Truong Chi Quan will be one of Vietnam's representatives at the upcoming Southeast Asian Amateur Golf Team Championship on July 24 to 27 in Vinh Phuc Province. — Photo golfplus.vn

This will be the first time Vietnam has hosted the biggest regional amateur golf event.

A total of 156 golfers from ASEAN and other territories and countries such as Hong Kong and Papua New Guinea 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.

They will have one day to practise ahead of the competition.

Golfers who grab high scores will receive points for their world amateur golf ranking (WAGR).

The tournament will help golfers prepare for the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games later this year in the Philippines, according to Pham Thanh Chi, deputy general secretary of the Viet Nam Golf Association.

He added that the Vietnamese team was targeting a third place finish.

The hosts will gather their best athletes including those who have made the WAGR list such as female golfers Nguyen Thao My and Hanako Kawasaki and male players Nguyen Quang Anh and Truong Chi Quan. The other slots will be decided after three national tournaments which are ongoing at KN Golf Links in Khanh Hoa Province.

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.

Vietnam will be voted president of the Southeast Asian Golf Federation after the championship.

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.

VNS