Hong Kong: She may not be in the starting line-up at this week’s Faldo Series Hong Kong Championship, but the name of Tiffany Chan Tsz-ching will loom large at the Jockey Club Kau Sai Chau Public Course.
In 2012, Chan finished as runner-up in the Girls’ Under-21 Division at the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final.
Four years on, Chan, now aged 22, is in the throes of her final preparations for next month’s golf tournament at the Rio Olympic Games where she will be one of only three amateurs in the elite field.
Her achievement in qualifying for the Olympiad has been hailed as the finest moment in the rich history of Hong Kong golf and is certain to act as an inspiration to competitors in the 54-hole Faldo Series Hong Kong Championship, the seventh leg of the record-breaking 2016-17 Faldo Series Asia.
Six-time Major championship winner Sir Nick Faldo said: “My congratulations to Tiffany on winning her place at the Olympic Games. Great credit to her and to the Hong Kong Golf Association for all they have done to promote junior golf over the years.
“It gives me a tremendous sense of pride to see players who have taken part in the Faldo Series Asia, such as Tiffany, go on to achieve success in the game.
“On and off the course, Tiffany made a great impression when she competed in the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final and she is now a role model for up-and-coming young players in Hong Kong and around Asia.
“I will be following closely how she fares in Rio and am sure it will be an experience that will stand her in great stead for the rest of her career.”
The Faldo Series Hong Kong Championship is being played in conjunction with the 2016 Jockey Club Kau Sai Chau Junior Open presented by now TV.
More than 50 players aged between 11 and 18 will be chasing a minimum of four qualifying spots on offer to the 11th Faldo Series Asia Grand Final, to be hosted by Faldo at Laguna Lang Co in Danang, Vietnam, in March, 2017.
Among the favourites in the R&A World Amateur Golf Ranking-counting event at Kau Sai Chau is Leon D’Souza.
D’Souza swept to a wire-to-wire victory in last year’s Faldo Series Hong Kong Championship and went on to top the standings in the Boys’ Under-18 category at the 10th Faldo Series Asia Grand Final at Mission Hills China in March.
Supported by The R&A and endorsed by the Asian Tour and the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation, the 2016-17 Faldo Series Asia campaign stretches over 11 months.
As well as two events in China, India and Thailand, championships will be staged in Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Chinese-Taipei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.