Kelly has successful knee surgery

Jerry Kelly started the 2018 PGA TOUR Champions season like a lion, winning the season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai at 18-under par. It was his third win since turning 50 after he picked up two in his rookie year.

But Kelly finished like, well, not a lamb because he’s far too competitive for that, but a limping lion. He played the last couple of months on a torn meniscus in his knee, and three of his four worst finishes of the year came after the injury.

But not to worry. Kelly had surgery shortly after the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship back home in Madison, Wisconsin, at UW Health Hospital, and it went according to plan.

“It wasn’t easy coming down the stretch,” Kelly said. “My right foot was in the air for a couple of tournaments. I was throwing the club with my right hand and right elbow. I felt like I had one leg and one arm. It was pretty bad.

“The meniscus tear … it had flapped under. The doctor said, ‘I see where you’re getting your pain. You should feel fantastic. You should feel a lot better soon.’ And he was right.”

Kelly had high praise for Geoffrey Baer, his orthopedic surgeon.

“He’s awesome. He was great,” Kelly said. “He got in there and said, ‘The arthritis looks fantastic. I think you’ll be swinging by the weekend.’ My wife was not happy with him saying that.

“I can take it easy right now and I am, but I’ve been doing exercises. I’ll start training with my trainer (this week), and he’ll start pushing it. I’ll be ready for the Sony.”

That’s correct. Kelly plans to double dip in Hawaii again this year, where he’ll play the PGA TOUR’s Sony Open in Honolulu the week before he defends his title at Hualalai. He finished T14 last year at the Sony; it was his only made cut on the PGA TOUR in three starts. The preparation and the solid play gave him quite the boost on his way to beating Colin Montgomerie by a stroke.

Kelly figured to be on his way to a big 2018, but it didn’t materialize. His father, Jack, took gravely ill in March while Kelly was playing at the Toshiba Classic in California, and he withdrew from the event and rushed home to be with him before he passed.

“It was one of those years,” Kelly said. “It started out great and then was just kind of what it was. After my father died, I put a lot of pressure on myself. And it didn’t turn out great for me. I think I’m looking forward to a calm year this year. Put it that way.”

One thing Kelly has done to occupy himself this offseason is dabble a little bit in course design, something with which he really hasn’t done much. He said he simply has been too busy playing to devote much time to it, but he definitely has his ideas.

The course is a 13-hole par 3 in a housing development in a suburb of Madison. The developer is Kelly’s wife’s sister’s husband.

“I’m kind of a slave to the routing like once they figure out the housing and development,” Kelly said. “After that gets kind of set he’s gonna let me do some messing around and tweaking around.

“It’s not gonna be a … I’m not thinking it’s gonna have one of my signature holes. That’s not the way this is going. But I think I can add a lot, make a really fun playable course with some shot value in there. I don’t know really how much we have to work with. We have some elevation changes that will be fun. We should be able to do some cool bunkering with elevation, shaving greens, some sitting up and some down.”

Kelly is not a fan of many new courses. He believes they’re too lengthy and expansive, and there’s little premium placed on hitting a tight fairway.

Kelly prefers his courses tight and tree-lined. He wants to see players who can drive the ball with accuracy, work the ball to fit what’s in front of them. He cited Pete Dye’s work, particularly at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, South Carolina, as one of his favorite courses. He also mentioned Donald Ross and Dick Wilson as other inspirations.

One thing Kelly won’t be doing is talking design with any of his compatriots on PGA TOUR Champions.

“I really don’t pick anyone’s brains,” Kelly said. “I really like to keep my ideas as my ideas.”

Kelly’s ideas over about 2,000 yards at Pioneer Pointe will be revealed some time in 2020. In the meantime, he’s feeling stronger on his repaired knee and ready to roar into the new year.