Top Vietnamese amateur golfer fails to meet expectations on Asian tour

By Quoc Huy October 31, 2022 | 11:56 pm PT

Vietnam number one amateur golfer Nguyen Anh Minh. Photo by Vietnam Golf Association

Vietnam number one amateur golfer Nguyen Anh Minh did not play true to his form and placed low at the 2022 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (APAC).

In the first round, 15-year-old Minh scored a birdie and zero bogey. After the second round, his score was -2, while placing first at the time was China’s Bo Jin with -10. Minh still had a chance to compete for a higher rank as the tournament still had two rounds left.

But in the third round, Minh ruined his chance as he continuously scored bogeys. After a triple bogey on hole 14, another on hole 15, he got a double bogey on hole 18. Two birdies later were not enough to help him redeem a disappointing round as he finished with a score of +5.

In the last round, Minh scored another two birdies but got six bogeys. Overall, Minh only got a score of +9 and placed 48th.

The winner of the 2022 APAC was Australia’s Harrison Crowe with -13, followed by Bo Jin with -12.

The 2022 APAC was hosted from Oct. 27-30 in Thailand. It has been hosted annually since 2009 except for 2021 when the tournament was canceled due to Covid-19.

Before the 2022 APAC, Minh competed in three domestic tournaments, winning the Lexus Challenge and Vietnam National Championship, and finished fourth at the Vietnam Open. With the Lexus Challenge title, Minh became the youngest amateur champion in the history of Vietnamese professional golf.