Submitted photo Boardman native and alum Kelly Cap warms up on the driving range before her round at the U.S. Women’s Senior Open on Aug. 24 at Waverly Country Club in Portland, Oregon.

Despite a long and illustrious high school, college and professional golf career, Kelly Cap hasn’t played much since she retired from the LPGA Tour in 2007.

After her playing career ended, the Boardman native and alum moved to Pinehurst, North Carolina full time where she focused on being a golf instructor, as well as opening her own sports fitness and therapy business, TriMov.

“Probably since I retired or even from when I stopped teaching at Pinehurst, in the past eight years or so, I’ve probably only played 50 rounds of golf,” Cap said with a laugh.

But it’s like riding a bike.

Even as Cap wasn’t quite as active on the golf course as she used to be, those skills and abilities she once had never fully went away. And, the itch to get back into the game returned for her in recent months.

She still retains her professional status, so she set her sights on trying to qualify for the U.S. Senior Women’s Open.

“In the last couple months, I’ve just been working on my game and playing a lot more than I usually have,” Cap said. “I’m pretty pleased with the way I’ve been playing.”

Cap entered one of the qualifiers, playing at the Country Club of Salisbury on July 12 in Salisbury, North Carolina. She made the shots she needed to, shooting a 3-over 74, making two birdies on the final two holes to qualify for the Open at Waverly Country Club in Portland, Oregon.

At Waverly, Cap shot a 78 and a 76 on Aug. 24 and 25, finishing with a 10-over 154 for the tournament and missing the cut.

“Qualifying for that in my first go was exciting,” Cap said. “It was fun to see everybody and there was a lot of camaraderie up there. It was a thrill to play at Waverly. If only I could have made a few more putts — that was the biggest thing. I struck the ball really well, but I just needed a few more putts to drop because one birdie is just not going to cut it. …But between running a business and doing this, I’m really pleased with the way I played.”

Growing up in Boardman, Cap was a late bloomer. Despite being a multisport athlete for the Spartans, she didn’t start playing golf until her sophomore year, but it became her true passion.

Cap was particularly inspired by the LPGA tournaments she attended in Ohio. She would go to the Dana Open in Toledo, as well as the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic, which was played at Squaw Creek and Avalon Lakes. (The Giant Eagle LPGA Classic was also formerly known as the Youngstown-Warren LPGA Classic and the Phar-Mor in Youngstown.)

“I always wanted to be in the Olympics and basketball was a passion of mine, but I was a little too slow and only 5-foot-4,” Cap said. “I just took to golf. I saw it as something I really wanted to do. I thought what a great opportunity now that they have golf in the Olympics. But just to watch those ladies come in every year (at the LPGA tournaments) was definitely inspiring for me.”

At Boardman, Cap played under former Boardman girls golf coach Joan Ash. She was a part of the Spartans’ 1988 state runner-up team, as well as the 1989 and 1990 state championship teams. In 1990, she won the individual state champion as a senior.

After high school, Cap went on to a decorated college golf career at Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where she was a four-time All-American. Her senior season, she was ranked the No. 1 player in the country across Divisions I, II and III.

“I just got better and better each year,” Cap said. “I shot up there pretty quick just because I had worked hard. I’d spend that extra time practicing between classes. During the summertime, I was always at the golf course — I lived at the golf course.”

She was inducted into the Methodist Sports Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Boardman Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006.

As a professional, Cap played 11 years on the women’s professional tour, which included the Futures Tour, also known as the Epson Tour, and the Asian Tour, as well as seven years on the LPGA Tour, before she retired in 2007.

Playing the U.S. Senior Women’s Open reinvigorated Cap’s desire to get back into competitive golf.

Going forward, Cap said she’s hoping to have the opportunity to play in some different state opens, as well as play some Legends of the LPGA Tour events next year, while also trying to qualify for the LPGA Senior Championship. Also, next year’s U.S. Senior Women’s Open will be played at Fox Chapel Golf Club just outside of Pittsburgh, giving Cap the opportunity to return to play close to home.

“I’ve got that competitive spirit back and I’m really enjoying what I’m doing,” Cap said. “I just have fun playing and I have the opportunity to do well, because I’m (still) able to hit the ball pretty far at this level, and to keep myself in shape, that’s been huge. I just look forward to the next bunch of years that I can play, as long as I stay healthy.

“Being competitive out there, I’m excited about that because now I know what parts of my game to really focus on for next year, and I’m excited to get started on that again.”