It’s only fitting that an inaugural championship would be won by a venerable, longtime SCGA legend and now, Shelly Haywood, the three-time defending SCGA Senior Women’s Player of the Year (2025, 2024, 2023), has a brand-new piece of hardware to add to her already impressive mantle.
Winning her final match 3 & 1 over her close friend, Diane Irvin, at the Victoria Club in Riverside, Haywood now has an SCGA Senior Women’s Match Play Championship trophy to sit alongside her 2025 SCGA Senior Women’s Amateur Championship and 2023 California Senior Women’s Amateur Championship awards.
Haywood, who won three matches in three days, credited her fine play to her short game and ball striking, telling the SCGA afterwards that she didn’t feel like she missed a shot all week. Despite losing the first hole of her match against Irvin, Haywood would immediately respond and win five of the next 11 holes to take control at 4 UP through 12. Irvin did begin to mount a comeback as she cut Haywood’s lead in half by taking holes 13 and 14. But Haywood snuffed out Irvin’s charge with a birdie on 17 that sealed the deal, 3 & 1.
