Junior Kelly Calkin had a special guest with her on the golf course Jan. 13.

Players at the South Atlantic Ladies Amateur were allowed golf carts to travel the course, and Calkin invited her mother, Renie Calkin, to ride in the cart with her. Most other competitors invited fathers or caddies, but Renie just rode around with her daughter playing the part of mom.

Kelly went on to win the prestigious event, nearly all of the previous winners of which have gone on to play professionally. But it was extremely special to have her mom riding with her, because college athletes are not usually allowed carts.

Renie was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis during the summer of 2000 after she felt numbness while on the golf course and went to an emergency room to receive an MRI. She doesn’t have feeling below her waist or in her hands.

Renie was a PGA teaching instructor for 25 years and played college golf at Penn State but can no longer pick up a golf club. However, the upbeat Renie doesn’t mind not being able to play golf anymore.

“Having [Kelly and her brother, Michael, who played golf at Miami(OH)] involved in golf and in the business is more than enough,” Renie said.

Weeks before her mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Kelly played golf for the first time.

“My brother was a really good junior player, so I tried to stay out of [the golf course],” Calkin said. “Going into high school, I was like, ‘Why not try?'”

Renie never instructed her children on the golf course, always yielding the teaching to other professionals.

“I thought it was a better option for them going to someone else,” Calkin said. “Teaching them wasn’t my focus, but I really wanted them learning from someone really good.”

Kelly set a record for the all-time lowest four-year scoring average at St. Charles East High School before coming to play for the Terrapins. With the Terps, Kelly has improved each year.

During the past year, Kelly has dropped her average strokes by almost seven from her freshman average, and last fall she won her first college tournament, the Napa Grill Cardinal Cup.

“Something just clicked over the summer,” said Calkin. “I feel like I have a completely different mindset. I feel like I can win every tournament.”

And her mom is just as confident.

Contact reporter Kyle Wannen at sports@dbk.umd.edu.