Tacoma’s Troy Kelly has been in this stress-filled position before – the final stage of PGA Tour Qualifying School.
And it never gets less daunting.
His career and livelihood, at least for 2010, are on the line starting Wednesday.
Kelly, the Central Kitsap High and University of Washington product, is one of 170 players entered in the six-round, final-stage tournament at Bear Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Only the top 25 and ties earn PGA Tour privileges for next year.
And considering players with much more experience – and more success worldwide – are in the field, including former world’s No. 1 David Duval, the feat is beastly in nature.
“You know you have to step your level up,” Kelly said.
If careers were made in PGA Tour qualifying events, Kelly would be a player-of-the-year candidate. He advanced through all three stages a year ago, including a tie for 11th at the final stage at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif., to earn his first season on the PGA Tour.
As is typical for many rookies who aren’t used to tour life, or courses they haven’t seen before, Kelly struggled last season, making the cut at three of 17 tour events and earning $25,828.
By the end of the season, he wasn’t even eligible to get into most fields. So he took time off and took a lesson from Hall of Fame member and renowned instructor Manuel de la Torre.
“He told me to get my swing a little bit rounder instead of straight back,” Kelly said. “It helped me feel some things again.”
Kelly then went on a torrid stretch on the Nationwide Tour – performing well enough that he already has earned partial status on the developmental level tour for next season.
But the 31-year-old is thinking bigger.
“Playing good the last part of the year was huge,” said Kelly, who flew out to Florida on Saturday. “It gave me a little confidence, obviously.”
Kent’s Jess Daley, a Northwestern University graduate, is also alive after finishing tied for 18th in the second stage at Southern Hills Plantation Club near his home in Florida.
Other locals who did not advance out of second stage include Tacoma’s Michael Putnam (tied for 23rd at Deerwood Golf Club in Kingwood, Texas), Gig Harbor’s Kyle Stanley (tied for 28th at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas) and Seattle’s Ryan Benzel (tied for 47th at Hombre Golf Club in Panama City Beach, Fla.).
Todd Milles: 253-597-8442
todd.milles@thenewstribune.com
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