A ‘split-second decision’ brought North Catholic’s Brea Kelley back to golf, and surprising success
Brea Kelley doesn’t consider herself to be a spontaneous person.
However, for once, the North Catholic senior girls golfer chose not to second-guess herself.
“It was a very split(-second) decision thing,” Kelley said of taking the sport back up a month before the season began. “I was just like, ‘I’m gonna do it, because if I think about it, I'm not gonna do it. I’m just gonna text the coach and tell her I’ll be there for tryouts.’”
During her lone season competing on the high school level, Kelley, formerly a standout tennis player for the Trojanettes before turning to tournament club tennis, qualified for the WPIAL Class 2A Golf Individual Championship and helped the Trojanettes win the district crown and finish sixth at the PIAA Class 2A Golf Team Championship.
Kelley began playing tennis at 13, then joined North Catholic’s varsity team two years later. She had a stellar freshman year, reaching the district semifinals as part of a doubles pair with Katie Hardy. That tandem finished runner-up at states, then claimed WPIAL doubles silver and helped the Trojanettes take the WPIAL team title during Kelley's sophomore campaign.
But as a junior, Kelley stepped away from prep tennis to compete in United States Tennis Association tournaments and picked up a good deal of interest from college programs.
Kelley’s father, Jason, described her as stoic. He was surprised when she dusted off her clubs and put down the racket.
“They were shocked,” Kelley said of her parents’ reaction. “They were like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ Because my dad is a golfer, and he was so sad when I gave golf up when I was little.”
“It was extremely out-of-character for her,” Jason Kelley said. “She’s very regimented, up every morning at the same time, very focused. She has her plan every day, going into it. This was very odd for her.”
But it wasn’t a completely unfamiliar world. She lives on Aubrey’s Dubbs Dredd Golf Course, and began chipping and putting at 3 years old. She played until she dove into tennis and not at all during.
The ambiance of golf drew her back to it.
“Nothing beats going to play golf on a beautiful day,” Kelley said. “It’s not a relaxing sport, because it can be super hard, but I felt like (for) me, mentally, it was a good break from tennis. … To try something new was really good for me.”
Kelley, who plans on one day being a financial planner, has the opportunity to play both sports at the next level but is leaning toward remaining on the links.
“It’s a sport that so many people in the business world can equate to,” said Jason Kelley, who owns an equipment distributorship. “Regardless of your level or how good you are. … I’ve been able to take customers out and colleagues, and it’s something you can enjoy. And you take a step back from a meeting and dealing with numbers.”
“Having golf and being able to make business agreements with that would be really cool,” Kelley said. “I'll always have tennis. I’ll play it the rest of my life. And maybe I’ll play in college, too. (You) never know. I might make a quick decision.”
