ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WKBW) — For Ian Kelley, golf has been part of his life for as long as he can remember. He picked up the game when he was just three years old, learning to play from his father. Years later, Kelley would go on to become a Special Olympics gold medalist.
This week, he's back on the course, this time alongside some of the country's top autistic golfers as the STARS of the Spectrum Golf Tour makes its first stop in Western New York.
And for Kelley, there's something especially meaningful about this tournament. His brother is serving as his caddie for the first time.
"It's about playing with your brothers and playing with your family," Kelley said.
The Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism's STARS of the Spectrum Golf League held its tournament Tuesday and Wednesday at Harvest Hill Golf Course in Orchard Park.
The tour launched in 2023 with the goal of giving autistic golfers with a USGA handicap the opportunity to compete against one another on a national level.
The tour currently has 17 golfers. Players can compete in person at tournaments or submit remote scores when they are unable to attend.
The Buffalo-area tournament includes 11 golfers competing in person, including Kelley and several returning STARS golfers. Two golfers, Peyton Mattingly and Liam LaFrance, are making their STARS debuts.
LaFrance is also the first golfer from Canada to compete on the STARS tour.
WATCH: Autistic golfers compete on national stage in Orchard Park
The tournament opened Tuesday with a nine-hole scramble, giving golfers the chance to compete alongside foundation supporters and teammates. The golfers return Wednesday for an individual 18-hole competition.
The tour offers scholarship prizes that can be used toward golfers' careers and goals in the sport.
But organizers say the competition is only part of what brings the golfers together.
"This is a golf tour for autistic golfers to have the chance to compete with each other on a national level," said Andrew Roberts, golf and adaptive running coordinator.
Golfers have traveled to the tournament from across the country, including California, Washington, Missouri and Texas.
"There's just so many amazing autistic golfers out there, and we're trying to bring them together and build a community," Roberts said.
For Kelley, that sense of community hits close to home.
He says autistic people are sometimes counted out or bullied because of their disability. His goal is to show that autism does not define what a person is capable of accomplishing.
"People count us out, people get bullied, but we're trying to show that doesn't define who we are," Kelley said.
For Kelley, golf has provided a way to compete, connect with his family and show others what he can do.
"This is a family and we're all about trying to support people with autism, and trying to show that what we have, the disability doesn't define who we are and that we have a gift that we're able to give to other people," Kelley said.
