He’s No Daredevil

Kelly Knievel is famous for being the older son of motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel, who died in 2007 at the age of 69.

But Kelly doesn’t want to be famous.

Kelly Knievel

He just wants to be the kind of nondescript guy who is rarely noticed in the grocery store or the movie theater. “I don’t get recognized, nor do I want to be,” he said. “I never wanted to be famous. My dad’s famous, and I’m content to leave it that way.”

What Kelly really wants – though generally he won’t admit it – is a measure of respect on the golf course. So, at 59, there’s something of a war inside his head. One voice keeps insisting, “Be aggressive, make that 40-foot birdie putt,” while a second voice implores him to “shut up and be satisfied with a bunch of pars.”

The quiet guy usually wins this confrontation, and that’s how Kelly ended up in the field for the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship, which starts Saturday in Durham, N.C. There were 21 players in a qualifier near Boise, Idaho, but only one qualifying spot. Kelly shot even-par 72 at Rid...