Sixteen is sweet: Ngo Bao Nghi tops field in Faldo Series VN

Sixteen is sweet: Ngo Bao Nghi tops field in Faldo Series VN

Teen has low gross as five advance to 2010 final in China

PHAN THIET, Vietnam (10 August 2009) – Shooting back-to-back 79s in blustery conditions at Ocean Dunes Golf Club, 16-year-old Ngo Bao Nghi won the Girls Under 21 title in the Faldo Series Asia (FSA) Vietnam Championship. Her 158 total was also three strokes better than Joon Lee, last year’s overall winner, who took Boys Under 21 honors; and five strokes clear of Nguyen Tri Dung, who triumphed in the Boys Under 16 division.

All three advance to the Asia Grand Final at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China, March 2010, to compete against counterparts from 12 Asian nations. Also advancing are the runners-up in the Boys Under 16 and Girls Under 21 flights, respectively, Vu Thien Vinh (81-85-166) and Luu Thi Viet Nga (84-78-162). Nga’s 78 was the lowest single-round score for the tournament, having won the Gannon Vietnam Open Ladies Championship at the same Ocean Dunes Golf Club two weeks ago.

“Being able to play consistently in challenging conditions was very satisfying,” said Nghi, “so I’m really looking forward to Mission Hills and of course to meeting Mr. Faldo,” referring to Nick Faldo, six-time Major winner and founder of FSA, who will serve as master of ceremonies for the final. He also designed both Ocean Dunes and the course at Mission Hills on which the final will be contested.

Hosted for the second consecutive year by Ocean Dunes, the weekend also featured a “tournament within a tournament,” the Vietnam National Junior Championship. Nguyen Thanh Binh (98-93-191) won the Boys Under 21 division, while Dung and Nghi were crowned champions in the Boys Under 16 and Girls Under 16 flights, respectively.

This year’s installment also included 27-hole competitions for Boys Under 12 and Girls Under 12, won by Truong Chi Quan (132) and Pham Hoang Linh Chi (185), respectively. Ho Chi Minh City won the team title.

In all, some 40 youths participated in the official competitions, but they weren’t the only kids hitting golf balls over the weekend: As in the year before, young spectators were welcome to try their hands at the practice range, as Ocean Dunes continues to function as a center for junior-golf development.

“The great thing,” said PGA Professional and Director of Golf Operations Kenny Saunders, “is that you’ll see a kid who last year had never swung a club and this year is actually playing in the tournament.”

Added Kurt Greve, general manager and director of golf at Ocean Dunes Golf Club: “We understand that golf is still relatively new to Vietnam, so our objective is to increase everyone’s interest in playing the game – new players, members, the general public.”

Opened in 1994, Ocean Dunes Golf Club is well known around the world for its close relationship to the sea, windswept dunes and singular holes, including the difficult par-3 9th, which sits hard by the East Sea and has been touted by GOLF (USA) magazine as one of the 500 best golf holes in the world. www.vietnamgolfresorts.com

The FSA Vietnam Championship takes the 2009-'10 schedule to 15 tournaments in 12 different countries across the continent. Supported by UBS, Mission Hills and The R&A, the Faldo Series hosts many leading young golfers, boys and girls aged 12 to 21. www.nickfaldo.com/series