CHULA VISTA, Calif. — After making yet another lengthy putt on the tilted and slick greens of San Diego County Club, Becky Morgan stood off to the side for her playing partner to finish up and dabbed at tears with the collar of her shirt.
The 50-year-old from Wales might have hoped those would be the last of the waterworks, and she nearly made it through her champion’s press conference on Sunday until she was asked about the emotions that come with winning the first major title of her life in the 7th U.S. Senior Women’s Open. Morgan shot three-under-par 70 in the final round to finish at seven under and beat the 65-year-old runner-up, Juli Inkster (71), by six shots.
Morgan pointed her finger at a reporter and said with a smile, “Don’t get me started.”
The tears came, the collar went up again, and then with her voice cracking, she said, “Well, I feel like I’ve been close a lot and haven’t pulled it off. This was really nice.”
Morgan was a bona fide college star, playing in the Curtis Cup and winning 10 times at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in the mid-1990s. But, then, incredibly, she didn’t lift a professional trophy until she was 44 years old, in her 119th Ladies European Tour start, at the Hero Indian Women’s Open. In a roller-coaster career, Morgan notched a combined 42 top-10s on the LET and LPGA but never finished higher than 23rd on any LPGA season money list.
Weary of the travel grind and trying to contend with much younger players, Morgan took time off in her early 40s but was ready to compete against her peers in the over-45 Legends of the LPGA. She’s won several titles on that circuit, but nothing close to a USGA major against the likes of Annika Sorenstam, Laura Davies and another over-50 newcomer this year, Karrie Webb.
“I think just getting it over the line is unbelievable because I haven’t done it very much. I probably should have, but didn’t,” Morgan said. “I had a decent career. But obviously probably didn’t win as many as I should. This is icing on the cake.”
The respect for Morgan was unmistakable when she emerged from signing her scorecard Sunday to get hugs from, among others who waited, Webb, Scotland’s Catriona Matthew, and the 2023 winner of this championship, England’s Trish Johnson.
Near the clubhouse, there were essentially two celebrations going on at once, because another popular player among the Europeans, retired competitor Beth Allen, was the caddie for Morgan this week. As one media official joked to Allen, she is the first two-time champion of the U.S. Senior Women’s Open. The American also looped for Johnson in her victory at Waverly Country Club in Portland, Ore.
“It’s not me; I just have really good golfers as friends,” Allen, 43, said with a laugh.
Becky Morgan and her caddie Beth Allen talks on the 12th hole during the final round.
Steve Gibbons
Allen said that when she heard the Senior Open was slated for San Diego Country Club, she knew she would “fight for a bag.” She grew up in Southern California and her late father, Jim Allen, was the longtime manager of the San Diego’s municipal golf courses, including Torrey Pines.
It wasn’t until after her father passed that Allen said she visited the USGA’s Golf Museum in Liberty Corner, N.J., where at the Mickey Wright Room she watched video of Wright capturing the 1964 U.S. Women’s Open at San Diego Country Club, the home course in the LPGA legend’s young life. To Allen’s surprise, she saw her father caddying in the tournament—something she hadn’t known. She immediately called her mom to confirm it.
And just steps on Sunday from the newly installed Mickey Wright statute at SDCC, Allen got tearful herself in talking about what Morgan’s victory on these grounds meant.
“This,” Allen said, “is super special.”
It was Allen who sought out Morgan for the looping job this week.
“Becky has obviously been really successful on the Legends Tour, and I knew she was a brilliant putter,” said Allen, a three-time LET winner. “And so I know that that’s kind of San Diego Country Club’s defense—the tricky, tricky greens. So I knew she would have a really good chance.
“To be honest, I think I just gave her information and kept her loose,” Allen added. “I think it was helpful because I know her personality—that she sometimes gets a little anxious. We just tried to keep it light the whole time. Didn’t talk about golf, just life.”
As her nature, Morgan did with her caddie in her 2018 LET victory and she asked Allen to not let her know where she stood throughout the entire round. She started the day in a three-way tie for the lead at four under with Canadian Corina Kelepouris and Swede Maria McBride (each of whom ended up tying for fourth). Only Inkster with her 71 made something of a run at Morgan, who finally asked Allen in the middle of the 18th fairway how she stood.
“I was debating my shot into 18,” Morgan recalled, “and I said, ‘Beth, what’s the score?’ And she said, ‘You have a six-shot lead.’ I said, ‘OK, we’re going for it.’
“I just stayed really calm all day, holed some really good putts, and can’t quite believe it, to be honest.”
Beyond Morgan’s victory, the most impressive performance of the week was turned in by 72-year-old Barb Moxness, the oldest player in the field who shot better than her age twice. Moxness, who had no wins but 21 top-10 finishes in her LPGA career, scored 71 in the first and third rounds, and shot 76 on Sunday to tie for 11th.
“I don’t have to qualify!” Moxness said as she emerged from the scoring room, knowing the top 20 and ties are exempt for next year. She has played in all seven of the Senior Opens and got into this year’s field by prevailing in a playoff at a qualifier.
Tears of triumph. 😢
Becky Morgan makes history at the U.S. Senior Women’s Open with a breakthrough moment. pic.twitter.com/ffrgJXGJ2a
— USGA (@USGA) August 25, 2025
Beyond Morgan’s victory, the most impressive performance of the week was turned in by 72-year-old Barb Moxness, the oldest player in the field who shot better than her age twice. Moxness, who had no wins but 21 top-10 finishes in her LPGA career, scored 71 in the first and third rounds, shot 76 on Sunday and tied for 11th.
“I don’t have to qualify!” Moxness said as she emerged from the scoring room. She has played in all seven of the Senior Opens and got into this year’s field by prevailing in a playoff at a qualifier.
The shooting better than the age is nothing extraordinary for Moxness, who says she does it 75 percent of the time at home. But San Diego CC was certainly a different beast, and she led the field in putting.
“I’m ecstatic,” Moxness said, “but I’ve been playing well. I came in here believing that I could play well and I did.”
Moxness said she got encouraging support from fans and fellow players all week.
“It makes me cry,” she said. “People have been so supportive and cheering me on; players coming up and telling me I’m an inspiration. It just makes my heart warm. I’m so very grateful.”
Among some of the notable players in the tournament, last year’s champion and three-time top-two finisher Leta Lindley tied for fourth. World Golf Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam, the 2021 Senior winner, shot 72 in the final round and tied for eighth. First-time starters after turning 50, Karrie Webb and Laura Diaz, tied for 11th and 16th, respectively.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
