Having qualified for the LPGA Tour, Hong Kong golfer Tiffany Chan is a great role model for young and old thanks, proving that hard work and determination are the keys to success
Hong Kong is packed full of yoga studios, CrossFit gyms and barre studios – because people enjoy breaking a sweat and stretching their bodies. But do you know that there are a great number of golfers in the city too? Hong Kong golfer and Olympic athlete Tiffany Chan came second in the final round of LPGA Tour Q-school, becoming the first golfer from Hong Kong to earn a place on the LPGA Tour.
Tiffany Chan qualifies for the LPGA Tour
LPGA, aka Ladies Professional Golf Association, is an American organisation for female professional golfers, also the biggest stage for female professional golfers. When we met with Tiffany Chan at Clearwater Bay Golf and Country Club recently, she still couldn’t contain her excitement and exclaimed that she was glad to have survived that five days of challenges during the tournament and not made the same mistakes after last year’s setback.
Not being given much leisure time in the past years due to practice, Tiffany looks forward to having a two-week break to rest at home and meet up with friends as a tiny reward to herself. She also expressed that her next goal will be to be one of the top 50 players in the LPGA ranking.
Chan didn’t come from a golfing family. She first started playing golf only out of curiosity when her dad’s friend suggested giving it a go. Growing up in Tuen Mun, she was lucky enough to have access to the one and only public golf club in Hong Kong, and that’s how her interest grew. At age 14, she was selected to participate in the Hong Kong Golf Association development programme and also the EFG Young Golfers programme. From age 14 to 19, she began to receive training in the U.S.A. during summers, and that paved her way to success.
Global private banking group EFG, Chan’s sponsor, has recently launched a new scholarship programme under its EFG Young Athletes Foundation for local sporting elites. The foundation aims to nurture talented youngsters in Hong Kong to achieve their full potential, just like Tiffany Chan.
Looking for cool things to do in the city? Try forest bathing with Kembali, sing your heart out at these karaoke bars or join different creative courses in Hong Kong to unleash your inner artist.