Kelley builds winner at Covington
By Steven Allspach, Journal sports writer | Posted: Monday, September 08, 2008
SOUTH SIOUX CITY -- Leave to an engineer to construct the design of the shots necessary in winning a golf tournament.
Sunday, on the final day of the Covington Fall Classic at Covington Links, Mike Kelley carved out a 73 to add to a first-round 68 Saturday for a 141 total good enough to edge Tom Merry by two strokes and claim the championship.
"I felt very good about my round Saturday, but I was struggling Sunday,'' said Kelley, whose win was doubly satisfying because he was celebrating his 36th birthday, too. "My short game kept me in it, but I didn't get a very good start.
"I bogeyed the first two holes and I was down three shots (to runner-up Tom Merry) at No. 13, but things turned around there because he doubled (bogey) and I birdied.
"From there I brought it home with a bunch of pars and Tom bogyed a couple holes.''
Kelley, the chief construction engineer for the City of Sioux City, moved to Sioux City from San Diego, Calif., two years ago.
He's played in all the local major tournaments, but the Green Valley regular hasn't been able to pull off a top 10 finish.
"Hopefully this might prove to be a breakthrough type tourney for me,'' said Kelley, who was actually a tennis letterwinner as an underegraduate at Cal Poly-Pomona. .
Merry has been visting his father, who lives in Primghar, now resides in Oklahoma City. He heard about the tournament through friends after arriving in Iowa.
He opened with a 71 and came back Sunday with a 72 for a 143 total.
Mark Brown finished third with a 144 and Bill Mathers, Brian Schultz and Tyson Bodlak were knotted in a tie for fourth with 145s.
Jim Tritz, who opened with an 80, turned in the best round Sunday, a 69, and finished with a 146 total. Bodlak had the second-best Sunday round, a 70.
Sunday, on the final day of the Covington Fall Classic at Covington Links, Mike Kelley carved out a 73 to add to a first-round 68 Saturday for a 141 total good enough to edge Tom Merry by two strokes and claim the championship.
"I felt very good about my round Saturday, but I was struggling Sunday,'' said Kelley, whose win was doubly satisfying because he was celebrating his 36th birthday, too. "My short game kept me in it, but I didn't get a very good start.
"I bogeyed the first two holes and I was down three shots (to runner-up Tom Merry) at No. 13, but things turned around there because he doubled (bogey) and I birdied.
"From there I brought it home with a bunch of pars and Tom bogyed a couple holes.''
Kelley, the chief construction engineer for the City of Sioux City, moved to Sioux City from San Diego, Calif., two years ago.
He's played in all the local major tournaments, but the Green Valley regular hasn't been able to pull off a top 10 finish.
"Hopefully this might prove to be a breakthrough type tourney for me,'' said Kelley, who was actually a tennis letterwinner as an underegraduate at Cal Poly-Pomona. .
Merry has been visting his father, who lives in Primghar, now resides in Oklahoma City. He heard about the tournament through friends after arriving in Iowa.
He opened with a 71 and came back Sunday with a 72 for a 143 total.
Mark Brown finished third with a 144 and Bill Mathers, Brian Schultz and Tyson Bodlak were knotted in a tie for fourth with 145s.
Jim Tritz, who opened with an 80, turned in the best round Sunday, a 69, and finished with a 146 total. Bodlak had the second-best Sunday round, a 70.
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