RINGOES, N.J. – Louis Kelly, assistant golf professional at Burlington Country Club took down Jason Gore in a three-hole aggregate playoff to capture the 102nd New Jersey Open Championship presented by Donnelly Industries.
Kelly, 29, led the field by one stroke heading into the final round and proceeded to shoot a 5-under par 66 in the final round of action at The Ridge at Back Brook. “I love being a pioneer,” and the Sewell resident who earned a check for $20,000. “I’m excited and hopefully this is just a kickstart of a long stretch here.”
“It means a lot,” reflected Kelly after his victory. “The NJSGA runs great events, and to have it at such a great course, that fits my game pretty well, this is definitely going to be very special for a long time.”
Gore, 48, had a standout final round, tying the course record in relation to par, notching a 6-under par 65 to force a playoff with Kelly. His round was highlighted by a pair of eagles on No. 7 and 11. On July 1, Gore attained life member status in the NJPGA Section. He currently works for the USGA as Player Relations Manager after stints on the PGA Tour and the Korn Ferry Tour.
There were many lead changes throughout the day as Kelly and Gore were cruising through their final round. Playing in different groups, but one after another, Kelly was able to watch Gore’s scorecard and kept his foot on the gas, carding six birdies.
“I just know I had to play my game,” Kelly reflected. “Leaderboard watching for me doesn’t add any more pressure, it just solidifies what I have to do. Knowing that he (Gore) made eagle was great, just because I knew I needed to hunker down, which I’ve been doing all day.”
Kelly proceeded to play flawlessly in the three-hole aggregate playoff against Gore. He opened-up with a par on 16 and then notched a pair of birdies on 17 and 18 to outwork Gore, who turned in bogeys on the first two holes.
