“Johnny, I’m keeping my feet steady.”

“Johnny, I’m keeping my feet steady.”

“Johnny, I’m keeping my feet steady.”

Over and over again, over 67 shots on Sunday, over 18 holes at Prestonwood Country Club, Jerry Kelly said he kept stressing that, and he said he followed through with it, and, wouldn't you know it, it worked. He's your winner on the PGA Tour Champions circuit this week, at the SAS Championship. Unhappy feet. And a happy golfer.

Just like Johnny thought he might be Saturday night.

Before the week, Kelly had had a busy year. He fought, but it hurt him. He said he was diagnosed with Lyme disease and rheumatoid arthritis, and treatment resulted in back complications that were only recently resolved. “Hopefully I don't need surgery at all,” Kelly said, adding in typical Kelly style, “and we can somehow get the jelly back in the donut.” What weighed on him the most, however, was the news about Jon Trasamar. It all came to national attention last November after PGA Tour pro Erik van Rooyen won in Mexico and van Rooyen said Trasamar, van Rooyen's college teammate and best friend, was dying. The scene was emotional. Just a few days later, Trasamar died.

He was also the husband of Kelly's niece, Allie. Kelly said everyone was nearby. They consider Allie a daughter. She traveled a bit with the professional, Kelly said. To South Dakota. To pebbles. To Napa. “Yes, love is strong,” Kelly said. Last Saturday, Kelly said people held a memorial golf event for Johnny.

A week later, on Saturday evening, Kelly said Johnny came to him in a dream.

On Sunday, Kelley said this briefly for the first time in his opening thoughts at the winners press conference, the full quote is below.

“Well I played when Freddie (Couples) won a few years ago and he absolutely blew us all away, I think he shot 60. I tried to channel that a little bit. Really, last Saturday we just had a memorial service for Jon Trasamar, Trazzy. I can't tell you, he played through me today. I don't even know what to say. He came to me last night and I will never forget it. It is a gift from God. I just played as much as I could for him today, that's all. That’s why it happened.”

A short time later, a reporter was curious to see if Kelly would say more.

He paused. Maybe it all sounded strange. But Kelly decided you should hear it. The full quote can be found below.

“I mean, I wanted to keep it to myself. I had a dream last night and I was hitting balls with my coach Jim Schuman. We couldn't figure it out – the ball wasn't going anywhere. I couldn't do anything. I couldn't swing.

“Jon showed up last night and said, 'Hey, could I say something?' I mean, the biggest smile on his face. He also had a slight southern accent. I mean, I was just shocked.

“He just said, 'You know, the last time this happened, you and Coop were playing and you were just trying to stay calm for a week and you played great.'

“Today, every time I shot I thought, 'Johnny, I'm keeping my feet steady.' I mean, it was the most incredible gift. I thank God for this gift, for letting him in. I can't – I can't believe it happened. And that's what happened. It’s crazy.”

Kelly then described him. Most of it is at the top. For further information we respectfully refer you here. At the end of the session, Kelly was asked what the win meant to him.

Very easy.

“That’s why this is my – this is definitely my favorite win,” Kelly said. I mean, no question. It just means so much more.

“It’s pretty incredible.”

Nick Piastowski

Golf.com Publisher

Nick Piastowski is a senior editor at Golf.com and Golf Magazine. In his role, he is responsible for editing, writing and developing stories across golf. And when he's not writing about ways to hit the golf ball farther and straighter, the Milwaukee native is probably playing the game, hitting the ball left, right and short, and drinking a cold beer to wash away his score. You can contact him about any of these topics – his stories, his playing or his beers – at [email protected].