Jerry Kelly didn't win the 71st Masters Tournament, but he certainly had fun playing.

Jerry Kelly wound up in a tie for fifth Sunday after shooting 2-under-par 70. (Michael Snyder/Staff)

Kelly wound up in a tie for fifth Sunday after shooting 2-under-par 70. He gives all the credit for his best finish in a major to a coach who focused on his brain, not his game.

"Lanny Bassham has really put me in a different league mentally," Kelly said. "It absolutely put me in a different league. I've had fun out there before, but have you ever seen me able to let loose under that kind of pressure and have fun, even when I miss a drive on 18? It's just really cool."

Bassham, who won an Olympic gold medal in shooting in 1976 and a silver medal in 1972, does sports mental training seminars. Kelly met with Bassham before the Masters.

The sessions seem to have paid off for one of the more high-strung players on the PGA Tour. Kelly, a pro since 1989, had his best finish of the year in his last tournament before the Masters, with a tie for ninth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March.

Before that, Kelly had missed five of seven cuts.

"Now, when things aren't going the best, I'm confident I can make a good swing," he said.

He made a number of them Sunday as he vaulted into contention and briefly held the clubhouse lead. The newfound mental focus was needed early in his round when he bogeyed the first hole. Kelly then birdied No. 2 and made par over the next seven holes.

After a bogey on No. 10, Kelly made his bid for a green jacket with an eagle on the 13th hole.

After a drive that left him 238 yards from the green, Kelly hit a utility club into the wind to about 18 feet, which he made.

Two holes later, he birdied No. 15 and was making a charge. He parred his way in, making a clutch par save after hitting his drive into the trees on No. 18.

After his round, he hugged his parents, who he said had to leave to make a flight. But they were prepared to make a quick U-turn if necessary.

"They'll be watching it," he said before Rory Sabbatini took the clubhouse lead about 15 minutes later. "If it comes back to me, they'll run back here from the airport."

Reach Mike Wynn at (706) 823-3218 or mike.wynn@augustachronicle.com.