Golf

Vietnamese Nguyễn Anh Minh is selected as one of 12 members of the Asia/Pacific team competing at the Bonallack Trophy in August in Qatar. Photo courtesy of VGA

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese teenager Nguyễn Anh Minh has been invited to compete in the Bonallack Trophy men's team selection tournament to be held in La Manga, Spain on August 3-5.

The tournament is an amateur golf competition based on the model of the Ryder Cup which has put Asia/Pacific team players against a European team every two years since 1998.

The Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) has recently appointed Indian Rishi Narain as the non-playing captain of the Asia/Pacific team.

Captain Narain chose Minh as one of his 12 members.

The selection was based on players' results from high-profile events including the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship and the Namura Cup and World Amateur Golf Rankings.

It's the first time Việt Nam will have a representative in this prestigious tournament.

Minh is the top-ranked amateur golfer in Việt Nam. He places No 212 in the WAGR. His highest place was No 115 in August, 2022.

This year, he took part in the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia and won an individual bronze and a team silver, the best-ever result for Việt Nam.

He won the Việt Nam Golf Association Tour last year and was the youngest amateur champion of the country after winning the Lexus Challenge title.

Minh recently finished second in the North Sumatra Amateur Open in Indonesia.

He is one of three Vietnamese golfers training at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) Academy in Thailand to prepare for the ACC which will be held in Australia on October 26-29.

At the Bonallack Trophy, teams will compete in 10 fourballs, 10 foursomes and 12 singles matches in three days.

The competition, back in action after a four-year break, has been represented by some of the world's top players including Open Champion Cameron Smith, Master Champion Hideki Matsuyama and Major Champion Rory McIIroy.

The 2020 event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Asia/Pacific team led by Min Woo Lee took the win at the last tournament in 2018 at the Doha Golf Club in Qatar, ending the 14-year domination of the European team. VNS