Vietnam to host regional amateur golf championship

This will be the first time Vietnam has hosted the biggest regional amateur golf 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-day tournament at the Heron Lake Golf Course and Resort, 45km from Hanoi's city centre.

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

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

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

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