Bolger first came to wide notice in 1928 when he finished fourth in the
Australian Open at
Royal Sydney and runner-up to
Rufus Stewart in the
Victorian Professional Championship at Kingston Heath. Bolger and Stewart were level after three rounds before Stewart won by two strokes in a close finish. Bolger's first big win was in the 1930
New South Wales Professional Championship at Royal Sydney, where he beat
Dan Soutar, 8 and 7, in the 36-hole final. Earlier in 1930 he had reached the final of the New South Wales
Dunlop Cup but lost to his ex-boss
Tom Howard in the final, by one hole. In 1931 Bolger reached the final of the
Australian Professional Championship, losing, 2 and 1, to
Don Spence. Bolger came close to winning the New South Wales Professional Championship again in 1933, but lost a close final against
Charlie Gray by one hole. They were level playing the final hole, but Bolger missed a short putt to give Gray the title. In 1934 Bolger had his biggest success, winning the
Australian Open at
Royal Sydney. The championship saw the first serious American challenger with
Gene Sarazen competing. He was on a world tour with
Joe Kirkwood Jr. However Bolger won the open with a new record score of 283, with Sarazen second and Kirkwood fourth. The following week, Bolger reached the final of the
Australian Professional Championship, losing, 2 and 1,
Lou Kelly. He was selected for the Australian team for the inaugural
Lakes International Cup at
The Lakes Golf Club. The United States won the match 9–0. Earlier in 1934 he had been runner-up to
Dan Soutar in the New South Wales
Dunlop Cup at The Lakes. Between 1935 and World War II, Bolger's only significant win was in the 1939
New South Wales Professional Championship at Concord, where he beat
Norman Von Nida, 5 and 4, in the final. He best finish in this period in the
Australian Open was in the defence of his title in 1935. He had a poor first day and despite having the best score on the final day, only finished tied for third place. He was runner-up in a number of tournaments, in the
Lakes Open in 1936 and 1939 and in the New South Wales
Dunlop Cup in 1935, 1937, 1939 and 1940. In the 1936 Lakes Open he was the leading professional, behind
Jim Ferrier, while in 1939 he lost an 18-hole playoff to Von Nida by one stroke. By 1940 Bolger had been runner-up six times in the Dunlop Cup without winning. In early 1936 Bolger was one of the six-man Australian team in the second
Lakes International Cup at Lakewood Country Club, Long Beach, California. Bolger lost his singles match, 9 and 8, to
Horton Smith. Bolger continued to have some success after World War II. He finally won the New South Wales
Dunlop Cup in 1946, by a stroke from
Lou Kelly and
Ossie Pickworth in the 36-hole event. He was tied for fifth place in the 1949
Australian Open, 14 strokes behind
Eric Cremin, and he finished runner-up, a stroke behind Cremin, in the 1950
New South Wales Close Championship. As late as 1956 he was runner-up, with Cremin, in the
Lakes Open. An amateur,
Harry Berwick, won the event so Bolger and Cremin shared the first prize money. ==Later life==