9-year-old Kyra Gellatly makes it two-straight, qualifies for 2024 U.S. Kids Golf World Championships

For most people, qualifying for a worldwide competition would be a once in a lifetime experience.

For nine-year-old Kyra Gellatly, however, it’s becoming an annual occurrence.

After putting together another solid season in 2024, the West Linn native will travel to Pinehurst, North Carolina later this month for the U.S. Kids Golf World Championships, representing her community in a competition that features golfers from across the globe for a second-straight year.

"I'm really excited about it,” Gellatly said. “Especially since it’s my second time.”

Gellatly's latest journey to Pinehurst was realized by meeting her age group’s universal scoring requirement. Her performances in various tournaments throughout the last year have prepared her well for the challenge ahead.

"I started more OGA (Oregon Golf Association) tournaments this year," Gellatly said. "It's really competitive, the distances are so much longer, and also you don't have a caddy."

Playing from longer distances at her OGA events has made the shorter, more forgiving U.S. Kids tournaments relatively manageable for Gellatly, who has improved and gained experience in many ways since her last trip to Pinehurst.

"You actually know how it's gonna roll out,” Gellatly said. “Even though we aren't playing the exact same course as last year, it's still gonna be pretty similar.”

Gellatly’s father Erik notes that while his daughter is still young, she is likely to have an advantage over any golfers that will be attacking the World Championships for the first time this summer.

"There's a lot of new kids each year," Erik said. "And I think having been in the experience and the situation where you're handling the nerves — you can feel your heart pumping out of your chest, you know that tension is higher — just learning to breathe and learning to take it one shot at a time have been the biggest things."

Additionally, Erik highlights Gellatly’s improvement as a golfer over the past year. Since her last trip to Pinehurst, the West Linn native’s game has grown in many ways.

"She's picked up some distance since last year too, so I think that should be an advantage," Erik said. "The back nine at Longleaf — where the eight-year-olds played last year — is pretty forgiving off the tee, and it will be a little bit less so this year, so that puts a premium on putting it in the fairway, then having a good, clean shot in."

With these newfound advantages, Gellatly is naturally excited for her second go-around at Longleaf Golf and Family Club, where she’ll compete against approximately 100 other 9-year-olds later this summer.

After finishing 82nd last year, Gellatly and all her experience have set a lofty goal for this summer.

"I have a goal to get in the top-30 at Worlds," she said. "I just need to get long, straight drives, which I did pretty well at my last tournament."

Gellatly will arrive in Pinehurst sometime before July 30th’s “Parade of Nations,” which serves as a formal introduction to the U.S. Kids Golf World Championships. Competition is officially set to begin on August 1.