Life or death? Certainly not the golf. Why the Cologuard Classic is so important to Jerry Kelly

The Cologuard Classic isn’t just another golf tournament for veteran pro Jerry Kelly.

It’s a chance to save lives.

That may come off as a bit heavy-handed, but Kelly — an ambassador for Cologuard — insists this week is about much more than birdies, bogeys and a trophy.

“We always have a great field here. It’s a testament to the mission that we’re on at this tournament, which is kinda cool,” Kelly told Golfweek during a Zoom call on Tuesday. “The guys really get behind it. It is a strong field as we’ve had in the past and we’re just waiting for a great champion to come out of it.

“Really, the cause is bigger than the tournament this week. It’s kinda cool.”

Talking golf is easy. Talking about colorectal cancer and getting screened for it early? That’s not as always easily discussed, although Kelly is doing everything he can to get those conversations going. The mission, the cause, is to spread awareness that early detection of colon cancer—or any cancer, for that matter—is critical.

“It is the second-leading cancer between men and women in the United States,” Kelly said. “If we can get people screened, and catch this disease early, it makes a huge difference in the outcome of life expectancy. So, you don’t want to catch it at Stage 4. You want to catch it at Stage 1 or 2. You going to have to pay attention the rest of your life because you’ve had cancer but it’s very treatable, so if we could just get the word out for everybody to get screened, anyway you can. If you have family history, go ahead and go get a colonoscopy. But if you’re just average risk, 45 and up, I mean, there is no reason not to talk to your doctor or talk to your nurse. … just get it done at home.”

Cologuard’s website says: “When caught in early stages, colon cancer is treatable in about 90 percent of people,” which attributes that statistic to the National Cancer Institute. It’s also important to note that Cologuard is not a replacement for a colonoscopy but it is an easy-to-use, at-home test. And it can save lives with early detection.

“Understanding how cancer hides, that’s an important piece that I don’t think gets talked about enough,” he said. ” As my wife is going through a different form of cancer—renal cells in her kidneys—we’ve learned so much more about cancer itself, the way that it disguises itself, the way that it hides until it’s such a mass that you can’t do anything about it.

“When you’re healthy is when you should be paying attention to your health. Eating and exercise is not enough. You need blood tests, you need Cologuard. Because by the time it shows itself, it could be too late and don’t let that happen.”

Thursday’s pro-am had several colon cancer survivors, patients and caregivers playing alongside some of the pros. In Kelly’s group was Scott Cardwell, a Tucson resident who is a survivor of colorectal cancer.

“He ended up getting a positive test just because he came to the tournament and decided that, ‘You know, I’m going to do it,’” Kelly said, meaning he got screened. “He was here, perfectly healthy, running. … I don’t know if it was half-marathons or marathons, but I mean, he’s an extremely active, healthy man. And he gets a positive test and this changed his life right here.”

That’s the mission, that’s the cause. It’s something he drives home with his fellow pros each and every week.

“They hear it from me every week. They don’t just hear it this week. They see the [Cologuard] hat every single week,” he said. “Hopefully. … even more people see the hat.”