Jerry Kelly Marches On to Victory in New Orleans in 2009…

The other Wisconsin boy Steve Stricker shot a final round 67 to move up from T21 to T7. He waited around for two hours and watched the finish from the tunnel underneath the Zurich hospitality tent at TPC Louisiana. He saw his buddy Jerry Kelly finish off a Sunday 71 by ramming a four-footer hard into the cup for a one stroke victory his first in seven years. Kelly embraced him in the tunnel and blurted out “I could not have done it with out you this week.” That says it all about friendship on the PGA TOUR and how difficult it is to win no matter who you are. Kelly was quick to point out how much the friendship means to him in the post victory interview. “Steve Stricker this week took time, again, to help me so much with my putting. He's been such a great friend to me. I hope he can say I've been a great friend to him through the years as well. "But to have someone special like that out here, I can't say enough for the man because he's been there for me.” Through the years it is evident Kelly has been there for Stricker too—that is what friendship is all about. When did Kelly really know for sure that he won again on the PGA TOUR? “After I made the last putt. Pretty sure that was the only time I knew it was mine to have. I knew when Steve (Marino) hit it in that left bunker and there were no other 13s on the golf course that I just had to put my head down and play. Not look at the boards anymore. I knew where I stood. "So basically I was playing against myself and against my nerves. I did very well with them until the final putt. The final putt had me drained because I thought I hit a good first putt, and it came up to short. "I thought how did I do that? They say the hardest thing in golf to do is to lag so you can win on your next putt. I wasn't trying to lag. I just wanted to snuggle it up there a little bit.” When the four-footer went in for the one stroke victory Kelly’s caddie Eric Meller told him immediately after the win: You've got to stop saying the last time you won was (in) '02 (and a) long ago. Now you can say, '09 divine.” It surely was a divine day for Jerry Kelly who earned the victory through sheer determination. Kelly’s playing partner in the final twosome of the day Steve Marino made a spectacular shot late in the round to jump into contention. “I holed that  chip shot on 16. All of a sudden I was there in the mix.” But then on the par-five 18th hole his tee shot found one of those Pete Dye bunkers with a bulkhead that leads to nowhere. “I was thinking of bombing it down there, and trying to knock it out in two. I hit a pretty good drive. It took kind of a bad kick, and it went all the way up to the top of the bunker and rolled back down. I just had nothing in there. I wish 18 would have turned out a little different. But I played well, and I can keep my head high.” Marino failing to birdie the final hole to force a playoff with Kelly tied for second place with Charles Howell III, Charlie Wi and Rory Sabbatini who shot a 67. The tournament was Howell’s to win after establishing a two-stroke lead mid way through the back nine. He was six-under after 11 holes but bogeyed the 15th and 17th holes. “I played well, I got myself in position. I was four (strokes) back (at the start of) the day. I caught Jerry pretty quick. I did not quite get it done. I had a lot of good shots down the stretch. I still gave myself chances for birdie. I didn't finish it off. I've got to keep working on that.” “I don't know really what to say. I'm just pretty frustrated. I got up to 15 (under par); I thought 15 or 16 (under par) would win it. I just I don't know what to say. There are times I think I (will) look at the positives though, but it's frustrating.” Charlie Wi the first round leader on Thursday after an opening 66 started the day four shots back and made up all but one of those strokes shooting a bogey-free 68. After birdieing the first, second and seventh holes he missed short birdie putts on Nos. 11 and 12 came back with a deuce on the 14th and failed to birdie the par-five 18th hole. Sabbatini had seven birdies in his five-under par round of 67 but bogeyed the difficult par-three 17th hole down the stretch. The winner of four PGA TOUR events last won at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in 2007. David Toms who won this tournament back in 2001 the same year he won his Major at the PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club bogeyed the first hole but then birdied the last four holes of the front nine. “It was fun. My heart started beating a little bit faster. I knew I had a chance. I just couldn't make anything happen on the back nine.” Shooting 68 and finishing T5 with Steve Marino the Louisiana native and local hero Toms knew he had to shoot a good round to have a chance. “I started off bad, but they (his large galleries) were still into it and behind me. It was good motivation for me to continue to play hard and let things happen, and they did. (I am) looking forward to coming back next year and see if I can do better. ” Toms after playing this Pete Dye designed swamp golf course reincarnated is looking ahead to the PLAYERS Championship at similar TPC Sawgrass. “There's a lot of points, lot of money, lot of prestige. Being the fifth major, it's held very highly with the players. I feel good about my game. I'm going to go there and hopefully have a good week.” Mr. Kelly won the 2009 Zurich New Orleans golf tournament. There is no question about that. He is on the short list of invitees to the 2010 Masters. With his love of New Orleans food there is no question what will be on the Champions menu if he wins the Masters. “I'm going to start with Drago's charbroiled oysters. And then I'll go with some Wisconsin stuff after that.” And no doubt his Wisconsin buddy Steve Stricker will be there by his side.   Andy Reistetter is a freelance golf writer. He follows the PGA TOUR volunteering for the tournaments and working part time for various golf networks. He resides in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida near the PGA TOUR headquarters and home of The PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach. He enjoys pursuing his passion for the game of golf and everything associated with it. He can be reached through his website www.AndyGolfTravel Diary.com or by e-mailing him to AndyReistetter@gmail.com