Out of nowhere Kelly goes from alternate to one stroke off lead Click here for more on this story Posted: Thursday August 12, 1999 09:13 PM   This is Kelly's fourth year on the PGA Tour, but his first time as an alternate. AP MEDINAH, Ill. (AP) -- Jerry Kelly gave his cellular phone number to the starter on the first tee and told him to call if he was needed. Then he went off to watch a movie. No sooner had the opening credits of 'The Jackal' started to roll when the phone rang. Kelly had gone from first alternate in the 81st PGA Championship to a starter. A few hours later, he was near the top of the leaderboard. Not that you would have known what was coming on the first tee. "I wanted to get in the fairway and when I didn't, it was like, 'OK, game on,'" he said. Kelly fired a 3-under 69 in Thursday's first round, leaving him three strokes behind leader Sergio Garcia. "I hit a lot of greens. I had a lot of chances," he said. "It wasn't a surprising 69. It was solid all around." This is Kelly's fourth year on the PGA Tour, but his first time as an alternate. He thought there was a good chance he'd play, but when no one dropped out Monday, he started to wonder. And when everyone showed up for registration Tuesday, he started making alternate plans for the weekend. Someone told him Wednesday night that Frankie Minoza had a bad knee and hadn't picked up a club all week. Not a good sign for Minoza, but still, no word. Kelly woke up at 5 a.m. Thursday and got to Medinah Country Club an hour later. He warmed up, putting a little and hitting about 15 balls. Then he wandered over to the No. 1 tee to watch the first couple groups go off. When he saw that everyone appeared to be there, he gave the starter his number and figured he'd be on the road to his home in Madison, Wis., by mid-afternoon. His bag was already in the car, and he'd arranged to check out of his hotel. "I'm not going to be stuck with a hotel room and hang around," he said. "I'm only two hours away from Madison. If I don't get in, I'm driving straight up there." Sure, he wanted to play in the PGA. He played the last two years, but withdrew last year and didn't make the cut in 1997. But his son, Cooper, turns 1 on Saturday, so at least he'd be home for that. With a few more hours to kill, Kelly ate some breakfast and then headed for the workout trailer that doubles as a screening room. At 8:15 a.m., the phone rang. Minoza had withdrawn and Kelly was due on the first tee in an hour. "I feel bad he didn't have the chance to play and I'm sure he feels bad, but I thank him," Kelly said. He didn't have time for his usual 70-minute practice session. He didn't have time for much of anything except to call his wife and grab his clubs. That might have been the key. "I usually put too much pressure on myself," he said. "This had me just so excited to be on the first tee. I had nothing but good thoughts." He wasn't spectacular on the first two holes, but he birdied Nos. 3, 8 and 14. As he walked up to the 18th green, the crowd greeted him with a huge cheer. Afterward, Kelly said the day was great but not overwhelming. And he had at least one thing left on his agenda. "I'm going to go back down there and watch the rest of the movie now."   Related information Stories Garcia birdies 3 of last 5 holes for 2-shot lead at PGA Ryder Cup uproar steals some of spotlight from major Elkington withdraws because of caddie's health problems PGA Notes: Van de Velde a hit Multimedia Click here for the latest audio and video Search our site Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call your cable operator or DirecTV. Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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