Jerry Kelly steps in for John Daly and steals the show in 'Beauty and the Beast' golf exhibition with Paige Spiranac at Geneva National

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Paige Spiranac and Jerry Kelly entertained a couple thousand spectators and helped raise money for charity Monday at Geneva National.

LAKE GENEVA — John Daly called organizers of the "Beauty and the Beast" exhibition Sunday night with some distressing news: knee pain and sciatica had flared up and it was looking like he wasn't going to make it to Geneva National.

At 8 a.m. Monday, it was official. The 57-year-old Daly, still one of the biggest names in golf and a fan favorite, was not coming.

What to do? Nearly 2,000 tickets had been sold for the event, which was to feature Daly and social media influencer Paige Spiranac and raise money for two veteran charities: Special Operations Warrior Foundation and Heart of a Lion.

Luckily, Madison's Jerry Kelly came to the rescue.

"They called me last night and said J.D. withdrew," Kelly said. "They were scrambling. It's just down the street from me. And I know Paige is a great personality and she does a lot for the game of golf. She really does. I had met her once before at an outing at Congressional (Country Club).

"It was an easy yes for me."

Kelly, coming off a T-2 finish Sunday in the Principal Charity Classic in Des Moines, Iowa, was happy to fill in. It's doubtful that Daly would have been any better with the spectators than was the gregarious Kelly, who stopped numerous times to have photos taken and chat with fans.

When a spectator's phone went off, Kelly quipped, "Can't talk right now, mom. Sorry." At one point, he called a veteran out of the crowd to attempt a putt and then, as he was lining up his own attempt, said, "I’d follow a Marine anywhere." When the emcee asked if he was hitting a 9-iron for a 151-yard approach, Kelly said, "I did mention I’m over 50, didn't I?"

Paige Spiranac talks to her caddie about strategy on the par-5 14th hole.

Paige Spiranac tees off on the short par-4 fifth hole.

"He was so good," said Glen Murray, chief operating officer of Paloma Resort Properties, which owns Geneva National. "Totally exceeded our expectations. Paige turned to me on the walk between (hole Nos.) 11 and 12 and said, ‘Oh my gosh, I am having such a great time being with Jerry Kelly.’"

And there's no way that Daly, whose only victory on the PGA Tour Champions was six years ago, would have played better than the razor-sharp Kelly.

Splitting fairways and flag-hunting with mostly short-irons in his hands, Kelly made 10 birdies and a pair of eagles. Unofficially, he shot a 13-under 59 on the par-72 Player Course. It was not an official round because he picked up some short par putts and occasionally brought a fan out of the crowd to try a putt before he did, which helped him see the line.

"He was the first to say, ‘This is not an official course record,’" Murray said. "Still, what a performance."

It appears that Kelly's game is in great shape going into the American Family Insurance Championship, starting Friday at University Ridge in Madison. He is a two-time winner of the PGA Tour Champions event.

"The only bad shots I hit today were three 9-irons short, so I’ll probably do a little tweak with that," he said. "I put new clubs in last week — put my old clubs back in. It's a big difference in how I can shape the ball again. I thought it was me, but it was the clubs. That's always validating to know that. That got my confidence up right away."

With birdies worth $2,000 and eagles worth $4,000, Kelly singlehandedly raised $28,000 for the designated charities. Spiranac, who has more than three million followers on Instagram and more than one million on Tiktok, made six birdies and shot a 6-under 66.

Afterward, in a VIP reception, hundreds stood in line to have their photo taken with Spiranac.

"Today was supposed to be my match with John Daly," she posted on her Twitter account. "When he didn't show, Jerry Kelly filled in. Jerry made 10 birdies and 2 eagles. It was the greatest round of golf I’ve ever witnessed. We raised a ton of money for charity and I’m not too mad with the 66 I shot. What a great day at Geneva National."

Spiranac, who played college golf at the University of Arizona and San Diego State and won an event on the developmental Cactus Tour, routinely hit drives in the 260-yard range.

"She can bomb it out there," Kelly said. "It's impressive. She doesn't even practice that much. She's got the ability, but she said the grind (trying to make it to the LPGA Tour) was just a little more than she wanted to deal with."

But the golf at Geneva National was only semi-serious. It was all about raising money for charity and having some fun. To that end, Kelly told a story on the first tee about the other time he subbed for Daly that had the crowd roaring with laughter.

He was a rookie on the PGA Tour and filled in for an injured Daly in a pro-am. As he was warming up on the putting green, he heard two amateurs talking behind him. One of them said, "I was supposed to play with John Daly. Now I’m playing with Jerry f——- Kelly."

Upon hearing that, Kelly turned around and, with a grin plastered on his face, said, "Hey, nice to meet you. I’m Jerry f——- Kelly.’"

"I’ve been known ever since as JFK," Kelly said.

JFK had quite a day. So, too, did the fans, who paid $15 for regular tickets, $105 for inside-the-ropes access and $155 for VIP passes.

Spectators Josh Day (left) and Rick Lacroix pose with a cardboard cutout of John Daly and a replica of the Stanley Cup trophy that Jerry Kelly used as a prop on the 10th green.

Josh Day of Chicago and Rick Lecroix of Omaha, Neb., brought a life-size cardboard cutout of Daly to the course, along with a replica of the Stanley Cup, out of which they consumed numerous beverages.

Kelly played hockey at Madison East High School and attended the University of Hartford on a combination hockey / golf scholarship, only to have Hartford drop its hockey program when he got there. He spied the faux Lord Stanley's Cup on the par-5 10th hole, brought it onto the green and jokingly used it as a backstop on his 8-foot birdie attempt. He didn't need the help — his putt rolled dead into the middle.

"We’ll probably have him drink out of it by the end of the round," Day said.

Murray said he did not yet have the final total of money raised; proceeds from all ticket sales went directly to the charities. But Geneva National already is planning another exhibition for 2024.

As for Kelly, he was headed back to Madison to rest up before the start of the AmFam.

"I think I would have been probably laying prone today. I was pretty tired," he said. "But I can do that tomorrow."

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Gary has covered golf in Wisconsin since 1980 and is a multiple award winner in the GWAA writing contest. He was inducted into the WSGA Hall of Fame in 2017 and joined Wisconsin.Golf in 2018 after a distinguished career at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

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