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Reston golfer parlays skills to TV
Kelly Murray has found himself in a sportsman's paradise. The world-traveled golfer and reality television star is a Canada native, but he's found the ideal home for his interests in Reston.
“You can go everywhere pretty much by bike if you want to,” and indeed Murray makes a point of biking to most of his destinations.
If you don't see him out on his bike or on the Reston National golf course, you can see him as a contestant on the Golf Channel's reality contest Big Break VI: Trump National and Big Break VII: Reunion.
A close friend of Murray's convinced him to attend auditions nearly two years ago in Savannah, Ga. Murray said his friend thought he'd be a perfect fit because of his golfing ability and colorful character. He made the cut, and a few months later attended the two-week taping.
Although Murray, 51, said he was initially hesitant, “at the bottom line I had a great time doing it ... it has changed things in my life quite a bit.”
He credits his success on the show with his personality, which doesn't fit into the typical “stuffy sect of golfers” that are golf pros.
He has had a habit of biking to golf courses whenever possible, even taking four hours to do so in Canada, and arranging for someone else to bring his bags.
“These guys driving around cars would be stiff and sore when they got there trying to relax. I was all ready to go,” he said.
In addition to focusing on golf practice, he believes thirty years of yoga has made his game what it is today. Most recently he has become involved with Bikram Yoga, a practice that holds class in rooms heated to over 100 degrees.
Before his foray into reality television, Murray had already dedicated his career to golf and had achieved fame for his impressive swing. In 1990, he hit a golf ball 684 yards on a Canadian airport runway and earned the Guinness World Record for Longest Drive.
Murray has been able to translate that unique skill into a job as a power driver instructor. Corporations often hire him for drive demonstrations, during which he can drive the ball on his knees. He is also a regular contributer to local golf magazine Pros n' Hackers.
Murray has been on the golf course since he could walk as a child growing up outside of Vancouver. Now, his son Sean, 10, is following in his own footsteps.
“He's a natural at it. As simply as a person can walk and talk he can play golf,” he said.
Murray and his wife Rumi moved to Reston nearly ten years ago when she took a job in the area. Murray met his wife while playing on the Asian Tour. He also had two victories on the Canadian Tour, in 1982 and 1984.
His next move will make him a rookie again, as he tries out for the Champions Tour, the PGA's professional senior tour.
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