An Unforgettable Moment for Conor Kelly

Conor Kelly (2019) of Bangkok, Thailand stepped up to the 8th tee at the Junior Golf Hub Championship presented by John D. Mineck Foundation with a 5 iron in hand and 192 yards into the wind ahead of him. He hit it pure and the ball faded directly towards the hole. A bunker blocked his sight and little did he know, he just made an ace. When it’s your day, it’s your day”, Kelly said to his playing partners as they head to the ninth hole, a 480-yard par 5 uphill and into the wind.

Kelly pured his drive and was left with a 220 yard shot in – he decided to hit 4 iron. He didn’t catch it well and was yelling for his ball to make it over the bunker that was protecting the green. He walked up and his ball was not in the bunker, it was in the hole! Kelly had just gone back to back ace-albatross and for the icing on the cake, he made birdie on #10. Yes, you read that correctly, and it is an accomplishment that very few if any have achieved. Kelly went on to shoot 67 and finished T17 in the tournament. “I could not believe it”, said Kelly.

Kelly’s feat went viral and was covered on many global and national channels including ESPN, Golf Channel, The New York Times, Sina, Golf Week, Golf Digest and The Boston Globe.

“I thought that it would make some noise but I did not believe that it would be covered by major outlets outside of the golf world”, said Kelly.

Kelly finished 3rd on the Junior Order of Merit and was named an All-Asia Team member after the inaugural JGTA season. Kelly’s best finishes on the JGTA include 2nd place at the JGTA Bintan Lagoon Junior Championship presented by dwell Student Living and T4 at the JGTA Phuket Junior Open.

This year marks the first that Kelly is competing on the AJGA circuit and he was able to gain entry into this event from competing and improving his ranking on the JGTA.