Wisconsinite Jerry Kelly not only stepped in to save a golf event at Geneva National in Lake Geneva, he also delivered an exquisite round in the process.
Late Sunday, 57-year-old John Daly told organizers of Monday’s “Beauty and Beast” exhibition that he wasn’t well enough to compete, leaving the event in limbo. The showcase, designed to pit Daly against golf social media influencer Paige Spiranac, was designed to raise money for Special Operations Warrior Foundation and Heart of a Lion, had sold nearly 2,000 tickets. Kelly happened to have a free day.
The PGA Tour Champions standout Kelly, 56, then proceeded to make 10 birdies, two eagles and shot 13-under on the Player Course (which happens to be among the top 15 publicly accessible courts in the state, according to Golfweek).
It would have been a course record but wasn’t technically an official round because part of the fan participation included bringing fans out of the crowd to putt before he did, thus revealing the line.
Spiranac threw perhaps some light shade in Daly’s direction while trumpeting Kelly’s big showing.
Kelly will compete in the American Family Insurance Championship later this week at University Ridge in Madison (another course on that aforementioned list).
Spiranac had a good round in her own right, making six birdies for a 6-under 66. It wasn’t her first nor her last appearance in Wisconsin; she threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Brewers game last year when the franchise debuted its X-Golf facility at American Family Field, and she will be featured in a specialty bobblehead giveaway for Golf Night on June 16.
Kelly has won 11 times on the PGA Tour Champions, including two majors as a two-time winner of the Senior Players Championship. This year’s Senior Open will take place at SentryWorld in Stevens Point at the end of the month.
This article originally appeared on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: On short notice, Jerry Kelly battles Paige Spiranac in a golf exhibition