As an anchor and digital producer for the PGA Tour, Kelly Hawkins has a front-row seat for all the tournament action.
What’s an average day like for you in your work for the PGA Tour?
As a digital producer and host for the PGA Tour, each day is different. I host digital shows, produce content for our social media channels and help maintain our website. Sometimes that includes me providing analysis and commentary for live, on-site content and other days I am locked into our website making sure all our content is promoted in the best way possible. There is no such thing as an average day for PGA Tour Digital (which is awesome).
How did you become interested in sports and golf in particular?
My love for sports began when I lived in Knoxville, Tennessee. Despite being a University of Florida graduate, I grew up a Tennessee Volunteer watching the women’s basketball team three-peat in the National Championship and cheering on Peyton Manning as our QB. I became hooked on golf when my family moved to Ponte Vedra Beach in 1997 and started coming to THE PLAYERS Championship. I saw Freddie Couples put it straight in the hole on 17 from the drop zone after dunking his first shot in the water in 1999. I was immediately hooked.
What’s the most challenging part of covering the PGA Tour? The most rewarding?
The digital landscape is constantly changing, which requires a lot of thinking ahead and preparing for the unexpected while covering the Tour. My job is completely different than it was a year ago. That is definitely the most rewarding part – a constant challenge and opportunity to do things that have never been done before. The most challenging part is battling the elements on site! I swear I’m a magnet for the rain. It poured on me in the desert at Palm Springs this year and that’s when I knew I was basically Johnny Raincloud.
Tell us about The Daily Rally, the newsletter you started with your sister.
The Daily Rally is a daily sports email newsletter that gives you a rundown of everything that happened in sports the previous day so you can be well-informed and out the door. It focuses on both on- and off-the-field stories from all sports and will hopefully make you laugh while getting you caught up on the sports news of the day. The Daily Rally is for all audiences – from the casual sports fan to the die-hard, lifelong fan. Bonus: You can read it in under five minutes! Sign up at thedailyrally.com.
What do you enjoy most about living on the First Coast?
I’ve lived in Ponte Vedra Beach since I was 5 years old, with the exception of my time in Gainesville at UF. It has been amazing to watch it grow into the city it is today. My family is here and I absolutely cherish this place. There is so much to do and it truly will always be home, no matter where life takes me.
How do you spend your free time?
I work a lot, and a lot of weird hours on the weekends, so free time is hard to come by sometimes! I enjoy taking classes at Pure Barre, spending time outside walking with my boyfriend in our neighborhood, watching shows and movies on Netflix, and hanging out with my cat, Mila Kunis. We are pretty into food and wine, too, so you can usually find us trying out new restaurants or visiting some of our standard favorites. Nona Blue is definitely up there!
