KITCHENAID SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 29, 2021

Jerry Kelly

Quick Quotes

Southern Hills Country Club

THE MODERATOR: Welcome back to the 2021 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship. We're here at Southern Hills Country Club, Tulsa, Oklahoma. We are joined by Jerry Kelly. Another terrific round. 1-under par 69. He is even par for the championship currently in the 7 position. Played a great round yesterday, but with this golf course getting tougher today did you play just as well or even perhaps better today to do what you did.

JERRY KELLY: Played about the same as I did the first day. Smoke and mirrors the last couple days. I mean I'm getting up-and-down, I'm doing a good job. I haven't struck it my best. It's kind of been a struggle with the body. I don't know why. I have my trainer here, my coach here action I have like accrue here, you know, I'm not used to that. Humpty Dumpty couldn't get put back together again. I don't know, I'm hanging on and if it can click, who knows. But I've got to strike it better than the way I have. I've got to hit the fairways the way I want to and I've got to hit some crisp iron shots. So can't get away with it forever out here.

Q. I was watching you on Thursday and you were not in a good spot out there, obviously. What sense of pride do you take in fighting back the way you have?

JERRY KELLY: A lot. I fought back with out a lot of fire power. I've texted a couple guys and just saying that's shear will out there. I didn't have much. A couple of the young players who are trying to get out there, I was texting with them going, you know, just something to learn from an it's something I can always take away from it. Just being a grinder out there as much as you can. When I got to 5-over through 11 holes in this championship, it was a little bit of a shock. You heard I was fairly confident coming in and it was just bye-bye at the wrong time. That's the game, you hate it but, yeah, that's the game.

Q. Give you a little lift though that finish yesterday?

JERRY KELLY: Yeah, I mean birdieing 18, I was trying for the low round of the tournament at that point Weirsy came in one better later, so that's the kind of stuff that I follow and once I got to 5 it was just like, okay, we got to get back to even. I don't know how long it's going to take, but let's get back to even. So just count them down. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 2, 3, 2, 1, back and for the a little bit in there yesterday. But today was good. I had more chances, but I still got some good up-and-downs on some squirrely shots. So I'm happy with what I did with it again today and hopefully I strike it tomorrow.

Q. Looking at your scorecard you got 17 pars and one birdie. I saw you hit your shot into 12. Very great shot on one of the best holes in golf. So you just alluded to you didn't feel like you had your best stuff, how in the world do you go bogey-free on a course like this without having your A game?

JERRY KELLY: It's knowing where not to hit it. I managed my misses very well. I definitely played wide. I played very wide. Very conservative. I just, I could not be aggressive on a course like this when I'm not striking it as well as I would like to. So tomorrow I'm going to have to be aggressive, I really hope I'm striking it well, because you'll be exposed if you play aggressive out here and hit some of the shots that were coming out.

Q. Do you feel like you'll be more aggressive on tee shots?

JERRY KELLY: I hit driver everywhere so, it's my straightest club, so that's one advantage I have when my driver's as straight as it is, I can fit it into places where guys might hit something shorter. So it's just, it's striking the driver the way I like it and then putting myself in position to be able to hit good iron shots. But I've -- center of the club is lonely right now, so.

Q. On a test like this how back is too far back?

JERRY KELLY: How far back? With Stricker and Cejka and Weirsy? Well, it depends on what you can shoot. I don't see a 9-under out there. I hope there is one. I would say an 8, 7 definitely. I would say 7 shots because a 7-under is there and then if the leaders shoot even par, if they get to 7, so any time I'm within 7 I think it's definitely doable.