LookAtVietnam – Vietnamese Nguyen Thai Duong has been training for the last nine years to earn his way into golf’s professional arena, most recently while studying at Arizona State University in the US.

Aiming for the top: 23-year-old golfer Nguyen Thai Duong hopes to become a professional athlete in the next few years.

The 23-year-old golfer made it to the national team for the Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines in 2005 and again for the Games in Thailand in 2007.

Duong started playing as a teenager when he was taken to golf courses by his father, who used to play every weekend.

The Hanoian amateur, who also took a six-month course at the Asian Golf Academy in Malaysia with Australian coach Kel Llewllin, won his first ever title when he clinched the U-18 golf tournament in Malaysia.

“Training for golf is very difficult, but I’m trying my best to become a professional in the future. Most of the best golfers reach their top form when they’re over 30, and I’ve only practised the sport for few years,” said Duong.

“I’ll become a professional athlete in the next few years. I have time to reach my goal of playing in a professional golf tournament.”

Duong’s younger brother Nguyen Tri Dung,16, has also been practising the sport for the past eight years.

The two brothers and their father, Nguyen Ngoc Chu - general secretary of the Viet Nam Golf Association - have played against each other in the national championship.

According to Chu, the association has organised major events such as the Viet Nam Amateur Open, the Viet Nam Ladies National Championship and the Junior Championship since it was established in 2007.

The association is developing a programme to identify talented young players at schools across the country.

Currently, the country has around 100 golf courses and clubs nationwide with regular players.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News