Munificence backs top golfer’s lofty ambitions
Published: 24/07/2009 05:00
Tran Le Duy Nhat, who has been playing golf for seven years now and is now the best golfer in the country, has had a wealthy parent to back him. The 19-year-old, who is ranked 44th on the Asian Tour, is training at the Professional Golfer Career College (PGCC) in California. Nhat, who was a member of Vietnam’s national golf team from 2005-08, became the top golfer in Vietnam last June and began to play professionally last December. His swing speed is said to reach 126 miles per hour, which is almost the same as world number one Tiger Woods. “He spent most of his childhood playing golf,” says Nhat’s father Tran Dinh Luat, who is president of the My Ta Investment Consultancy Company. Seeing Nhat’s keen interest in the sport soon after he began to play at age 11, his father hired coach Huynh Van Do, the most experienced golf coach in Vietnam, to work as Nhat’s first trainer. Learning all the basic lessons about golf from his first days in the sport, Nhat was well on course to win tournaments at an early age. In 2003, the young boy surprised golf fans in the country by winning the Johnnie Walker Vietnam Competition and was chosen to compete in the Pro-Am International Johnnie Walker Tournament, organized in Perth, Australia, the same year. Also that year, his family decided to send him to New Zealand to get an education and improve his golf skills. When he was there, he had the opportunity to join the Akarana Club and play with world-famous professionals like Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia, Retief Goosen, Nick Faldo and the then number one British golfer Justin Rose. He quickly made a mark in New Zealand, winning the U15 Maugakiekie Auckland and the Inter-College Auckland tournaments. He became a member of Vietnam’s national golf team when he was just 15 years old. He competed at the 23rd Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines in 2005 and Asiad in Doha, Qatar in 2006. Set for the ‘big time’ After Nhat finished the 10th grade in New Zealand, his family sent him to the US because it is the world’s best place for learning golf. After three months in the US, he surprised professionals by becoming the first Vietnamese to beat 140 professional opponents in the qualifying round at Red Hawk, California, winning a berth in the professional tournament in California in 2007. That year, Nhat won several important tournaments like the Yorba Lind Junior, the summer Temaku Hills, and the Southern California PGA to be ranked 63rd in the World Juniors and fourth in the Junior (ages 16-18) category in Southern California PGA. After winning the gold medal at the Vietnam Golf Championship 2008, third place at the Vietnam Amateur Open 2008, and League Champion of Big Sky in the US, Nhat turned pro in December 2008 at age 19. He has since participated in golf tournaments on the Asian Tour, like Hana Bank Championship in Vietnam, Cambodia Open Championship in Siem Reap and the Mercedes Benz Masters 2009 in Singapore. From now until the end of the year, he will compete in four tournaments of the Asian Tour, one of which is the Mercedes Benz Masters Final. Nhat is now training with German coach Peter Wolfensteler at Thailand’s best golfing center ThongChai Jaidee. Major investment Nhat’s achievements mean his family has spent huge amounts of money on him. “In the US, if you want to play regularly at a private golf club like Bear Creek, you have to pay an entrance fee of US$70,000, which is big even for American families,” Nhat said. “I was lucky to stay at the house of an American friend who is a member of the school. “Every month, my friend’s family had to pay an extra $2,000 for me and him to practice.” His friend is none other than Rickie Fowler, the 18-year-old golfer ranked No. 1 in the US junior category. Nhat and Fowler were trained by PGA professional Tom Pernice Jr., who is ranked 63rd in the world. Asked if they ever thought it would be a waste of money, Nhat’s father said, “We believe he can be among Asia’s top 30 by the end of this year and become a leading golfer in Asia and the world in three years.” VietNamNet/Thanh Nien |
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