Brittany Kelly Honored by Indiana PGA

FRANKLIN, Ind. - - Monday night was a touching tribute to one of the most decorated alumna in Ball State women's golf history, as Brittany Kelly (2007-11) was recognized with a pair of honors at the Indiana PGA Section Special Awards Banquet held at the Country Club of Indianapolis.

Following the presentation of the 2021 awards, the Section named Kelly the 2022 Indiana PGA Golf Professional of the Year. She is the first female recipient of the honor since the award originated in 1955.

"All the qualities Brittany exhibited as a Ball State student-athlete that led to her Hall of Fame career are the qualities she exhibits as a PGA professional," Ball State head coach Katherine Mowat said about Kelly receiving the award. "She is so well respected in the field; she is very deserving of these honors."

Kelly, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the fall of 2019, earned the honor as one of the top playing and teaching PGA assistant professionals in the county, first at The Hawthorns Golf & Country Club in Fishers and now at Woodland Country Club in Carmel.

That was not the biggest honor of the night for Kelly, however, as the Indiana PGA had an even bigger surprise in store. For her contributions over her entire golf career, starting as a player in junior events with the Indiana Junior Tour, the Indiana Section of the PGA named the Indiana PGA Women's Player of the Year Award in Kelly's honor.

"This is a truly special night and I really wish I could be there," Kelly said via video to the event attendees as released by the PGA. "From the bottom of my heart, I really appreciate this award being named after me."

Beginning this year, the award will be officially known as the Brittany Kelly Indiana PGA Women's Player of the Year Award.

"I am very excited to be announced as the Brittany Kelly Indiana PGA Women's Player of the Year," Kelly continued. "It is pretty special to me. Thank you so much for that. I also want to say thank you to the Board of Directors for putting together this great honor for me. I am also thrilled to have been selected Indiana PGA Golf Professional of the Year, a true honor."

Another honor Kelly will receive soon for her record-setting golf career at Ball State; her induction into the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame on September 24, 2021. She will be the first women's golfer inducted into the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame.

A two-time All-American Scholar and a three-time All-Mid-American Conference selection, Kelly became the first Ball State women's golfer selected for an NCAA Regional during a phenomenal senior season in 2010-11. She set BSU records for single-season scoring average (75.06), career average (76.43) and 54-hole tournament score (215).

She went on to play two years on the LPGA Symetra Tour and then became one of the top playing and teaching PGA assistant professionals in the county.

"When Brittany got involved with the PGA following her Ball State career, it opened a whole new world to her," Mowat added. "She found her calling working in professional golf, giving lessons, and competing. She competed at a very high level, going head-to-head with some of the top pros in the world both on the women and men's side, and doing very well for herself."

In 2019, Kelly was named the Indiana Women's PGA Player of the Year after leading Team USA to victory at the inaugural Women's PGA Cup, competing in her first LPGA major at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship and winning the Indiana PGA Assistants Championship against a field of men.

"She's always honored Indiana Golf, competing in all the outings she's been eligible to play in as a pro," Mowat added. "Her hard work crafting her game helped her earn Indiana PGA Women's Golfer of the Year in both 2019 and 2020. In addition, she's always giving back to the game from the standpoint of playing and promoting golf in Indiana. She visits my team every year and talks to them about life after college in the golf industry and is a real role model for them."

Kelly also won her second Indiana Women's Open title in 2019 to go along with the Indiana Women's Amateur championship she won while at Ball State in 2009. Kelly qualified for the National PGA Assistants Championship in 2016, 2017 and 2019 and for the PGA Professional National Championship in 2018 and 2020, competing against the men in both.

The 2017 Indiana PGA Section Assistant of the Year, she also serves on the National PGA Tournament Committee and Indiana Section PGA Board of Directors.

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