A new women’s Bermuda Amateur Stroke Play champion will be crowned at Port Royal next week.

Ebonie Burgess, last year’s winner, has opted not to defend her crown because of her football commitments.

Burgess is a member of the Bermuda women’s team that qualified for the final round of the Caribbean Cup in Turks and Caicos last month.

“I have been focusing on football right now with the women’s national squad that made it to the next round of the Caribbean Cup,” said Burgess, who won the women’s title last year by 32 strokes over nearest rival Elizabeth Parsons. “We made it to the next round so my emphasis is on football at the moment.

“I have not been putting in the time with golf and I do not want to waste time and money just showing up to play.

“I cannot defend my title, but I will be back for it next year.”

The Bermuda team head to Trinidad in August for the final round of the tournament.

College student Tariqah Walikraam is among the favourites to claim Burgess’s vacant crown in the women’s field that is made up of ten players.

“I would say Tariqah has a good chance,” Burgess said. “But it depends on who shows up over those three days.”

Back to defend his men’s title is Will Haddrell who stormed to victory last year by 26 strokes over second placed Damian Palanyandi. Haddrell admits that he has his work cut out in a competitive men’s field of 33 players but is up for the challenge.

“We have a much deeper field this year and a lot of the lower handicappers in Bermuda are up for playing this year so it is definitely going to be a much tougher defence,” Haddrell said.

“I definitely do not expect it to be as big a margin as it has been in previous years. I feel good about my game and I enjoy playing competitive golf, so we will just see how it goes really. Golf to me is not life or death, it is just a bit of fun. So if I go out and have fun and play well I think I will be there or thereabouts.”

Jarryd Dillas, Jevon Roberts and Hav Trott are also among the favourites for the men’s title.