She was 21 shots up going into today’s rain-soaked last round, and despite a few birdies scattered through the round, finished with a flourish – and a birdie – on the 18th.
She finished the tournament with rounds of 77, 78 and 77.
It was Heywood’s fifth club title, the first coming way back in 2010, after which she undertook a PGA traineeship, worked a couple of years with Dom Azzopardi and then headed overseas for a decade – which accounts for the lack of titles between 2010 and 2024.
She also took out her first Bendigo championship – where she now lives – last year.
Heywood’s success is a family affair, she was introduced to the game as a 15-year-old by her grandmother Doss Dinsdale, who took the game up in her 50s and is still playing in her 80s.
Along with Heywood’s mother Pam.
“We try and play together every week,” Heywood explained.
“Today was played in very nasty conditions, I think we had just one hole where it wasn’t raining,” she said.
“Going into the last round with such a big lead I was able to play my natural game, which is based on my drivers – on a good day I can consistently go 220m off the tee, which gives me better scope with my approach shots. Anything’s better than chipping.
“I regained my amateur status because I didn’t play any golf while I was in the UK, which lets me play these events and that’s great.
“I am playing off five, and my goal for this championship was to play to my handicap, so I wanted every round to be in the 70s, which they were.”
The Bendigo-based player is originally from Echuca, works in HR in Melbourne with the Victorian government and is still up and down the Northern Highway on a weekly basis.
“It was good to win, it’s always good to play good golf,” she said.
With three rounds in the 70s and turning a 21-shot lead into a 33-shot win, good golf might be an understatement.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
The Jones boy finally takes the trophy
15°C