Playing in his first event of the season, former PGA Tour Player Craig Bowden was the only player to better par today at South Bend CC. Faced with a difficult wind throughout the day, Bowden still managed to post a 36-hole total of 2-under-par, 140 and leads by two at the Indiana PGA Professional Championship.
After becoming a PGA Life Member, and no longer having Tour status, Bowden is now eligible to participate in Indiana Section PGA events and is excited to compete against the state’s top professionals.
“I have never been eligible to participate in Section events before, but I am excited to have this opportunity,” said Bowden, a sales rep for KBS Shafts. “I feel very fortunate to be a part of the Indiana Section and it would be tremendous to represent the state at the PNC.”
The top five finishers this week will advance to the 49th PGA Professional National Championship (PNC) at Turning Stone Resort in Verona, N.Y., home to three of the country’s premier public/resort courses. The event will be held June 26-29, 2016.
“My goal is to advance to the PNC and then finish in the top 20 and qualify for the PGA Championship next year,” Bowden said. “The key here at South Bend CC is to hit fairways off the tee keep the ball below the hole.”
After a 19-year hiatus from Indiana golf events, Bowden decided to participate in last year’s Indiana Open Championship, and walked away with a victory. Bowden posted an untouchable 18-under-par and won the Open for the third time (previous wins coming in ’94, ’95).
“It felt great to get back into competitive golf last year,” Bowden said. “Now that I’m finally eligible, it’s been a goal of mine to qualify for the PNC. It would be special to get there.”
Mike O’Toole of Riverside Golf Academy is currently second at even par.
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