Kelly lends flood support to Midwestern neighbors

text size

Miralle/Getty Images

Jerry Kelly sits 38th in FedExCup points heading into the John Deere Classic.

Jerry Kelly saw what he calls the "Midwest Katrina" up-close-and-personal when he was driving back from the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship several weeks ago.

Kelly had just finished caddying for Kristina Merkle, a promising 16-year-old, at Erin Hills Golf Club, which is about two hours from his Madison, Wis., home. The 2002 Sony Open in Hawaii champion struck up a friendship and made the commitment when he met Merkle at a pro-junior event at Waialae three years ago.

Cannon/Getty Images

Kelly: "It is tight times for a lot of people, but this is going to be tough."

As he drove, Kelly discovered that a portion of the interstate from Milwaukee to Madison was closed. He drove south and the next exit was closed, too. And when Kelly turned north, he encountered three county roads that had been washed out.

"Entire farms were under water," said Kelly, who is playing in the John Deere Classic this week. "I could see the house on an island and the entire farm completely under water, and people were parking about a mile away and having to basically boat and swim over to their house to get supplies. They couldn't get their car anywhere near it."

Kelly couldn't believe the amount of water the floods had unleashed. As he flew to the Travelers Championship the next day, the view from the airplane was nothing short of devastating. He made the decision on that flight to ask TOUR officials to aid the relief effort.

The timing was serendipitous. Zach Johnson, whose Iowa homeland had also been hard-hit, had talked just with TOUR officials about setting up what is now known as the PGA TOUR Flood Relief Fund, too.

In addition, the TOUR will match any portion of a pro's pro-am winnings that he earmarks for the fund, as well as a portion of donated tournament earnings, through the BMW Championship, the final event in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.

"It's something that we can do to support the people who have supported us over the years, and I knew I needed to do something for the people who have supported me," Kelly said. "They're not the richest people, but they are absolutely the salt of the earth. They are the people we can't do without, the farmers."

Kelly is particularly concerned because he knows the floods hit at planting time and farmers basically have all their money tied up in seed.

"They're broke for (the) time being ... the ones that live crop-year to crop-year," Kelly explained. " ... So many farmers have less than 50 percent of their fields (now). And then you look at the housing situation and foreclosing on farms. There's just way too many families that could lose their farm because they just don't have the money to recoup their plow and their fields."

Kelly said he knew quite a few players who are donating their pro-am winnings for the TOUR match. He will do something substantial, as well, although he won't be publicizing it.

"I feel really strongly about it," Kelly said. "And if I'm going to grandstand it, I'd better put up, as well, and I plan on doing that. You know, it's tight times for a lot of people, but this is going to be tough.

"And I know the PGA TOUR players really do get behind these causes. There's enough guys out here who see it directly being from the Midwest, but I think they understand the need that's there, and I think they'll step up."

Kelly also plans to do his homework and make sure the money he donates goes to help the farmers directly rather than sit in a foundation's coffers.

"I really want to get down to the roots of it," Kelly said. "You know, I don't want to put frosting on a burnt cake. I want to fix the cake."

Kelly, who has already tied for second twice and finished third once this season, says doing his job -- playing on the PGA TOUR -- becomes more important than ever, now.

"The good thing is the better I play, the more I can give, so it's definitely a motivating factor," Kelly said.