen up close and in person how those guys perform. It was a good week for me to see what I need to do and what makes these players so great. It was a huge advantage for me."

Kelly said he is seeking what the pros have, and he's trying to imitate their play.

"They are very patient people," Kelly said. "You can see they are confident in their abilities. They have tremendous work ethics. If you can do your best at emulating them, you're going to be all right."

With graduation coming soon for the senior, he will have more time out on the course.

"This next stage in my life after graduation is going to be good for my golf game," Kelly said. "I'm not going to have to be worrying about some biology test I'm going to be taking on Tuesday, or some paper that's due next Thursday. I'm going to be able to wake up at 6 a.m. and lift weights and go to the golf course at 9 and work on whatever I need to."

Kelly will play in the U.S. Open this summer, but until then, he has the rest of the MU golf season to deal with.

"I've got a lot of golf in between," Kelly said. "I just have to stay in the present for now — right here, right now. I'm just trying to worry about the things I can control."