Herbert Warren Wind Award
Matchless: Joyce Wethered, Glenna Collett and the Rise of Women’s Golf by Stephen Proctor
Being that March is Women’s History Month, we’d be remiss to not mention former San Francisco Chronicle managing editor Stephen Proctor winning the USGA's 2026 Herbert Warren Wind Book Award for golf literature.
Proctor was recognized at the recent USGA Annual Meeting for his book “Matchless: Joyce Wethered, Glenna Collett and the Rise of Women’s Golf.”
The book explores the historic rivalry between English golfer Joyce Wethered and American golfer Glenna Collett. Through extensive research and vivid storytelling, Proctor details how Wethered and Collett’s exceptional skill and international rivalry brought unprecedented attention to women’s golf, helping elevate the game during its formative years. Readers are taken on a journey from their first meeting at Troon in 1925 to their remarkable match at St. Andrews, set against the broader historical context of the era.
The book offers a glimpse into an often-forgotten chapter of golf history, illustrating how Wethered and Collett paved the way for the emergence of women’s professional golf tours and shaped the broader perceptions of the women’s game. Proctor’s book will be on display at the USGA Golf Museum and Library in Liberty Corner, N.J., home to the world’s largest collection of golf books and periodicals, with more than 100,000 individual volumes.
“I am deeply honored to be given an award named for one of my literary idols, but it is especially gratifying to receive this recognition for Matchless, as so few stories have been written about heroines of the women’s game,” said Proctor. “Joyce Wethered, Glenna Collett and the women upon whose shoulders they stood deserve to be celebrated as long as golf is played, and I hope this book and this award contribute to preserving the memory of their trailblazing accomplishments.”
Since retiring from daily journalism in 2014, Proctor has, in addition to “Matchless,” authored two golf histories: “Monarch of the Green: Young Tom Morris, Pioneer of Modern Golf, and The Long Golden Afternoon: Golf’s Age of Glory (1864 – 2014). He now lives in Brevard County on Central Florida’s Atlantic Coast, where he is Chair of the nonprofit Golf Brevard, Inc., which manages two of Brevard County’s municipal golf courses. While in San Francisco, Proctor served two years as volunteer Club President at the municipal Gleneagles course.