China win-drome

A PGA Professional who moved to China to start a coaching empire has won her first major teaching honour.

Hayleigh Wigmore, 27, who began her golfing career at Haywards Heath aged nine, has picked up the Hainan Coach of the Year title.

It comes two years after the former LETAS player moved to China to set up the Golden Fairways Golf Academy with fiancé and fellow PGA Professional David Tottman.

The pair provide PGA coaching for members as well as visitors to the West Coast Golf Club from Haikou City and beyond.

Wigmore, who first started swinging a golf club when she was just 18 months old, admitted the award was a huge honour, saying: “I am so thrilled to have won it.” But she has more plans in the pipeline for 2017, which include focusing more heavily on junior golf development in China – and perfecting her big hitting.

“Coaching and playing was always going to be my career path,” Wigmore explained. “I started training to be a PGA Professional when I was 18 – and that was where I met my fiancé.

“We decided to move to Hainan and our business has been improving every year. Our aim is to progress the availability and accessibility of golf for juniors across China.

“Hopefully, by cooperating with the local governing bodies, we will be able to make those plans a reality in the near future.”

One of Wigmore’s most notable coaching successes is Julia Yuan a teenager who was shooting in the high 90s when she started and is now shooting level par on most rounds.

As well as teaching, running the business and training staff, Wigmore regularly updates her coaching videos on YouTube and is in the gym preparing for her next big personal challenge - a crack at becoming the queen of long driving.

Wigmore is regularly pounding the ball 285 yards off the tee and has hit a few over 300. She said: “I want to play more next year and compete in world long drive events.”