Get to Know Kelly Rudney: Road to Reno, Episode 3
The Road to Reno Podcast is World Long Drive's interview series, going behind the scenes with the athletes chasing a title at this October's 2026 World Long Drive Championship in Reno, Nevada. Episode 3 sits down with World Long Drive's number one ranked woman and reigning 2025 Women's Division World Champion, Kelly Rudney.
Kelly Rudney doesn't remember winning her own world championship. In the finals at the 2025 World Long Drive Championship, she blacked out. She recalls fragments, the first ball of her opening set coming back 409, a personal-best 413 at another point in the event, and then sealing the win with a 407-yard drive in the final. "I heard nothing," she told us. "It was like I was deaf." She didn't come back to herself until her closest competitor, Monica Lieving, was standing in front of her, calling her out for finally hitting the numbers they'd talked about the night before.
Her path into the sport started almost by accident.
In 2019, she brought her brother to the Toronto Golf Show mostly to keep him company, and a booth called Canada Long Drive caught her eye, three balls for five bucks. Her first competitive swing ever came back at 275 yards. "I've been an athlete all my life," she told us. "I'll never know if I can do it if I don't try it." That decision turned into a career.
The conversation also gets personal. Kelly opens up emotionally about the loss of her father earlier this year, and the impact he had on her both as a person and throughout her World Long Drive career.
She's quick to credit the community around her too, describing the Women's Division as having "16 or 17 cheerleaders" at every event, and her relationship with Phillis, a mentor turned rival. "We fight up on the tee box," she said, "and then we have a drink afterward."
Her advice for anyone on the fence about trying the sport is simple: just do it. "Everybody at long drive is a big family," she said. "If you try it, you'll be hooked." Heading into her second year as champion, with the 2026 World Long Drive Championship set for October 15-17 in Reno, Nevada, Rudney is gearing up to defend both her title and her spot at the top of the rankings.
Watch the full conversation on YouTube now!
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Kelly’s journey is really inspiring, especially her determination to keep competing. After reading, I unwind with block blast.