Vietnam to host regional amateur golf championship

Truong Chi Quan will be one of Vietnam's representatives at the upcoming Southeast Asian Amateur Golf Team Championship on July 24 to 27 in Vinh Phuc province. — (Photo: golfplus.vn)

Hanoi (VNA) - The 2019 Southeast Asian Amateur Golf Team Championshipwill be held in the northern province of Vinh Phuc from July 24 to 27.

This will be the first time Vietnam has hosted the biggest regional amateurgolf event.

A total of 156 golfers from 12 countries and territories such as Brunei, Cambodia,Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and  host Vietnam will compete in the four-daytournament at the Heron Lake Golf Course and Resort, 45km from Hanoi's citycentre.

They will take part in four different categories. The Putra Cup, the mainevent, is for amateur male golfers 16 years old and above; the Lion City Cup isfor boys under 16; the Santi Cup is for women above 16; and the Kartini Cup isfor girls under 16.

The tournament will help golfers prepare for the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA)Games later this year in the Philippines, according to Pham Thanh Tri, DeputyGeneral Secretary of the Vietnam Golf Association.

He added that the Vietnamese team was targeting a third place finish.

Last year, players from Thailand won both the Putra Cup and the Kartini Cup.The Philippines took the Santi Cup and the hosts Myanmar secured the Lion CityCup.

The Southeast Asian Amateur Golf Team Championship was first held in 1961 byformer Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman with the goal of enhancingunity among golfers in the region. It is the biggest amateur golf event inSoutheast Asia.

This year is the 59th edition of the Putra Cup, the 13th Lion City Cup, the 11thSanti Cup and the seventh Kartini Cup.

The Philippines have dominated the tournament, having won the Putra Cup 17 times.- VNA

VNA