Multiple PGA Tour winner on Tiger Woods: "Now I understand what he's doing"

Multiple PGA Tour winner Jerry Kelly has revealed it took him decades to understand how Tiger Woods handles a chaotic environment.  

Woods has been turning quiet fairways into electric stadiums since he turned professional in 1996 at the tender age of 20. 

The big cat doesn't just draw crowds; he creates mobs where people sprint just to catch a glimpse of the golfer. 

"The arena, when you play with Tiger, is different than any arena you ever face," Kelly told GolfMagic as part of the latest edition of Beyond the Clubhouse. 

Kelly played alongside Woods at the peak of his powers and was even in the final group with the 15-time major champion at the 2001 Players Championship. 

Woods won the tournament by one stroke over Vijay Singh and Kelly finished solo fourth. 

"I'm an impatient guy," Kelly said. "I'd make a birdie, I'd be fired up, I'd get to the next tee, and there's 50, 60 photographers and videographers and everybody filtering in right in front of where you want to hit the ball. 

"And I'd be like, 'Stop, move that, go like this way'. Tiger makes a birdie, he strolls to the next tee, and he's talking with Stevie [Williams], he's just messing with his club head, he hasn't even pulled the driver out yet."

Kelly said he eventually figured it out that it was all part of Woods' strategy. 

"Now I understand what he's doing," he said. "He's waiting for the sea to calm in front of him. 

"And once he kind of sees that, and he's calm enough to let that happen, I'd fight that situation every single time. 

"And it took me a lot, took me till like right now to figure that out. 

"That is the hardest part about playing with Tiger is the environment around you. It's non-stop, every single hole."

Jack Nicklaus definitively stated last January that Woods would play on the senior circuit. 

Woods turns 50 in December and it's possible he throws in a few PGA Tour Champions events in his schedule over the next few years if he is still playing professionally. 

Kelly said he would relish the opportunity to play alongside Woods. 

"He's an absolute stud," he said. "The work that he's putting in to be the player he is right now, I mean, that is the legendary status of him is his work habits, I would say. 

"I mean, it is pretty awe-inspiring, and it is inspiring to all of us what he's done to get better, get stronger. 

"I mean, he's the reason I hurt myself working out every single time that I do. 

"I guarantee you, if he hadn't beaten my head against the wall for 22 years, 23 years, I wouldn't have been doing that nearly as much."

Kelly said the example Woods has set means young golfers are unafraid. 

"We saw Jack Nicklaus' road map," Kelly said.  

"They're seeing Tiger's road map, seeing that they can do it at a young age, and they believe that at a young age. 

"It's a huge difference. Blades Brown, he's 17 years old going out there, and he's not afraid of anything, and he knows the game."

Kelly said he owes Woods 'pretty much everything'

"So, just to be able to play some rounds with him and compete against him, I would really love that," he said. 

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