LookAtVietnam – Da Lat City will host more than 100 male and female golfers as they compete in the Viet Nam Amateur Open and the Viet Nam Ladies National Championship next week, announced the Viet Nam Golf Association (VGA) at a press conference on June 4.

Participants competing for the title in the four-day, 72-hole competition will include male golfers under the age of 23 with handicaps of four from ASEAN nations; foreign residents; and over-23 Vietnamese players with handicaps of nine.

The Viet Nam Amateur is open to non-professional players who are approved by the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.

The tournament will be trimmed to 30 male competitors after the second round who will continue with the third and fourth rounds next Saturday and Sunday.

The golfer with best overall score after four rounds will take the crown.

“We have overcome many challenges to organise the tournament during this difficult economic crisis. Many sponsors have joined us to organise Viet Nam’s biggest event so far,” said VGA general secretary Nguyen Ngoc Chu.

“This year’s event will see many young Vietnamese players. It’s a sign of better golf development in Viet Nam. However, Viet Nam has a long way to go before reaching an international level.”

Chu added that event sponsor Viet Nam Airlines has agreed to offer a 50 per cent air ticket discount to tournament competitors.

Speaking at the press conference yesterday, Jeff Puchalski, tournament chairman, said golfers will have the real chance to challenge each other at the Da Lat Palace Golf Club.

“I’m very honoured to chair this year’s golf tournament. I was in Viet Nam in 1995 to promote golf and to encourage people to recognise it as competitive sport,” he said.

“The tournament is very important for the future development of golf in Viet Nam. The VGA does a wonderful job.”

He also reminded golfers that the type of grass used on the tournament course is different from others in Viet Nam and could pose a challenge to them.

VGA’s general secretary added that the course’s greens are very fast and players will be tested by a lot of water, bunkers and changeable holes.

The Da Lat Club is considered an ideal course for national and international tournaments because it has received numerous accolades from experienced players.

Both the awards ceremony and the final round will be broadcast live on VTV’s channel 3.

At the event last year, Malaysian Nicholass Chee Yung Fung,18, took the men’s title after a first place finish of 277 (-11) over four rounds.

In the inaugural Viet Nam Ladies National Championship, Vietnamese golfer Nguyen Thi Ngoc Dung took the women’s title.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News