Staff WriterBishop’s Stortford turned the English Women’s Champion Club into their own personal parade ground on Sunday, marching six shots clear of the field at City of Newcastle Golf Club to claim the crown. Harriet Buchan, Jackie Foster, and Haley Yerxa combined for a total of +1, leaving the rest chasing shadows.
It was Yerxa and Foster who lit up the final day. Yerxa, apparently fuelled by birdseed and jet fuel, rolled in four birdies and an eagle en route to a sparkling 70 (-3).
Foster wasn’t about to be upstaged, adding a tidy 72 (-1) of her own. Those were the only under-par team scores recorded across the entire weekend—proof that Bishop’s Stortford weren’t just winning, they were rewriting the script.
From Day One Leaders to Runaway Winners
The Hertfordshire club had set the pace on Saturday, with Yerxa grinding out a 75 (+2) and Buchan steady on 76 (+3). That was enough to give them a slender lead over North Hants and Chelmsford heading into Sunday. But when the dust settled, Bishop’s Stortford had shifted into an entirely different gear.
North Hants, boasting the trio of Aimee Paterson, Gemma Burgess, and Georgina Carter, pushed hard. Paterson fired rounds of 75 (+2) and 70 (-3), with Burgess adding a pair of 77s (+4). Still, their +7 total was only good enough for second—commendable, but a fair distance behind the runaway winners.
Chelmsford, meanwhile, brought up third on +14, with Lauren Gowers and Lily Frost carding identical numbers like synchronised swimmers: Gowers on 76 (+3) and Frost on 77 (+4). Consistent, yes. Title-winning, not quite.
Ruthless and Relentless
The English Women’s Champion Club is never short on drama, but this year’s edition belonged to Bishop’s Stortford from start to finish. By Sunday afternoon, Yerxa and Foster had turned the title race into little more than a coronation march.
For anyone keeping score, that six-shot margin was the largest cushion seen in years at this event. If dominance had a postcode, it was registered firmly in Hertfordshire this weekend.
Final Leaderboard Snapshot
- 1st – Bishop’s Stortford (+1)
- 2nd – North Hants (+7)
- 3rd – Chelmsford (+14)
