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PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

August 16, 2006

Jerry Kelly

MEDINAH, ILLINOIS

KELLY ELBIN: Jerry Kelly, ladies and gentlemen, joining us here at the PGA Championship. Jerry appearing in his eighth PGA Championship. His best finish came at Medinah in 1999. Jerry, some thoughts on the golf course and some discussion on the Ryder Cup, heading into the final event to qualify for the Ryder Cup.

JERRY KELLY: I think the golf course is in great shape. It's just a classic Midwest golf course. It's a little longer than your average Midwest golf course, but that's why we have a major championship here. It doesn't seem to be playing quite as long as the paper says. It's a par 72 compared to a lot of the 7,400 yard par 70s and par 71s we've been playing, so it's not overly long. But it's always been a great test of golf.

I like the changes that they have made. 17 is a great green down there by the water where it used to be. Overall, I think it's just a great major championship golf course.

And then you guys will ask questions about the Ryder Cup, that's fine. That's the only reason I'm here, right (smiling)?

Actually, I'm not going to answer any questions about the Ryder Cup, so anything else you'd like to know, that's fine. Favourite color (laughter)?

Q. Two years ago, you really made a mad dash to try and get into the Ryder Cup, and obviously you want it just as badly this year. I wonder if you can talk about your approach two years ago and how it's changed trying to make the Ryder Cup Team this year.

JERRY KELLY: Well, two years ago, I committed at the last minute to play in the events leading up to the PGA, and that was a big mistake. I wasn't prepared to play them. I didn't really want to play them. I figured I had to play them. So you come into those with that attitude, the attitude that I want to win the golf tournament, but it's like you're being forced to play there because you've got to make your points.

And then you come to the PGA burnt out where it's quadruple points now, and really where you need to make the push. You don't make the push, and you end up not making the team.

I need to play well in the PGA to make the team. I've known that from the start. Sure, I would have loved to go to one of those events and win it, but I haven't taken a two week break all year. So this was a perfect time for me. Some of my best events have come off of two week breaks, and I figure that's what I needed to do for my best shot at making the Ryder Cup, period, in my mind was to take two weeks off, work out, prepare and rest a little bit, so I could be fresh here and give this my best opportunity.

Q. Just kind of curious, what did you do in the two weeks off, a lot of family stuff away from the golf course? And did you go to the Dells? What did you do?

JERRY KELLY: We tend not to travel when we get home, because traveling is part of the job. So really my vacation is when I'm home.

I don't work out as hard when I'm on the road, so when I go back home and I know I've got two weeks off, I work out hard, and I'm sore for quite a while, until I really start playing again. That's a great feeling for me. I love working out. I love, you know, getting that adrenaline pumping. That's the only place I get it when I'm not on the golf course is when I'm working out. I really enjoy that time at home when I can do that type of thing.

My son just turned eight yesterday, or on Monday, and I did miss his birthday for the first time. It's always during the PGA. They couldn't make it this year down here with me, so it was kind of hard missing out on the old Laser Tag back there, but the things I do for my career and the Ryder Cup, that's one of them.

Q. A quick follow up, when you take two weeks off like that, do you get away from the golf course and just work out, or are you also hitting balls and doing a little bit of practicing?

JERRY KELLY: The first week I try to stay away from it. I really want to let the golf muscles rest. Even though I'm working out hard, I don't want to try and push the golf swing inside of a body that's really sore from working out and trying to really, I'm trying to break down muscle a little bit, so I don't really want to be practicing my swing or worrying about if I'm in the right positions when I'm really trying to break down some muscle.

So I stay away from it the first week, and then, you know, the workouts stay the same, but they don't make me quite as sore, and then I put the golf inside it. The strength is up within the golf swing by the end of the two weeks, and I feel really good.

Q. How much of a mad dash, roller derby feeling has it been to the whole year, just because of the volatility of the Ryder Cup standings, and how much are you and players talking about just how different it's been compared to the other years?

JERRY KELLY: Well, the points system is definitely different. I certainly wouldn't say the points system is not as good as the past points system.

I've been in the same position with the old points system and I've been in the same position with the new points system. Doesn't seem like a big difference for me. You know, the makeup of the team, some good young guys who are playing hot this year and getting a lot of points, I don't see anything wrong with that.

Basically the guys got there because they were playing well. It's not like you're giving points for showing up. I mean, they have played well. You look at that team, you look at the rookies, Vaughn Taylor, J.J. Henry, Zach Johnson, Brett Wetterich, great players. None of those guys will back down, not a single one of them, I know that for a fact. Brett Wetterich is going to hit it as hard as he can every single time. One of the few guys that Angel Cabrera is probably not going to keep up with, but he's probably not on the team, is he, and the other guys. Zach and J.J. and Vaughn, I don't care what anybody says about experience, those guys have enough experience playing against the best players in the world, and they are not going to back down. Just because they don't have experience playing in a Ryder Cup means absolutely nothing when you get on that golf course, absolutely nothing. I think it's a great team, and you know, I would love to sneak into that Top 10. I would pick one of those guys if I'm voted out.

Q. Has Tom approached you more often this year or have you approached him more often? What kind of stuff has he said to you and what have you said to him?

JERRY KELLY: The first little cookout that we had, I think it was in Charlotte, I came up to Tom and said, "Tom, do I have to really politic you to let you understand how badly I really want to make this team?"

He kind of chuckled, and he said, "Jerry, if you don't come up to me the rest of the time and never said a word, believe me, I know how badly you want to make this team." I believe him. I believe he knows how badly I want to make this team. To play for my country the Presidents Cup was the best experience I've ever had in my life. I would think the Ryder Cup would absolutely be right there with it.

You know, to be able to say you've played for your country, not for money, that's pride. You know, to be able to play for pride, it takes a little different individual. I mean, a lot of guys can play for money, but when you start talking about playing for pride which is kind of what I do each week. I don't play the money games Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, because that's playing for money. But I don't care how I play Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, but when it comes Thursday through Sunday, that's pride. I don't want anybody beating me. I don't care how much money is on the line. I could care less if it's screen door open. If it's competition, do I not want to lose, period. That's what kind of makes me the scrapper and makes me play. Even when I'm not playing that great, I'll still get the job done, because I don't want to lose, period.

Q. You were really pleased with your swing in Milwaukee and you had a great outcome there. Do you still feel like you've got that swing and that you can take it into the PGA here and going forward?

JERRY KELLY: It was hard work, really, bringing it back after the workouts and everything, trying to really figure out what was making that swing tick. You know, I worked through everything and got to the point where I'm very, you know, single minded about what I'm doing, and the swing's coming out. I really didn't find it until the last nine holes today, which is normal for me. I tend not to turn the brain off until the last nine holes or so, sometimes the last three holes in a Pro Am is usually when it happens.

You know, I had to find out what made this swing tick, and I know a whole lot more after the last week than I did then. I know what was making it good then, but I know a lot more about it now. I had some good sessions with Jimmy. You know, I feel extremely good about where I am right now. I'm totally ready. No problems.

Q. You touched on this a minute ago, just about I just wanted to get, what motivates you, what makes the Ryder Cup such an incredible goal? And also, someone who has played a team sport, how does playing on a team in golf compare to your every week existence?

JERRY KELLY: That's a different world. That's one of the reasons you want to make the team so badly is because you can call the players that you really enjoy watching and having fun with, and to be able to call them teammates is something special. Instead of just saying, yeah, I played against Tiger, I played against so and so, you could say, yeah, you know, they were my teammate. The locker room mentality is totally different. Certainly the locker room mentality in team sports in general is totally different.

I grew up playing team sports and hockey was my first love, and I think that's why. The camaraderie in the locker rooms is nothing you get out here, except for in those competitions. I mean, you know the guys will lay down their lives for you when you're on a team. It seems like that when you're on these teams now. I want more of it.

And you know, it's been a lean last couple years, but things are really coming around for me. I figure I'm going to turn 40 in November. I figured I was at about my mental prime right there. That would get me to about the 18 year old age group, you know, with anybody else. But for me, mentally, that's about where I'm at. So as long as I keep my drive and keep the will to win, which is what fuels me to keep going, I guess it doesn't happen that often, really, then I'll go ahead and still have a long career, and I don't see that waning. I have an awful lot of desire to not be beat.

Q. I know you can win your way on the team this week, but what do you think you would bring to the team as a captain's pick?

JERRY KELLY: I'd say emotion. You know, emotion and just the scrappiness to get the job done. Even if I'm not playing well, which I am playing well, but if I wasn't playing well that week, which by the time it gets to that point, people could be going down in their games or going up in their games. It doesn't really matter how my game is. I'm going to find a way to will my opponent down. That's what I want to do. I want to stare a hole in his chest and I want to beat that man as badly as I possibly can, and that's all we're trying to do in match play is beat the person that you're playing against, and it's a much different mentality than it is beating yourself up on a golf course. You literally don't get to beat anybody up.

It's as close in golf as you're ever going to get to that point where it's one on one, and you actually have a teammate, which helps, but it will come down to the individual basis on Sunday anyway.

I love that type of golf. I love that type of competition.

Q. What do you think it's going to take for you to get in the Top 10 this week, and is that going to make it easier or harder to play in this tournament?

JERRY KELLY: These days it seems like when I strap the shoes on, I'm not thinking about the Ryder Cup. I'm thinking about trying to win this golf tournament. The way I've been striking it and my short game and my putting, if I play golf the way I know I can play golf, I can win this week. It's a stretch for anybody else to bet on me or to think that, but I truly believe that in my heart, that I have the ability and I have the game right now to be able to compete at the top level of this game.

You know, we'll see what happens during the tournament. You know, I totally expect to be there competing for the championship on the weekend and on the final nine holes. One of the things that I think is that if by chance the win is out of reach, sometimes I tend to go backwards because that's kind of what we play for. I have a hard time playing for top spots and a hard time playing for more money; I don't play as well. I want the chance to win.

But having this Ryder Cup there and knowing the Top 10 holds what it does, I think it will make me play better down the stretch, even if there's not that chance to win, but there's a chance for that Top 10. It will give me something pride wise to play for more than just money and second.

KELLY ELBIN: Jerry is off at 7:40 tomorrow morning on the first tee. Jerry Kelly, thank you very much.

End of FastScripts.

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