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By Chris Lang
HOT SPRINGS — Shawn McCullough won an all-Mount Vernon Country Club final match to claim the title in the 4th Virginia State Golf Association Super Senior Women’s Amateur Championship on Thursday at the Omni Homestead Resort’s Old Course.
McCullough posted a 3-and-2 win over Linda DiVall to win her first match play title in a VSGA event.
Additionally, Friday’s championship match is set in the 65th VSGA Senior Women’s Amateur, which is also being held at The Old Course. Andrea Miller (The Club at Glenmore) will go for her third straight title when she squares off against first-time finalist Kay Tyler of Belle Haven CC. Friday’s final match is slated to begin at 9:03 a.m.
THE STORY
4th VSGA Super Senior Women’s Amateur
McCullough retired from her job on June 8, and since then, her focus has gone entirely to improving her golf game. It’s showed. It started with qualification for the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship in Alaska. And it continued at The Homestead with an impressive three-match run to her first VSGA match-play title.
McCullough defeated Becki Davis, Boodie McGurn and DiVall on her way to the title. Her steady play helped her gain a foothold in the final match on Thursday. DiVall won the first hole, but McCullough quickly righted ship and tied the next four holes before winning No. 6 with a par. She added wins at 7, 9 and 10 and suddenly found herself 3-up with eight holes to play.
“I’ve been playing every day, concentrating on my fitness, taking numerous lessons, and playing in just about every tournament,” McCullough said. “This course, the shortness helps. And I didn’t get into any major trouble.”
By the time the players teed off on 13, McCullough led 4-up, leaving DiVall facing a major uphill battle. The three-time Senior Women’s Amateur champion cut the lead to 3-up on two occasions, but a two-putt par on the par-3 16th was enough for McCullough to secure the win.
“Her distance control today was incredible,” DiVall said. “She was on point and very focused. I was battling a few swing issues and she took advantage of that. But all credit to her. She played just wonderful golf.”
McCullough credited her two coaches—one mental, one swing—for helping her stay calm and steady throughout the week. She spoke afterward of staying in the process and not letting herself think too far ahead in the match.
“I hit the ball today as well as I’ve ever hit it,” McCullough said. “Despite a few mistakes, I was able to trust it. I have a process. One of those things is I touch my diaphragm to calm myself. And the second thing is to grip the club the right way. Those are two things I’ve learned from two different coaches. I trusted it today, and today it was working.”
In the end, McCullough got the better of DiVall, who she’s been friends with for more than 30 years. Both grew up in Illinois and forged a friendship through golf at Mount Vernon. McCullough, who won the VSGA Senior Women’s Stroke Play title in 2020 at Kingsmill Resort, can now add that elusive match-play title to her resume.
“Absolutely No. 1,” McCullough said of where this win ranks for her. “Winning a Virginia State Golf Association match play event has been my goal since I was 21. Forty-one years I’ve been trying to win one, and this is a thrill beyond words.”
65th VSGA Senior Women’s Amateur
Miller expected a battle in her semifinal match with Joan Gardner, seeing as both reached match play at the recent U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur. She certainly got it. Though Gardner (Mount Vernon CC) never led, she kept Miller within arm’s length and was tied as late as the 13th hole.
Then, as has been the case in the last two years at The Homestead, Miller’s length took over. She drove the green on the short par-4 14th and made a tap-in birdie to take the lead. She made another birdie on the par-5 15th and another on the short par-4 17th to win the match.
“Joan burned every edge,” Miller said. “I held my breath every time she pulled the putter out of the bag. It was every bit the battle I expected. And at the end of the day, it took three birdies in the last four holes just to get there.”
Miller can now turn her attention to the prospect of becoming just the third player in history to win three straight Senior Women’s Amateurs.
“I think it would be overwhelmingly joyful,” Miller said. “But I have to admit, I’m nervous. It’s so hard to make it this late (in the tournament) against this level of golfer. They’re all so good.”
Tyler defeated Kay Stout (Indian Creek Y&CC) 3 and 2 in a match in which she led from the seventh hole on. Tyler has been around for plenty of finals in the past—but usually on the bag for partner and five-time champion Mimi Hoffman. Afterward, she cracked, “weird not being the caddie, right?”
Tyler’s run has been no fluke, though. She opened with an 8-and-7 win over Helen Lanes, beat Hoffman 4 and 3 before winning her match on Thursday on the 16th hole.
“I’ve been trying to stay focused,” Tyler said. “Today, I was really tired. I know Kay (Stout) was too. I’ll have to get a good night’s sleep to be focused for tomorrow. I’ve got to play the hole in front of me, not the player.”
Tyler said she’s never played with Miller before, not even in a friendly round, but she understands what she’s up against going head-to-head with the two-time defending champion.
“It’s going to be an uphill battle, but all I can do is stay within my game and just get up and down,” Tyler said. “She’s going to be hitting greens in two when I’m hitting them in three. I’ve just got to try to get it close and try to make it as easy as possible on myself.”
NOTES
- The Senior Women’s and Super Senior Women’s Amateurs also feature several consolation flights. For full results from those flights, please click the “Event home” link at the top of this release.
- Winners from the consolation flights at the Super Senior Amateur were:
- Championship consolation: Lindsay Wortham
- First flight: Rica Rohrbaugh
- First flight consolation: Nancy Duncan
- Second flight: Sharon Talarico
- Second flight consolation: Tillie Aguiar
- Third flight: Yun Spence
- Third flight consolation: Dottie Webb
- Fourth flight: Pua Bess
- Fourth flight consolation: Connie Moore
- Fifth flight: Cynthia Rudnick
- Fifth flight consolation: Molly Gatchell
- Sixth flight: Nancy Lee
- Sixth flight consolation: Gloria Tschetschot
- Seventh flight: Elly Moyers
- Seventh flight consolation: Mi Pregel
Lang is the VSGA’s manager of media and communications.