Christmas 22—A Lodi girl had a golf-filled few days recently.
Kelley O’Keefe was invited by the US Golf Association to play in the Day at the Hay, part of the festivities leading up to the US Women’s Open earlier this month at Pebble Beach.
The event pairs junior golfers with past Open champions. O’Keefe, who this week placed first in a drive, chip and putt qualifier in Napa, was paired with three other juniors and champions Jan Stevenson, who won the Open in 1983, and Brittany Lang, who won in the Open in 2016.
Joining the group was former Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald to complete Team Rolex.
Playing on the Tiger Woods-designed Hay short course at Pebble Beach, O’Keefe and her team won the event, birdying every hole.
The post-tournament gathering gave O’Keefe an opportunity to chat with former champions Patty Sheehan and Pat Bradley, along with former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, who was at the event.
O’Keefe’s aunt, Jill McGill, competed in the US Open later in the week, with O’Keefe caddying for her in a practice round. O’Keefe’s mother, Shelley O’Keefe, caddied for McGill in the tournament, which saw McGill miss the cut after the second day.
McGill qualified for the tournament by winning the 2022 US Senior Open, also with Shelley O’Keefe as her caddy. Shelley O’Keefe is a recent survivor of ovarian cancer, for which her husband Kelly rode across the country on his bike as a fundraiser.
For young Kelley, her golf journey will continue at the next step of the drive, chip and putt competition, with the next round of qualification in August at Haggin Oaks Golf Course in Sacramento. The final of the nationwide tournament will take place at the Masters in Augusta, Ga. next April.