LPGA Tour: recharged Hong Kong pro Tiffany Chan eyes Olympics after 2020 season filled with ‘self-doubt and scepticism’
- The 27-year-old says mentally she was not in a great place during the summer of last year when she missed a number of cuts
- Hong Kong’s only LPGA pro is ready to return to the Tour after some time off and is confident it’s only a matter of time before she wins
A surge in form towards the end of 2020 lifted her spirits as she returned to Hong Kong for a break. And now Hong Kong’s first-ever LPGA Tour player is looking forward to a return to the circuit and building up to the Tokyo Olympics in July.
“Last year was a very unusual year for everyone and I started off by making two or three cuts and then Covid hit and everyone was forced to stop,” said Chan, who was speaking at a virtual event to announce the EFG Young Athletes Foundation scholarship programme.
“After we restarted, since July, everyone can see that my results are pretty horrible and I was pretty nervous and sceptical about my own ability.
“I started to doubt myself a little bit and mentally I wasn’t doing that great. I just tried to stick with it and it’s all part of my progress. I have had more time to improve and I get a new year to restart.
“Bigger things are going to happen with the Olympics and Hong Kong Open. I want to play in both if they happen and win a medal.”
Chan is ranked 256th in the world and was 121st on the LPGA official money list, earning US$29,349 in 2020 for a career total of US$208,581. After missing a number of cuts last summer, Chan improved in her last two tournaments of the year, finishing in ties for 69th and 25th.
Swiss private bank EFG helps identify and nurture Hong Kong’s sporting stars of the future and the programme was launched on Tuesday by Albert Chiu, executive chairman, Asia Pacific.
Chan, who has been supported by the bank since 2009 and is a global sport ambassador, will continue to receive their backing as she prepares for the Olympics. Tennis players Eudice Chong and Cody Wong Hong-yi, equestrian athlete Vincent Capol and teenage golfer Chloe Chan Cheuk-yee are also under the EFG wing.
Successful applicants are funded from a scholarship pool of up to HK$250,000 with the flexibility to use the stipend to aid their sporting careers.
“This support is more timely now with the pandemic challenging sport worldwide,” said Chiu. “At such a time, athletes need the encouragement of their community, especially emerging athletes who may lack the resources to commit to refining their skills and are in danger of leaving their sport.
Hong Kong’s Tiffany Chan spends quarantine working out for Tour return
“We are very proud of Tiffany, proud to be her sponsor and proud of the partnership. We have known her since she was 14 and by then she was already a stand-out young golfer.
“Last year was a very tough time for her and for other athletes because of Covid. The routine and the rhythm changed and they could not practise as usual. So I really look forward to the start of the new season. I’m quite confident that she will do very well and we also have the Olympics to look forward to.”
The 27-year-old Chan is hoping to join the LPGA Tour for the Gainbridge tournament in Orlando, Florida, at the end of February, hoping to learn from the lessons of 2020.
“I took some serious lessons about myself and I’m still learning every day. When I struggle, I learn more about myself, my swing and personal life,” said Chan.
“I know I’ve got tons of room for improvement, physically, mentally and technically, and I’m really looking forward to 2021. I really think I could win pretty soon, it’s just a matter of time.”
