National Sports Games

Golfers of Quảng Ninh hope to get winning results at the National Sports Games next week. Photo baoquangninh.com.vn

QUẢNG NINH — Quảng Ninh's golf team expects a winning result at its first National Sports Games which will take place on its home turf later this month.

At the ninth NSG, the hosts will gather 10 athletes who are the best golfers selected from provincial clubs and the Quảng Ninh Golf Association.

To prepare for the quadrennial competition, the team has been training hard at the Tuần Châu Golf Course eight hours per day, five days a week in addition to fitness practice.

Competing on home soil and having more time to practise at the competition venues are considered advantages for the squad.

They are strongly supported by the Tuần Châu Group which sponsors practising fees while the Quảng Ninh Golf Association takes care of daily wages and promises valuable prizes to athletes with high results.

"The coaching board gives them the best conditions to practise well. Practise is flexible for them to match with their work and businesses," said head coach Bùi Văn Dương.

Dương said the home ground advantage would help them a lot. However, they will face strong rivals from Hà Nội and HCM City which are top national golf powerhouses.

The title favourites are No. 1 Trần Lê Duy Nhất and rising star Nguyễn Anh Minh of Hà Nội, and Lê Khánh Hưng, Đặng Quang Anh and Trần Lam of HCM City.

On the women's side, defending champion Nguyễn Thảo My of Hà Nội and her young teammates Lê Chúc An will be strong contenders, while Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Dung and Mai Thị Thuý Vi of HCM City are also candidates for the title.

Quảng Ninh's best hope is Đỗ Hồng Giang, the FLC Việt Nam Master champion in 2020. Giang placed third in the Nam Á Bank Việt Nam Masters early this year and is currently ranking third in the list of the 30 best golfers of the 2022 season.

The other one is coach cum athlete Dương who has been competing in the national championship since 2008. He has also been a familiar face at pro events for years.

The female athletes are Vũ Thị Thuận, Nguyễn Thị Nga, Nguyễn Thị Bích Diệp and Bùi Kim Oanh. They won fourth place at the National Golf Club Championship 2022 and are expected to get better results at the NSG.

Among their 10 athletes, four men and three women will be shortlisted prior to the competition date on December 13.

Single events will be organised in stroke play format in two rounds, while team events will be in the match play format.

Golf will wrap up on December 16.

At the previous Games in 2018, Hà Nội secured all four titles of men's and women's singles and team events at the BRG Kings Island Golf Resort in Hà Nội. VNS