She turned pro five months ago. Now Shannon Tan is going to be Singapore's first Olympic golfer

SINGAPORE: Aincredible 2024 promises to get even better for 20-year-old Shannon Tan, after she made the cut for the upcoming Olympics.

In doing so, Tan will be the first Singaporean golfer to compete at the Games.

Calling it "mind-blowing" and a "great honour and great opportunity" to fly the Singapore flag in Paris come August, she told CNA: "I look forward to taking it one shot at a time."

Qualification for the sport is determined by the Olympic Golf Rankings, with only 60 men and 60 women set to tee off at the Games.

The top 15 players from the Official World Golf Rankings are eligible for the Olympics, but this is capped at four golfers per nation.

Thereafter, the Olympic Golf Rankings are made up of the top two eligible players per country, on condition that the country does not have at least two players in the top 15.

Tan placed 41st in the Olympic Golf Rankings with the qualification period ending on Monday (Jun 24).

As of Monday, a total of 23 Team Singapore athletes including Tan have qualified for the Games.

Tan, already Singapore's top female golfer, turned professional about five months ago.

She made history shortly after when she won the Magical Kenya Ladies Open in February, becoming the first Singaporean to earn a Ladies European Tour (LET) title.

"Winning Magical Kenya Ladies Open was a career highlight because I won on my LET debut and less than a month after turning professional as well," recalled Tan, who is ranked 181st in the world.

"I've of course thought about the 'what could haves' and the 'what should haves' but I've also realised that I've gained so much experience and I've learnt so much."

Instrumental to Tan's success has been the support of her parents, who decided to quit their jobs and relocate to