Two-time USGA champion Jill McGill and sister caddie Shelley O’Keefe, who recently beat ovarian cancer, trail by one at U.S. Senior Women’s Open

Shelley O’Keefe signed up for a local qualifier for this year’s U.S. Senior Women’s, but her back went out on the morning she was supposed to tee it up at Sierra View Country Club in Roseville, California. She tried to qualify last year, too, the day before her last round chemotherapy for ovarian cancer. That time was less about qualifying and more about seeing whether she could walk 5 miles.

O’Keefe gets emotional talking about what last year’s qualifier did for her mentally.

“It’s amazing,” she said, “when you have a goal, or you have something that gets you out of bed every day.”

This time around, O’Keefe wasn’t going to miss the chance to spend the week at NCR Country Club caddying for younger sister Jill McGill, as they often did in the summer when McGill competed on the LPGA. It was Shelley who told Jill that she was exempt into this week’s event as the 1993 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion. McGill also won the 1994 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links.

Now, heading into the final round at NCR, 50-year-old McGill finds herself one stroke behind past champions Laura Davies and Helen Alfredsson and tied with Annika Sorenstam and fellow senior rookie Leta Lindley.

“I don’t know if this makes me more nervous or going in for childbirth,” said McGill of being in contention over the weekend, “one of the two.”

McGill’s told her children Bella (10) and Blaze (6) that they could fly out from Dallas with their dad if she was in the top 10 over the weekend. They got out of school on Friday and rushed to the airport, arriving in time to watch mom shoot 2-under 71 in the third round.

This is the first time McGill’s children have watched her compete on a stage like this, and her friends warned her not to let them be a distraction.

“In my opinion, I said, it’s not very often you get an opportunity for your kids to see you do something like this,” said McGill, “especially having them later in life, so that’s the number one thing for me.”

Bella recently watched her cousin shoot 70 in a U.S. Kids event and is eager do the same. She stood in the back of the room on Saturday after walking 18 and watched mom’s evening press conference.

About 15 months ago, McGill walked over to Tenison Park Golf Club near her home in Dallas and talked to the director of golf about getting involved as an instructor. Half the job, she said, is getting them to feel comfortable on the golf course. She hopes her play this week will be an encouragement to them.

“I’m trying to inspire my ladies,” said McGill, “so that’s always a motivator. And, you know, I’ve prepared as much as I could in between driving to swim team practice and teaching and school drop-off and pick-up and wouldn’t have it any other way.”

O’Keefe hopes that her story will inspire, too. Maybe even save a life.

Left to right: Shelley O’Keefe, Jill McGill, Bella, husband Patrick Byerly and Blaze (Golfweek photo)

A former college soccer player and member of the U.S. Ski Team, O’Keefe now runs junior tours for U.S. Kids in Northern California.

Diagnosed with ovarian cancer on Feb. 2, 2021, O’Keefe said she was told not to look up survival rates on the internet while going through surgery and chemo treatment. While doing recent work for the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, however, O’Keefe learned the numbers. According to ORCA, for all types of ovarian cancer taken together, roughly 72 percent of women live for at least one year after diagnosis and 46 percent are still alive at least five years after diagnosis.

“Because a lot of people don’t realize, I think this is what’s so important,” said O’Keefe, “there is not a screen test for ovarian cancer, and everyone thinks the Pap smear takes care of cancers down there. It’s only cervical.”

O’Keefe, a wife and mom, had just been to see her obstetrician six weeks before being diagnosed. She went back to the doctor at the insistence of her husband, who wanted her to get checked out again after O’Keefe began experiencing pain during intercourse.

“I don’t mind giving details,” said O’Keefe, “because I think it’s really important.”

On the first hole Saturday at NCR, McGill and her sister talked about nerves. They talked about embracing the moment, knowing better than most how quickly life can change.

For O’Keefe, the emotions of beating cancer are still fresh. The gratitude runs high. She wasn’t going to miss this.