It seems like the premise of a buddy film from the 80s: two middle-aged guys from Wisconsin enter a big golf tournament in hot Atlanta after a long, cold winter at home. And the two wind up taking on the rest of the field and beating them back with their skill, facing each other in the end for the ultimate battle of friends.
Steve Stricker and Jerry Kelly are not Hollywood material, but they?re writing such the outline of such a script with their play in the first round of the PGA Championship. Stricker tied the low round in major championship history with 7-under 63 and leads his buddy Kelly by a deuce, who is alone is second place.
Kelly says the pair, as well as contender Scott Verplank (67), gained confidence from learning the course was not as long as the number on the scorecard.
?I think Steve, myself and Scott Verplank all played practice rounds the last couple days, and we saw that you really didn?t need to overpower this golf course, that position was the key. It certainly helped me,? he said. ?I know it helped those two guys, as well. We made a lot of birdies the last two days. We?re not natural long hitters.?
Stricker says that although the greens are unfamiliar Bermudagrass, this hybrid seed appeals to a player used to Bentgrass like him and Kelly.
?I?m not a big Bermuda fan, growing up in the Midwest, we strictly play on bent, but these putt as close to bent as anything without being bent,? he said.
On a personal level, Kelly says he has taken a different approach this week ? toning down his aggressive approach that has cost him in the past.
?I?m trying to scale it back a little bit this week, consciously, and I did a fantastic job today,? he said.
If that pays off again on Friday, the pair could be going off late together on Saturday ? a prospect Kelly would cherish, saying,??[Steve]?s a great guy, he?s a great friend, and I think we?d have a good time playing down the stretch.?
Until that actually happens, though, the friends will keep their business lives separate as they always have.
?We don?t talk about golf too much. That?s what makes us able to go out and have dinner together,? Kelly said.
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