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

Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail makes waves in Phan Thiet

Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail makes waves in Phan Thiet

Blue Ocean Resort becomes member as Ocean Dunes GC preps for Faldo Series


PHAN THIET, Vietnam (4 August 2009) – Just in time for this weekend’s Faldo Series Asia tournament at Ocean Dunes Golf Club, Blue Ocean Resort, in nearby Mui Ne, joins the Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail, giving Trail-goers an ideal lodging link on the south-central coast.

Blue Ocean Resort, a Life Resorts Management Company property that recently underwent a US$1.8 million renovation, becomes part of a prestigious contingent of up-market hotels and resorts catering to guests enjoying Asia's most talked-about golf experience. The 84-room resort is located in Mui Ne, about 13 kilometers from Phan Thiet City and 230 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City.












Blue Ocean Resort, in Mui Ne, is the latest luxury property to partner with the Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail.

Gracing 1.8 hectares of some of the most inviting beachfront property in Southeast Asia, Blue Ocean Resort’s landscaped gardens, shaded by immense coconut trees, provide the ideal complement to the resort’s Balinese-style interiors, which emphasize fluidity between the indoor and outdoor. Indeed, there are even indoor and outdoor iterations of the spa.

“As the expression has it, you’re known by the company you keep,” said Alistair Cooray, general manager of Blue Ocean Resort, “so we’re thrilled to be affiliated with the Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail. And many of our guests have long been big fans of Ocean Dunes Golf Club, so our partnership already feels natural.”
Blue Ocean Resort’s guests are not alone in their affection for Ocean Dunes Golf Club. Last weekend saw the completion of the full-to-capacity Gannon Vietnam Open, staged annually since 1996 at the Nick Faldo-designed gem in Phan Thiet. Sponsored for the seventh year in a row by The Gannon Group (www.gannon.com.vn), the tournament raised thousands of dollars for charity, as all net proceeds from the weekend went to the Vietnam chapter of Orbis (www.orbis.org), a nonprofit group dedicated to eliminating avoidable blindness.

Some of the up-and-coming junior golfers who played in the event will also be in the field for this weekend’s Vietnam stop on the Faldo Series Asia (FSA), the second annual installment of the event at Ocean Dunes Golf Club. Inspired by the decade-long success of the Faldo Series in Europe, Faldo launched the equivalent in Asia in 2006.

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, as they compete for a place in the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final in China, hosted by six-time Major winner Faldo.

Ocean Dunes Golf Club seems the ideal location for the Vietnam stop of the FSA tour, for several reasons. It is consistently rated at the top of places to play in Asia. And along with its sister course, Dalat Palace Golf Club, in Dalat, the club has been a bastion for junior-golf development in Vietnam.














Ocean Dunes Golf Club, which will host the Faldo Series Asia competition Aug. 8-9.

Ocean Dunes Golf Club's multiple tees make it as difficult as necessary for top-flight competitions like the FSA and the Gannon Vietnam Open but playable for the resort golfer and corporate outings. Its accommodating staff and clubhouse facilities make it perfect for handling large groups.



















Nick Faldo both founded the competition and designed Ocean Dunes.

“Every event helps further solidify our reputation as a great venue for corporate golf events and for tournaments and large-group events,” said Kurt Greve, general manager and director of golf at Ocean Dunes Golf Club. “We’re also committed on every level to expanding participation and enjoyment of the game in Vietnam, so we’re doubly excited about hosting the Faldo Series competition.”

Currently, Life Resorts (www.life-resorts.com) owns and operates two other properties in Vietnam. Inspired by Cham architecture, the 63-room Life Wellness Resort Quy Nhon is a hideaway boutique on the south-central coast where a 3,000-square-meter landscaped garden overlooks a curvaceous coastline, outdoor spa bungalows and an exquisite stretch of private beach. The 94-room Life Heritage Resort Hoi An evokes the colonial splendor of a bygone era on a quiet stretch of the Thu Bon River, within walking distance of the old trading port’s world-famous downtown. That resort underwent extensive renovation through the spring of 2008.

Opened in 1994, Ocean Dunes Golf Club has garnered worldwide acclaim for its windswept dunes and singular holes, including the notorious par-3 9th, which sits hard by the East Sea and has been hailed by GOLF (USA) magazine as one of the best 500 holes in the world.

Anyone wishing to attend the FSA Vietnam Championship, players or spectators, should contact Ocean Dunes Golf Club on (+84 62) 382-3366 or visit the website at www.vietnamgolfresorts.com.

For information on the Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail, or to book a trip, visit www.hochiminhgolftrail.com.