U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 29, 2023

Jerry Kelly

SentryWorld

Flash Interview

THE MODERATOR: Jerry Kelly, even-par 71. Can you talk us through your round today?

JERRY KELLY: I'm really happy the way I battled. I wasn't feeling the best. I usually don't chew on Advil, but I had to today.

I'm happy that I pushed through what's going on. You know, one loose shot really where I took it really easy, and that wasn't very smart.

But kept it in at even par, so everything goes -- I don't have to get anything back after today, so I like where I'm at.

THE MODERATOR: We've heard even-par is a good score here. Is that something you'd agree with?

JERRY KELLY: It's a good score. I'd like that to be my highest. I think it's out there for the taking right now, there's no question. You just have to hit it straight. If you don't hit it straight, it's not out there for the taking at all.

I got the ball in position all day. My one mistake was from the middle of the fairway. So it kind of shocked me. But, yeah, I'm pleased with where I'm at.

Q. The wrist, did it happen yesterday? How did it affect --

JERRY KELLY: No, it's been going on. It's been going out of joint for about a couple months, and it just inflamed so bad the last week or so.

I've been having it worked on constantly, and that's aggravating it more. So it's inflamed. I was hoping it was going to be better. It is better. I could barely play three holes yesterday.

I'm not used to not feeling my body. I don't even take one Advil, much less as much as I took today. But I started warming up and I felt it right away. So I had to -- I couldn't protect it. I found out what happened yesterday when I protected.

That last hole I played, I just held onto it, and it shanked off to the right. So I had to at least numb it and just kind of swing through it.

Q. On the other side of things, as far as good feelings, you're walking up 18, and the galleries are walking to you. Just getting the support you get on this course, what does it mean to you in this tournament?

JERRY KELLY: It means a lot. They gave me a lot of energy today. I could have got down on myself after a couple of long three putts. They were tough ones.

But any time I'm over par on a hole, it hits me. They kept me up. They got a little quiet after I chunked it in the water on that one hole, but I don't blame them for that one.

No, they've always been so great to me, and I appreciate all of it. That's why I want to do well in Wisconsin because they give us so much.

Q. Two questions. When did the wrist first start? I know you said a couple months ago, but do you remember like -- can you pinpoint when it first happened?

JERRY KELLY: One day I was driving, and I just went like this on the wheel, and when I got to this side of it, it just completely went out of joint and I couldn't do anything with it.

So you find a way to -- I don't want to press on it, but I was able to press on it, splay my hand open, and kind of get it back into where it could sit okay, but it's just so inflamed and so tender that I can't work on it.

Q. Is that frustrating? Doing something as simple as just driving?

JERRY KELLY: Yeah, I'm old, man. Sorry. Just wait until you roll over in bed and crack a rib, man. Trust me, it happens. It sucks. You never know what it's going to be, a sneeze.

Obviously I probably wore it out hitting balls and then that's what happened. I turned it the wrong way in a car. It's usually a trauma from something that you don't even remember that you don't even think about, and then it shows itself somewhere else.

You're like, well, yeah. It wasn't driving the car that did it, but I have no idea. I know that's the first time I felt it.

It was a shocking -- I mean, there's a lot of little bones, little joints in there. They get off. It's not fun. It's just rest, which I don't take.

Q. I know the past couple of days, you were talking about the smoke from the wildfires. That could have had an effect today. It seems like a pretty clear day. I don't know if there's any lingering effects that played a role out there.

JERRY KELLY: (Snoring). Ask my wife last night. It gets you snoring. No, I think we've played in L.A. and some other cities enough that this is nothing compared to -- especially Shanghai. This is nothing compared to that. That's like volcano-type action over there.

Q. Jerry, can you compare the vibe of a Senior Tour major in your home state versus what you get every year at the Am Fam? It seemed like it was a little bit heightened today.

JERRY KELLY: Yeah, I think so. I think local is awesome, but we've got even more than local here. We've got from all over the state, and we've got a lot of people from out of state.

The U.S. Opens, the U.S. Senior Opens are more destination golf tournaments. I'll tell you what, I don't know if they could be as much fun walking up 18 and winning, but I'd sure like to find out.

Q. Jerry, you mentioned that you hadn't been here since 1984 since you won. Then Mike Small, when we caught up with him, he said he played with you and Steve a little bit, and it was hard to figure out how to play 9. Are you still figuring things out? Did you figure some stuff out today? How difficult is it?

JERRY KELLY: I told them last week when I came, even that up tee that they played today, it's really hard to hit the fairway. You've got to shade it to the right because it runs down off the left. You run down off the left, you've got absolutely nothing.

So I held it up to the right. I had an alleyway going up to the green. I didn't realize how sloped it was until I got up there. I was like, wow, that was a pretty good shot.

At least there's a spot you can go to the right and chip across the green. If you go on the left rough, you're playing up or you're knocking it through the green, and then you've got -- if you don't go too far in the bunker, you've got a really tough bunker shot coming back.

It's a really good par-5.

(Laughter).

Q. Based on how you practiced coming in here and how you feel, did you meet or exceed your expectations today?

JERRY KELLY: They changed once I got out there. No, I wouldn't have played -- if you'd have given me even-par this morning, I would have said, I'll sit back and have a few beers and watch everybody play and go get them on the next three days.

Like I said, I'm pleased with where I'm at. I'm disappointed in just letting myself relax too much on 1. I didn't think there was any trouble anywhere to be had. I didn't give that water any credence because I wasn't even going near it, and it was just a bad shot.

I don't know, I'm not going to do that again.