UPDATE:
Troy Kelly finished second at the Chattanooga Classic. He won $54,000, going from 115th on the Nationwide Tour money list somewhere between No. 61 and No. 65 (the official standings haven’t been updated just yet). The top 60 get into the Nationwide Championship event and the top 25 following that tournament earn PGA Tour cards. The top 40 earn don’t have to go through the first- or second-round stages of PGA Q-School. So there’s a lot on the line for Kelly as he heads to Miami for this week’s Nationwide event — the Miccosukee Open.
I just talked to Troy. He said a lesson in Milwaukee with Manuel de la Torre, one of golf’s top instructors, helped turn his game around a couple months ago. Tacoma’s Ken Kubitz, who teaches out of Gold Mountain and has worked with Kelly for years, turned the Central Kitsap grad on to de la Torre. That’s who Kubitz learned from. Look for the story in Monday’s print and online editions.
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Troy Kelly just birdied No. 18 to fnish the final round of the Chattanooga Classic with a 7-under par 65 that makes him the leader in the clubhouse.
Chris Baryla is a stroke back with five holes to play and a couple others on the course are still within striking distance.
If Kelly holds on, he wins $90,000 and will be within range of crawling into the Top 25 on the Nationwide Tour. That’s huge because the Top 25 earn PGA Tour cards for next year. Kelly’s currently 240th on the PGA Tour and would have to go through PGA Tour Qualifying School again if he doesn’t crack the Nationwide’s Top 25.
I’ll post an update later, but I’ve got a few things to do and won’t be around a computer for a while. Here’s the link to the Chattanooga leaderboard.
