Three new national champions were crowned at Woodhall Spa, with Lexi Dart producing a dramatic final-hole birdie, Mariella Buchanan continuing Gloucestershire’s winning run and Jenny Justice taking the Senior Women’s title.
The annual Girls’, Women’s and Senior Women’s County Champion of Champions brought together county champions from across England at Woodhall Spa over the weekend, with the Bracken Course providing three very different winning stories.
Dart holes 30-footer to snatch Women’s title
Sussex champion Lexi Dart saved her best moment until the very last.
Needing a birdie at the 18th to overhaul Cheshire’s Morgan Bollan, Dart holed a remarkable 30-foot putt to claim the English Women’s County Champion of Champions title by a single shot.
It completed an impressive turnaround after an opening 75 (+3). Dart found more control in the second round and gave herself a chance coming down the closing stretch, including a near eagle at the 14th before converting for birdie.
Then came the putt that decided the championship.
“It’s very exciting and very unexpected to win,” said Dart. “I didn’t really have any goals coming into this other than to enjoy it, which I definitely did. It’s the biggest thing I’ve won to date.”
Bollan finished runner-up on +6, with Kent’s Selina Bartarya and Hertfordshire’s Haley Yerxa sharing third on +10.
Buchanan continues Gloucestershire’s winning run
There was another strong performance in the Girls’ championship, where Mariella Buchanan ensured the trophy remained in Gloucestershire for a second successive year.
The England Girls’ Squad player, from Bristol & Clifton Golf Club, opened with a level-par 72 to establish a four-shot halfway advantage.
A second-round 74 was enough to complete a two-shot victory on +2 and follow fellow Gloucestershire player Neve Jeffrey, who won the title in 2025.
Northamptonshire’s Lila Bisset applied the pressure with a one-under-par final round, but Buchanan’s morning advantage proved decisive.
Justice makes early advantage count
In the Senior Women’s championship, Jenny Justice gave Surrey another national champion after taking control with an excellent opening round.
Justice shot 75 (+3) on Saturday to build a five-shot lead and, although conditions proved tougher during her closing 82, that early cushion was enough to secure the title by five shots.
Bedfordshire’s Sue Caley produced Sunday’s standout round, making five birdies in a 75 to climb into a share of second place with Leicestershire & Rutland’s Jo Morris-Bourne.
For Dart, Buchanan and Justice, victory at Woodhall Spa adds a national title to the county championships that earned them their places in the field in the first place, and underlines the depth of women’s and girls’ golf being produced by counties across England.
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