DUXBURY, Mass. – There are celebratory moments in golf that will rank as unforgettable and it’s likely the one Sunday from the RBC Canadian Open will be among them. A Canadian, Nick Taylor, slam-dunking a 72-foot eagle putt on the fourth playoff hole to win his National Championship on home soil ignited a wild 18th-green scene that was surreal.

Good for them.

But a quieter celebration of golf success four days earlier, one that also involved Canadians, has left a lasting impression for these eyes. Not for the significance of the achievement (it was a U.S. Women’s Open qualifier) but for the manner in which a woman’s character shined and a friendship proved itself priceless.

For introduction, meet Celeste Dao and her caddie, J.P. Denicourt. They are from Montreal and have been friends since they met in a junior golf tournament when they were about 10. “Beat her by one,” Denicourt smiled, though he was quick to add: “It’s still the only time I’ve beaten her.”

Having found a quiet corner of the clubhouse porch at Duxbury Yacht Club, they used their time to call family and friends back home and regale them with the day’s positive news. French, the beautiful language, was spoken, and while these ears couldn’t follow it, for sure the news was enthusiastically delivered and joyously received.

The question was: Whose news was more significant?

“Hers,” said Denicourt, nodding his approval to rounds of 68-70 that had earned Dao the last of three spots into the U.S. Women’s Open.

She emphatically shook her head. “How ‘bout his news?” she gushed with a wide smile. “He found out today that he’s a doctor.”

Denicourt smiled, but respectfully put the attention back on his longtime friend. So let’s start with Celeste.

Her performance had been easy enough to chronicle – nine birdies against three bogeys for a supremely consistent 36-hole walk. LPGA members Perrine Delacour of France and Daniela Darquea of Ecuador had shot 9- and 8-under, respectively, to take the first two qualifying positions, but in all due respect it was the 6-under for third that was blanketed in the greatest flavor of the day.

Not because it earned Dao a trip to Pebble Beach for the U.S. Women’s Open (July 5-9) – sweet as that is – but because it came at a time when her psyche and her confidence needed a huge boost.

With a radiant smile and engaging demeanor, Dao proceeded to unfold her four-year career at the University of Georgia. The first two years (2019-20, 2020-21) were impacted by the pandemic, but Dao had played in all of her team’s matches, recording one win and plenty of top finishes.

Then, golf being the challenging game it is, Dao struggled and her junior and senior years weren’t as good. Dao searched for answers and so did her UGA coach, Josh Brown.

“I used to beat myself up, trying to help her game,” he said. “But when you have a deep roster at an elite program the competition is tough. We had some hard talks.”

When early spring of this year rolled around, Dao hadn’t gotten herself back on track. “I didn’t play in nationals,” she said.

No excuses. No finger-pointing. She took ownership. Yes, it was crushing. This was her senior year, for goodness sakes. But no, she wasn’t going to quit.

“I knew I had the game. I knew I had the ability to play well,” she said.

With graduation from UGA in the mirror, Dao looked forward to a U.S. Women’s Open qualifier that would factor in two comfortable pieces: Another Massachusetts golf course, and Denicourt.

“I love the Boston area and even the bad weather we can get (this time of year). We used to always get bad weather in Montreal,” she said. As for Massachusetts courses, Dao had gotten through qualifiers at TPC Boston (2019) and Cape Cod National (2018), so she was all for the trip to Duxbury.

Denicourt made the trip down and immediately Dao felt a sense of peace. He was even wearing a hat from the national Optimist tournament he and Celeste had played in more than 10 years ago.

Their involvement in junior golf years earlier had brought their families together and they watched as their fathers galvanized things through golf. “My dad is a golf fanatic,” laughed J.P., “but her dad might be more of one.”

Knowing his friend had been struggling with her game, J.P. Denicourt felt his presence would help and he was going to pour all his efforts into his caddie duties. Then his phone pinged and the picture changed slightly. Having attended Sherbrooke University for pre-med, J.P. Denicourt was awaiting news about his application for a residency.

On the day of the qualifier the news arrived: He was accepted.

So, yes, gushed Dao, “you can call him a doctor,” and she did, several times, and she honestly felt as happy for her longtime friend as she did for her own 68-70 performance.

“There are six years to go,” said Denicourt, who is in line to become an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor. Clearly he was trying to push the attention back to what Dao had done.

And just what had she done? Likely, she hadn’t wiped away the disappointment of missing out on the nationals in her senior year. But Dao felt she had surely made a statement at Duxbury Yacht Club.

“I think it says that I hang in there, that I can look at the positive side,” she said.

Never had she questioned whether her passion for golf was still there. It was. Nor had she doubted her ability to to fight through the rough patches. That, too, was there.

But on a day when her perseverance was rewarded and another trip to the U.S. Women’s Open was confirmed, Celeste Dao laughed when it was suggested credit should be shared with the doctor’s first house call.

By all means, she said, having Denicourt on the bag and there to share in the joy made it even sweeter. At which time the caddie reminded his friend that the journey was not yet over.

Duxbury Yacht Club was fun, he said. “But Pebble Beach would be the experience of a lifetime.”