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Bill Pollert Named 2021 Indiana PGA Golf Professional of the Year, Brittany Kelly Honored as the 2022 Recipient
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The Indiana PGA Section recognized two PGA Professionals with its highest individual honor and wrote a special chapter in its history Monday night at the Country Club of Indianapolis.
Bill Pollert of Highland Golf and Country Club in Indianapolis was named the 2021 Indiana PGA Golf Professional of the Year and Brittany Kelly of Woodland Country Club in Carmel was presented the 2022 award, making her the first woman recipient since the award originated in 1955.
Additionally, the Section announced that she will become the namesake for the Brittany Kelly Indiana PGA Women’s Player of the Year award. Kelly, a 32-year-old Assistant PGA Professional, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the fall 2019.
The Section awards are typically presented at the Annual Indiana PGA Spring BusinessMeeting, but due to COVID-19, this year’s meeting was held virtually.
The PGA Golf Professional of the Year Award bestows special recognition on a PGA Golf Professional who has performed outstanding services as an overall PGA Professional. Winners must possess outstanding qualities of leadership, strong moral character, and a substantial record of service to the Section and the game of golf.
Pollert, 42, has served as PGA Head Golf Professional for the past decade at Highland Golf and Country Club. He also recently completed his two-year term as the Indiana PGA Board President.
In addition to her success on the golf course, Kelly also represents the Indiana PGA as a PGA LEAD graduate, a two-year leadership development program created to provide a deep bench of PGA Members from diverse backgrounds who aspire to ascend through the volunteer leadership ranks of the Association, and she also serves as an Indiana PGA board member.
Kelly has been involved with Indiana Golf since she began playing in junior events with the Indiana Junior Tour.
After participating on the Junior Golf Tour, Kelly attended Ball State University where she was a three-time All-MAC selection – twice a member of the first team – and was a two-time All-American Scholar. She also became the first Ball State women's golfer selected for an NCAA Regional her senior year.
Brittany Kelly's parents Joni and Kim (right) pose with Callaway representative Tim Diedrich and his wife Gabi Diedrich.
Kelly set BSU records for single-season scoring average (75.06), career average (76.43) and 54-hole tournament score (215). She went on to play two years on the LPGA Symetra Tour and then became one of the top playing and teaching PGA assistant professionals in the country, first at The Hawthorns Golf & Country Club in Fishers and now at Woodland Country Club.
In 2019, Kelly was named the Indiana Women's PGA Player of the Year after leading Team USA to victory at the inaugural Women's PGA Cup, competing in her first LPGA major at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship and winning the Indiana PGA Assistants Championship against a field of men.
She also won her second Indiana Women's Open title in 2019 (previous win in ’06) to go along with the Indiana Women's Amateur championship she won while at Ball State in 2009. Kelly qualified for the National PGA Assistants Championship in 2016, 2017 and 2019 and for the PGA Professional National Championship in 2018 and 2020, competing against the men in both.
She was also recognized as the Indiana PGA Assistant of the Year in 2017 – the first female to receive this award, and she was also named the Indiana PGA Women’s Player of the Year two years in a row (’19, ’20).
This April, Kelly was named to the 2021 class of the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame for her collegiate playing career – as is the first woman golfer to join the Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony is Sept. 24 in Muncie, Indiana.
“This is a truly special night and I really wish I could be there,” said Kelly in her video. “From the bottom of my heart, I really appreciate this award being named after me.
“I am very excited to be announced as the Brittany Kelly Indiana PGA Women’s Player of the Year. It is pretty special to me. Thank you so much for that. I also want to say thank you to the other Board of Directors for putting together this great honor for me. I am also thrilled to have been selected Indiana PGA Golf Professional of the Year, a true honor.
“I am very humbled to receive any award, especially when it comes from the Indiana PGA and the PGA of America. Thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart. I hope that we can catch up again soon, and I look forward to seeing you all on the golf course soon.”
