R&A Student Tour Series win for Stirling golfer Grace Bowen

University of Stirling golfer Grace Bowen has won the women’s R&A Student Tour Series event in Spain – marking the biggest competition win of her career to date.

Grace, from Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire, lifted the trophy at La Sella Golf Club, near Alicante, after finishing four shots ahead of New Zealander Caitlin Maurice, of the University of St Andrews, and six ahead of Swede Elice Fredriksson, of Halmstad University.

It comes weeks after fellow Stirling golfer Will Coxon won the men's event in Portugal – and further underlines Stirling's position as Scotland's University for Sporting Excellence and as an attractive destination for golf scholars from across Europe.

In the men’s event in Spain, Stirling’s George Cannon and James Wood finished third and fourth, respectively – putting themselves in contention for the Order of Merit title as they head into the Tour’s final event in St Andrews at the end of March.

Exceptional

Dean Robertson, Head of Golf at the University of Stirling, said: “Grace was very good – she put in an exceptional performance, and the win was a real validation of all that work she has put in.

“Her first round was great – recording four under par – but it was how she followed up in her second round that really impressed me. This was her finest performance and her most significant win to date – I am thrilled for her.”

Grace, a third-year Mathematics student, made a strong start at the par-72 La Sella course, which was experiencing dry and firm conditions. She completed her first round in 68 shots, four under par, and followed up with rounds of 72 and 74, to finish the competition two under. She finished ahead of Caitlin Maurice (+2) and Elice Fredriksson (+4), while Stirling’s Ellie Docherty also secured a top 10 place (10th, +17).

The results leave Grace in sixth position in the overall Order of Merit for the season, with 154 points from four events. Stirling stablemate Abercrombie Nisbet is tied ninth on 65 points.

In the men’s event in Spain, Stirling’s George Cannon finished third (+1) and James Wood fourth (+2). George is third in the overall Order of Merit (225 points), James is fifth (203 points), while Stirling’s Ross Laird (8th, 164 points), Will Coxon (9th, 163 points) and Nicholas Wall (10th, 161 points) are also in the top 10 with one event to go. The final event will take place in St Andrews between March 30 and April 1, with enhanced points available – 1.5 times the standard, meaning several Stirling golfers remain in contention.

“George and James performed brilliantly,” Dean said. “There has been a lot of learning this week too and we will use the next few weeks to finesse our game going into the final R&A event.”

BUCS

Stirling’s golfers will compete in a host of other BUCS events across the rest of the season too – including the Scottish Student Sport Championships at Moray Golf Club (5-7 April), the Team Championship and Trophy Finals (22-23 April), and the Tour Finals at Princes Golf Club (5-7 May). They will also be hopeful of international callups over the summer, once student competitions end.

In an exciting summer of sport, Dean will again take charge of Great Britain and Ireland (GB&I) as they go up against the United States at the Walker Cup on 5 and 6 September. Dean was reappointed Captain of GB&I after taking charge of the team for the first time at the 50th edition of the Walker Cup, at Cypress Point Club in California. The team trailed by just one point going into the 10 closing singles matches, however, ended up losing 17-9. Dean’s meticulous work behind the scenes, along with the strong rapport developed with the players, helped secure backing for his second stint as Captain at Lahinch Golf Club, County Clare, Ireland.

Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence

The University of Stirling is Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence. At Stirling, athletes have access to world-class facilities, including a 50-metre pool, unrivalled outdoor space, and state-of-the-art strength and conditioning suites. The coveted high-performance golf programme has recently added a state-of-the-art indoor studio to its facilities, enabling the University's golfers to use data-driven insights to perfect their game.

In addition to its coaching and facilities, Stirling’s International Sports Scholarship Programme – one of the largest high-performance programmes in the UK – offers athletes funding support, academic flexibility, equipment and kit. It has supported hundreds of athletes since its inception in 1981 – with many competing on the world stage, including at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games.

Core sports include golf, triathlon, football, tennis, swimming, rugby and curling, while individual scholarships cover all Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games sports.

Read more about sports scholarships at the University of Stirling.