The women’s golf field at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro will feature three players with USC backgrounds, as Candie Kung (Chinese Taipei), Tiffany Chan (Hong Kong) and Victoria Alimonda Lovelady (Brazil) secured berths in the 60-woman field.
Kung, an LPGA veteran since 2002 with almost $7 million in career earnings, finished 18th on the Olympic rankings chart, while Chan, one of only three amateurs to qualify, was ranked 54th. Lovelady was ranked 61st, one spot out of the final ranking, but she moved into the top 60 after two Dutch golfers pulled out.
“We are excited to have three of our athletes competing in the Olympics next month,” said USC women’s golf coach Andrea Gaston. “Now that golf has returned to the Olympics, it is a tremendous honor to finally have our players among the many other Trojan Olympic greats representing their respective countries.”
Lovelady (formerly Victoria Alimonda) was a two-year Trojan (2008-09) after transferring from Santa Barbara Community College. She was a member of USC’s second national title team as a 2008 junior, playing in four events (starting once), and started twice as a 2009 senior. She is a three-year veteran of the Ladies European Tour (2014-2016) and played professionally on the Symetra Tour in 2012 and 2013.
Chan earned WGCA All-American second team honors as a first-year Trojan this year after transferring from Daytona State College. She was a team co-leader in stroke average (71.97) in 2016, tying for eighth on USC’s all-time season chart, and helped Troy to the NCAA Championships match play quarterfinals. Chan posted five top 10 finishes, including three in a row – all in the postseason – to close the year, and had seven top 14 results to go with five rounds in the 60s.
Kung (2000-01) was a two-time All-American and two-time All-Pac-12 first-teamer as well as the 2000 Pac-12 individual champion for the Trojans. As a 2000 freshman, she set USC records for stroke average (72.6) and low round (65) while posting seven top 5 finishes and eight in the top 10. As a 2001 sophomore, she opened the season with seven straight top 5 finishes and had eight on the season, including a tie for third at the 2001 NCAA Championships. She has four career LPGA wins and more than 50 top 10 finishes.
The four-round Olympic golf competition for women is set for Aug. 17-20.
