Tiffany Chan ready to tackle ‘US Open-like’ Incheon course
A strong performance in Korea should be enough for 22-year-old star to secure spot in Rio
The second major of the year, the US Open, starts Thursday at Oakmont Country Club near Philadelphia, but on the other side of the Pacific, in Korea, Hong Kong amateur Tiffany Chan Tsz-ching goes out in the first round of her own “major”, which could see her cement a starting place in the Olympic Games this summer.
The 22-year-old from Tuen Mun brilliantly won last week’s Hong Kong Ladies Open, a US$150,000 professional event, in a thrilling sudden-death play-off at Fanling to propel her up into 58th place on the Olympic rankings, with the top 60 players making the elite field in Rio.
With the qualification period ending on July 11, Chan knows that a strong performance at this week’s Korea Women’s Open Golf Championship in Incheon, which has been set up to almost US Open-like standards, will all but sew up her spot in Brazil.
“This is the strongest professional field I’ve ever come up against and the course is playing pretty tough,” said Chan, who has Hong Kong national coach Brad Schadewitz on caddying duties.
“It’s a much different test than last week – the course is playing long, the rough is thick and the greens are really firm, so it’s a lot like the US Open.
“The winning score last year was one over, so I think it’s going to be more about saving pars than making lots of birdies.”
