Around the Green

Women’s Senior Stroke Play Set for Oct. 11-13

ARLINGTON – Shady Valley Country Club will be the host site for the 33rd Women’s Senior Stroke Play, the second to last event of the year on the Women’s schedule conducted by the Texas Golf Association. The 54-hole championship, which features the state’s top amateur golfers aged 50 and older, will be held Oct. 11-13.

“We are so excited to bring this event to Shady Valley Country Club,” said Katie O’Connell, TGA Tournament Coordinator. “It’s a fantastic venue for our ladies to come compete at. They have been a joy to work with.”

This championship has seen many highly touted players come away victorious. The 2022 field is no different as a multitude of players with impressive resumes will look to add to their illustrious careers.

The following player profiles have been created as a preview to some of the top storylines coming into this year’s championship.

►Anna Schultz, 67, of Heath, is one of the most accomplished golfers in the state and a member of the Texas Golf Hall of Fame since 2013. A three-time winner of this event, Schultz captured the USGA’s 2007 U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur title. Her resume would put any golfer in awe as it features incredible success at the local, state, and national level.

►Mina Hardin, 62, of Fort Worth, is the defending champion and a two-time winner of this event. Last year, Hardin pulled out the victory by two strokes at 11-under for the championship. Most notably, Hardin’s resume includes a win at the USGA’s 2010 U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur. A five-time Women’s Texas Amateur champion and a member of the Texas Golf Hall of Fame’s Class of 2012, Hardin’s career also features a runner-up finish at the USGA’s 2001 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur.

►Marian Barker, 68, of Lubbock, is back in the field this year after missing the 2021 championship. The four-time winner of this event will look to capture the title for a fifth time. Her most recent victory was in 2020. A highlight of Barker’s impressive career is  advancing to the match play rounds of the USGA’s U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur in 2004, ’09, and ’16.

►Kelley Nittoli, 59, of San Antonio, is fresh off capturing her second WSGA Women’s Southern Senior Amateur title this week. Nittoli, who played for a short stint on the LPGA Tour right after college, is married to Jim Nittoli, Director of Golf at San Antonio Country Club. Nittoli’s impressive play this year also features advancing to match play at the USGA’s U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur in September.  

►Marilyn Hardy, 62, of Magnolia, was the 2011 champion of this event and a runner-up in 2019. She has made impressive runs in several of the USGA’s U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur championships. In 2020 and 2021, Hardy finished runner-up at the WSGA’s Women’s Southern Senior Amateur.

Shady Valley Country Club is a privately owned club in Arlington that was founded in 1959 by golf enthusiast Howard Wilemon, Jr. The course is fun and challenging as it features a tight layout and stays true to its name with many trees.

The 16 players with the lowest Handicap Indexes® at the Women’s Senior Stroke Play will be required to play from the Championship Tees (approx. 5500-5700 yards). All other players may select which tees they wish to play from – the Championship Tees or the Flights Tees (approx. 5100-5300 yards). Upon completion of Round 2, the field will be broken into flights based on 36-hole scores.

Live scoring updates, daily recaps, as well as tee-times and pairings, will be available on the TGA website once the action is underway from Shady Valley Country Club.

For more information on the 33rd Women’s Senior Stroke Play, click here.