Việt Nam to compete in the SEAAGTC as a title favourite force

Golf

National top player Nguyễn Anh Minh and teammates will compete in the Southeast Asian Amateur Golf Team Championships 2024 from July 9-12 in Singapore. — Photos of VGA

HÀ NỘI — Some of the best young Vietnamese golfers will aim for high results in the Southeast Asian Amateur Golf Team Championships (SEAAGTC) 2024 from July 9-12 in Singapore.

Supported by the R&A, a total of 10 countries have confirmed their participation. They are Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Việt Nam, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Myanmar, Brunei and Hong Kong who will feature at the award-winning Seletar Country Club.

Việt Nam will send a team of 16 and compete in four tournaments of the championships.

The Putra Cup, initiated in 1961 by Malaysia’s former Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, was designed to foster closer ties among ASEAN nations and elevate the regional standard of golf.

Complementing this legacy, Singapore introduced the Lion City Cup in 2004 to recognise the region’s best boys golfers under 16 while Thailand started the Santi Cup in 2009 to feature the top women amateurs, followed by Indonesia with the Kartini Cup in 2013 to highlight junior girls under 16.

The 61st Putra Cup will open for male golfers of all ages. Vietnamese representatives are national No 1 Nguyễn Anh Minh, Vietnam Amateur Open champion Đoàn Uy, SEA Games winner Lê Khánh Hưng, and reigning champion of the National Junior Championship Nguyễn Đức Sơn.

The 13th Santi Cup, which is for female golfers of all ages, will see Vietnam Lady Amateur winner Đoàn Xuân Khuê Minh, Vietnam Golf Association (VGA) Junior Tour​ series winner​ Nguyễn Bảo Châu, and Nguyễn Vũ Hoàng Anh.

Talented Nguyễn Vũ Hoàng Anh is one of Vietnamese golfers at the 13th Santi Cup.

The 15th Lion City Cup is for the boys’ U16 with three Vietnamese representatives Nguyễn Trọng Hoàng, Nguyễn Tuấn Anh and Hồ Anh Huy.

Meanwhile Arena Trần, Anna Lê and Nguyễn Viết Gia Hân are three players of Việt Nam at the ninth Kartini Cup for girls’ U16 players.

Competitors will have a practice day on July 8 before competing in four rounds under stroke play format for both individual and team titles.

“This year, Việt Nam take part in all four events with our best athletes, who have recently recorded high results in the national amateur championships, such as Anh Minh, Đoàn Uy, and Khuê Minh,” said Vũ Nguyên, general secretary of the VGA.

“We set to win up to five medals including two golds from the 2024 SEAAGTC and all will focus on the prestigious Putra Cup.”

The ​​​​​SEAAGTC is the most important event of Việt Nam’s golf team in 2024 when there is no international tournament.

With Anh Minh’s Taiwan Amateur Championship trophy and Đức Sơn’s Faldo Series Asia Grand Final title, Việt Nam prove a strong threat at this year SEAAGTC edition.

Last season, Đức Sơn won individual gold of the Lion City Cup and Việt Nam took silver of the Putra Cup’s team category, a significant milestone that marked a turning point in the country’s golf history, coming on the heels of their first-ever gold medal in golf at the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games. VNS