Jae Bowers produced a dominant display to win the Women’s PGA Professional Championship at Carden Park, while Hazel McGarvie also stormed clear to win the Assistants’ title.
With rounds of 68 and 70 on the Cheshire Course, and at the venue that hosts the Women’s PGA Cup in September, Bowers stormed to a five-shot win over Sian Evans.
The highlight of the second round came on the 11th hole where Bowers made a superb eagle, and three more birdies thereafter carried her to success.
“I’m over the moon” she said. “It’s my third professional win, so it’s awesome to add that one to the bag. That was a stressful round!
“It was a great battle, but it was stressful, so it’s nice to feel relieved now that it’s over. It was awesome out there, it was a lot of fun.
“The start of the round, for me, I left a lot of birdie putts in the jaws, so I had to stay patient and then it was nice to start to finally see them sink.
“It was nice to eagle the par 5, to make that eagle and to make a few more birdies coming in, it was just great. It just stuck to my process out there, that was the main thing for me. I was really happy with that.
“The course was a great challenge. I’ve not played the Cheshire Course for years. The back nine – there are some holes there that you could birdie or double-bogey, but it’s a great test of golf. It’s very firm, but it’s been great to come back here and play the course. It’s a good challenge.”
By respectively finishing in second and tied for fifth, Evans and Tracey Boyes have both qualified for the Women’s PGA Cup later this year. Evans was the professional winner in 2025, and Boyes came second.
The other two places will be decided via the WPGA Series Order of Merit.
Pictured: (L-R) Hazel McGarvie and Jae Bowers
McGarvie of Royal Troon was equally as impressive across 36 holes, shooting a 72 and a 69 to win by nine shots and finish as the only player under par. She showed immense levels of consistency throughout the tournament to defend her crown from last season at Goswick.
“It feels great to be the first back-to-back (winner),” she said. “I played pretty solid today. It was a poor 17th hole which I was getting quite annoyed at. I thought I messed it up on 18 as well, hitting it into the bunker, but I managed to get a birdie which was good.
“I played well. The plan was fairways and greens, so I’m pretty happy.
“Until 16, I hit 16 greens in regulation, so I think my dad jinxed it by telling someone that on the 17th tee! But 17 greens out of 18 is pretty solid.
“The course was great. It played a bit like a links course, because it’s been so warm here. It was really bouncy and quite difficult to actually tell how far the ball was going to roll out.
“That’s where I got caught out on 18 there, hitting my shot into the bunker. But it played great and the greens were lovely.”