Sports and nature have been at the core of my life as long as I can remember. Since two years old, I was ice skating, skiing and playing baseball with my dad, and family vacations were centered around exploring national parks. I also spent two summers attending a backpacking camp in the Blue Ridge Mountains, gleaning survival skills and lifelong friends.
A (Professional) Golfer for Life
No one was surprised when I became hooked on golf - between the game’s ever-changing challenges, the time spent outdoors and the regular traveling, how could I not be? Golf became my constant companion from then on out, resulting in my 5-year internship at Nicklaus Companies and recruitment to the College of William & Mary’s Division I team.
William & Mary filled my four years with scores of fond memories, on and off the golf course. In addition to earning 4th in W&M’s history for rounds of par or better and 11th for best career scoring average, I joined the Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) as a sophomore and left as the Public Relations Co-Chair. I also took advantage of the liberal arts program, graduating in 2015 with a BBA in Marketing and a double major in History.
My favorite elective was learning Russian my first three years at W&M, which introduced me to the Russian House on campus and to the study abroad program in St. Petersburg and Moscow. Yes, I somehow managed to come home with all seven Harry Potter books in Russian (and no, I haven’t finished them all yet!). Thankfully, I was able to continue studying Russian outside of W&M by attending two language immersion programs at Middlebury College.
After graduation, I jumped fully into preparing for my professional golf career by continuing to train with swing coach Martin Hall, working with sports psychologist Dr. Shannon Reece, hitting the gym and playing on the National Women’s Golf Association Tour (now the East Coast Women’s Pro Golf Tour). In July 2016, I declared myself a professional and competed all over the world, including on the LPGA’s Symetra Tour, the Australian LPGA Tour (now the Women’s PGA Tour Australasia), state opens and in both the LPGA and Ladies European Tour Qualifying Schools. Today, I maintain my professional status to teach clinics and play in pro-ams for charities, return to my alma mater in playing and speaking capacities and to volunteer with the First Tee.
While competing, I kept my marketing skills sharp through consulting and freelance writing. In an effort to add to my personal branding as well as raise awareness for Celiac Disease, I wrote guest blogs for golf products and gluten-free foods, respectively. In my Celiac Series each May for Celiac Awareness Month, I conduct interviews with members of the gluten-free community on my blog, Going Pro with Kelly O.
The Next Chapter: Golf Marketing
Despite loving every second of playing on tour, I ultimately decided to grow my favorite game from a different angle. I joined Buffalo Agency, a golf and outdoors marketing company, in January 2020 and haven’t looked back (except at my poor Oxford comma after switching to AP Style). Since then, I have been fortunate to be a part of pioneering the content marketing pillar and have refined my writing skills and strategies through search engine optimization (SEO), paid search, website development and more.
The other half of my job involves content and partnership development on Morning Read, the company’s golf media property. I connected with fellow golfers to expand the site’s offerings to include international video and podcast series, which led to Morning Read becoming Sports Illustrated’s exclusive golf editorial partner. My role as Strategic Partnership Development Manager incorporates content development and production, sales and all facets of ad operations.
The Great Outdoors
Though I have heavily invested in my next chapter, I also take time to enjoy the outdoors. Remember those lifelong backpacking friends from that summer camp? We hiked the Shenandoah National Park section of the Appalachian Trail together in April 2021 and plan to explore every corner of Acadia National Park in 2022. My family and I have also crossed Glacier National Park off our lists in 2021, though I plan to return and discover more hiking trails in my new favorite park.
Follow along on all my adventures - from my golf days to now - on the blog, Going Pro with Kelly O., and subscribe to the newsletter to read my latest features in Sports Illustrated and beyond!
Fun Facts:
Hole-in-ones: 2
Lowest 18-hole score: 67 (9 birdies!)
Favorite golf gear: Team Callaway and Nicklaus Apparel
Favorite golf course: The River Course at Kingsmill Resort (Williamsburg, VA)
Golf goal: Compete in the LPGA event at Kingsmill
W&M sorority: Gamma Phi Beta
Favorite brother: Kevin (my only sibling)
Kryptonite: Gluten (though some may say chocolate)
Hiking goals: Finish the AT, hike in every national park and complete the complementary Camino de Santiago hike in Japan (Spain completed in 2019)
Life goals: Play on Survivor and write a novel on my 1937 Royal Model O typewriter