FRANKLIN -¡- Ball State University golfer junior Brittany Kelly's father wants to do whatever he can to help his daughter succeed at everything she does, even be her caddy.
The Indiana Women's Open has only allowed caddies for six or seven years, Kelly's father Ken said, and he has caddied for her every year since it has been allowed. When he's not caddying for his daughter, Ken is the girl's golf coach at Carmel High School.
"I love it, I really do," Ken Kelly said. "I probably enjoy caddying for her more than I enjoy coaching because when I'm coaching, I'm worried about six or seven players, but caddying I'm only worried about Brittany and the shot at hand."
For Brittany Kelly, she said she enjoys the insight that her father brings to the course for her.
"He's a great caddy," Brittany Kelly said. "He loves to calculate slope, wind and stuff like that. We have a lot of fun out there."
During the regular season, Ken Kelly has to stand on the sidelines while he watches his daughter golf, but during the Women's Open, he gets a chance to put in his two cents.
"For me, I like the dialogue we have, and the strategies we make together," Ken Kelly said. "We talk back and forth. These past two days, there's been a lot of wind, so we've been dealing with that."
Brittany Kelly said her dad being her caddy is beneficial for more than strategy.
"He tries to keep me calm while we're out there," Brittany Kelly said. "If I have a bad hole here or there, I won't want to talk to anybody, but dad, he'll come up to me and say, 'I know you don't want to talk to anybody, but we need to get over this and move on to the next hole.' He's great for my mental side of the game."
Ken Kelly said the time he gets to spend caddying for his daughter is priceless.
"It's fun to have been able to be out here and watch her grow and the stories that come from it that we can sit around and tell later," Ken Kelly said. "I just don't want to miss that. You don't know how long you'll be able to do that."
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