Shelly Haywood

Shelly Haywood was named head women's golf coach at the University of Arizona on July 10, 2007, after three successful seasons as the Wildcats' assistant coach.

Haywood, now in her fourth year at Arizona, is a two-time all-Big West Conference selection at New Mexico State University. Haywood is a proven force in the game on a local and national level as a member of the Ladies Professional Golfers' Association (LPGA), the USGA Women's Amateur Public Links Committee, and an honorary member of the Arizona Golf Association's Board of Governors. She is actively involved in supporting and donating to the Tucson junior golf community through clinics and speaking engagements. She was a multi-sport athlete in high school, lettering in volleyball, basketball and softball.

In October 2005, Haywood was given the LPGA's highest coaching honor, the National Coach of the Year, and was the recipient of the LPGA's Western Section Coach of the Year in 2005. She was also nominated for NGCA's Assistant Coach of the Year in her first two seasons at Arizona.

An accomplished player and teacher, Haywood was a member of the West Coast Ladies Tour from 2002-04. In 2004, she also earned two top-10 finishes in the Colorado Women's Open and the Nevada Women's Open. Since moving to Tucson in 1993, she has worked alongside her husband, award winning PGA Professional Michael Haywood, Director of Golf, at Tucson Country Club.

Since arriving at Arizona, Haywood has fostered the growth of the Arizona women's golf program with her passionate coaching style and enthusiastic vision for success. Haywood has coached some of the finest Wildcats, including first team All-American and 2008 Curtis Cup team member Alison Walshe, All-Americans Adriana Zwanck, Cassandra Kirkland, Lani Elston and Mary Jacobs. Additionally, eight all-Pac 10 selections and the program's only four-time NGCA All-Academic athlete, Whitney Welch, have played for Haywood. Since arriving at Arizona, Haywood has coached players to seven individual titles that include some of the nation's most prestigious championships.

A motivated, driven and enthusiastic coach, Haywood has assembled one of the nation's finest recruiting classes for 2008-09. The list includes two-time Kentucky state champion Nikki Koller, No. 1-ranked Mexican junior amateur Margarita Ramos, Mesa Red Mountain High School's Ashley Malaska, daughter of PGA Professional Mike Malaska, and No. 1 French junior amateur Isabelle Boineau. Boineau also represented her home country in the most recent World Amateur Team Championship.

Haywood enjoys cycling, working out, traveling with her husband and spending time with their two cats. She would eventually like to compete in a triathlon.

Haywood is a graduate of New Mexico State University, earning a degree in Professional Golf Management with a minor in Exercise Physiology.