Hong Kong golfer Chan achieves 'once-in-lifetime' Rio dream

(Reuters) - Golf in Hong Kong received a shot in the arm with 22-year-old amateur Tiffany Chan Tsz-ching qualifying for next month's Olympic Games at Rio de Janeiro.

Chan finished 56th in the International Golf Federation rankings for the Games after the qualification period ended on Monday, with the top 60 players earning their places in Brazil next month.

"Making it to the Olympics is a potentially once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I couldn't be happier," Chan said in a statement issued by the Hong Kong Golf Association (HKGA).

"My goal is to represent Hong Kong to the very best of my ability," said Chan who won the second edition of the Hong Kong Ladies Open last month.

"For Tiffany to qualify for Rio, on the occasion of the game's return to the Olympics after more than a century's absence, makes this the greatest day in Hong Kong golfing history," HKGA president Mark Chan said.

"She will undoubtedly inspire the next generation of Hong Kong juniors who will look to follow in her footsteps."

(Reporting by Ian Rodricks in Bengaluru; Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)