WEST HARTFORD, Conn. -- Jerry Kelly, a top performer on the PGA Tour and an alumnus of the University of Hartford, will be honored by the University with an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree on Monday, June 22 at 5 p.m. Kelly will be in Greater Hartford to play in the Travelers Championship tournament. The honorary degree ceremony will be held in the University's Wilde Auditorium, Harry Jack Gray Center, 200 Bloomfield Ave., West Hartford, Conn.
"We are extremely proud of Jerry's accomplishments as a professional golfer and the strong example he sets for our entire University community as a public citizen. His commitment brings great credit to the University," said University President Walter Harrison.
Kelly is a three-time winner on the PGA Tour, having most recently won the 2009 Zurich Classic of New Orleans in April. He also won the 2002 Sony Open in Hawaii and the 2002 Advil Western Open and earned a spot on the President's Cup team in 2003. He has recorded 70 top-10 finishes in 423 tournaments. Kelly has earned more than $19.5 million on the Tour, ranking 27th on the all-time career earnings list.
Kelly, who graduated from the University of Hartford's Barney School of Business with a degree in finance and insurance in 1989, combines professional success and a strong sense of community. This spring he made news when he decided not to play in his favorite competition, the British Open, in an effort to help save the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee, his hometown.
In 2006, he co-founded the Jerry Kelly-Mickey Bradley Pro-Am Invitational to benefit Habitat for Humanity's rebuilding efforts for Hurricane Katrina victims in the Mississippi Gulf Coast. That same year, he spent time in Iraq entertaining the troops at 14 bases with other Tour golfers as part of the USO's "Operation Links Handshake Tour." He also supports the Naval Special Warfare Foundation under the umbrella of the PGA Tour's Birdies for the Brave program.
Kelly served as honorary chair of the University's highly successful Home Field Advantage fundraising campaign to support construction of athletics facilities on campus, and was a contributor to the campaign.
He has been inducted into the University's Alumni Athletic Hall of Fame.
Media Contact: Dan Ruede, 860.768.4501 (office), 860.748.3950 (cell)
