Ricardo Heads to Rio

ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – Varsity Knight Ricardo Gouveia will be hitting the links in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this summer, as he represents his home nation of Portugal in the 2016 Olympics.
 
Gouveia was a standout player on the UCF men's golf team from 2011-14. As a Knight, he notched a career scoring average of 71.8, took individual medalist honors three times, and finished top-10 among individuals 19 times. As a senior, he was named to both the American Athletic All-Conference Team and Ping All-Region Team (Southeast).
 
Gouveia is excited to represent his country and has the added comfort of knowing he won't face the language barrier that many fellow Olympians will encounter.
 
"It feels great," Gouveia said. "It's one of those sporting events that you dream to be a part of at least once in your life. It's going to be special being in Rio where the native language is Portuguese."
 
After graduation, the Almancil, Portugal, native had immediate success in the professional ranks. In his first two years on the European Tour and Challenge Tour, he won three times and finished in the top-10 14 times, including three runner-ups.
 
Gouveia competed in his first PGA event in 2016 when he was invited to join the field at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Fla. He is currently ranked No. 126 in the world (owgr.com) and achieved his career best ranking of No. 77 earlier this year.  
 
Gouveia has set the bar high and expects a lot of himself as he prepares for the summer games.
 
"Hopefully I can hit peak form when the Olympics start," Gouveia said. "My goal for the tournament is to win a gold medal."
 
Gouveia is focused on playing well in Rio and continuing to improve his game in order to compete at the highest level as a professional. He looks back fondly on his time at UCF and says being a Knight was instrumental in getting him on his current path.

"The whole experience that I had at UCF was crucial to reach the level of play and the stability that I have right now," he said.  "I learned so much from a lot of people while attending school. I can't thank them enough."

The 2016 Summer Olympics officially begin Aug. 5 with the men's golf competition slated for Aug. 11-14 and the women's competition Aug. 17-20.