Olympics Brazil’s Lovelady will ‘have tears in eyes’

• Lovelady is one of three Brazilian golfers competing at Rio
• She is already using her Olympic bag and headcovers
• The 29-year-old is playing in this week’s Ladies Scottish Open

Brazilian Victoria Lovelady says she will have tears rolling down her face when she stands on the first tee in Rio after it was confirmed she had made Brazil’s golf team at the Olympics.

Lovelady, who is playing in the Ladies Scottish Open this week at Dundonald Links, will be joined in the Olympics by fellow countrywomen Miriam Nagl, while Adison Da Silva will be the only home representative in the men’s event.

The 29-year-old, who is also an accomplished guitarist, says being on the Olympic team has been her aim for a number of years.

“It’s something I’ve been working towards for the past six years,” she exclusively told bunkered.co.uk. “It’s been my motivation every day I’ve woken up in that time and for me, it’s something that goes beyond words.

“For it to be in my country, for it to be the first time golf has been in the Olympics for so long, it’s a dream come true.”

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Like many other golfers set to compete in Olympics in Rio, Lovelady received her official Olympic gear, including her golf bag, last week. However, with her place in the team still up in the air, Lovelady was worried she would only get to use it all this week at Dundonald Links and next week at Woburn during the Women’s British Open.

“I was packing to come to Scotland last Friday and I still hadn’t had confirmation I had definitely made the team,” she continued. “I had to mentally prepare myself that I may never get to use the bag and the headcovers at the Olympics.

“When I was just about finished packing, I got the call from the Brazilian Federation to say I was in. I was so happy and now I’m using it for sure.”

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The Brazilian is also one of the lucky few to have played the Olympic course which was designed by Gil Hanse. Despite all of the negative media coverage surrounding its positioning, Lovelady described it as ‘amazing’ after playing in a test event on March 8 this year.

She said: “The conditions are perfect. The grass that they’ve used is the best grass for that kind of terrain and it takes in salt water well so there won’t be any problems with its condition.

“The design is really interesting because it fools you a little bit off the tee and with approach shots due to the different angles of the greens. It’s a fair course that rewards good shots and I can’t wait to play it again.”

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