Not very many people know about Aubrey Kelley. He’s homeschooled but plays for the Park High varsity golf team and was the 2022 Montana Class A golf champion. He has the number one spot on the team this year, varsity 1. When asked how his season was going, he said the season is going good, but “not as good as I would like”.
Kelley has been winning most of the tournaments by shooting an average score between 67–75. Last week he played Peter Yegen in Billings and in Laurel at the Laurel Golf Club. He has high expectations for the divisional and state tournament, both in Sidney, with state played September 28-29. He said, “I’m just gonna enjoy the ride, I guess.”
Kelley has been perfecting his golf swing and mental game for over eight years. He takes a lot of pride in his swing and can rely on the skills he has built over the years. However, Kelley said the mental part of golf is the hardest. “One day I feel good and the next I feel like I forgot how to play, that is scary. But I know I just have to go out there and believe that I can play and score low,” he said. Kelley recognizes thoughts like these as irrational fears and tries to calm them before each tournament.
Kelley’s favorite memories from his high school career have been his hole-in-one at Valley View in the 2022 golf season and winning the state championship the same year. Kelley hopes to relive those memories of winning the state championship and defend his title in this 2023 season.
