Two-time ladies' county champ to leave area

The locality's finest ever female golfer is to shortly move out of the area.
Chelsea Masters was the Sussex ladies' golf champion in 2015 and 2016.Chelsea Masters was the Sussex ladies' golf champion in 2015 and 2016.
Chelsea Masters was the Sussex ladies' golf champion in 2015 and 2016.

Chelsea Masters, a two-time county ladies’ champion who has represented Sussex on many occasions, will be moving to Peterborough next month.

The Hastings-based Highwoods Golf Club member will be heading to the Cambridgeshire city as her boyfriend has been given a great job opportunity.

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She said: “I would obviously love to say thank you to everyone as I have received a lot of support from all sorts of people throughout the years, which has always been a real encouragement to me.

“I’m thinking this could be a good time for me to start the PGA (Professional Golfers Association) degree for coaching, but I haven’t decided fully yet if this is what I shall do. I am currently looking into it.”

Masters won the Sussex County Ladies’ Golf Association County Championship at Ifield Golf Club in 2015 and West Sussex Golf Club in 2016. She was also the runner-up at Littlehampton Golf Club last year.

The 26-year-old was part of the Sussex team which achieved its best ever result in the women’s English Counties Championship at Frilford Heath Golf Club in 2015.

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She also secured 5½ points to help Sussex qualify for that event by winning the England Golf South Region County Match Week at Worthing Golf Club - one of several occasions in which Masters has represented Sussex in that event.

Masters is a multiple winner of the Ladies’ Championship at Highwoods and helped the Bexhill club reach the semi-finals in Division One of the Sussex Inter-Club Division Championship two years ago.

She received the More Radio Sporting Excellence Award in 2016 and this year completed the Hastings Half Marathon wearing race number 66, reflecting her ladies’ course record at Highwoods.

Masters first got into golf 16 years ago through her dad Steve and became Sussex junior champion in 2009. Five years later she won the South Region ladies’ title and reached the semi-finals of the English Mid-Amateur Championship.

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She achieved a scratch handicap and is a very popular figure at Highwoods.

Former Highwoods club captain Eric Hardwick said: “Certainly the best female golfer we have ever had in the area.

“I especially remember her being junior captain in 2007 when I was captain of Highwoods. My highlight with her was winning Sussex Captains Mixed Tournament at Cooden in 2013.”

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