Asian Tour is coming back to Vietnam
In Khanh Hoa, the Asian Tour launched a tournament in the International Series group of the first-class branch on The Links par72 in KN Golf Links Cam Ranh from April 13 to April 16. The tournament brings together 156 players, has four rounds of stroke play, and competes for a prize fund of two million USD. Normally, the Asian Tour will reserve a few guest slots, according to the nomination from the host national golf association.
The International Series Vietnam course has been in operation since October 2018, designed by legendary golfer Greg Norman. This place is boldly coastal, with golf courses weaving between the white sand dunes. At the opening ceremony, Norman affirmed to have thoroughly applied the philosophy of "minimum impact on the existing environment and landscape" into The Links.
The last Asian Tour in Vietnam was the Ho Tram Open 2015, on The Bluffs in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, also led by Norman as the chief architect. There, Sergio Garcia took the cup with $270,000 after a side-hole match with Lin Wen-tang, Himmat Rai and Thaworn Wiratchant.
Norman is currently the CEO and Special Envoy of LIV Golf League, in which the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) holds the major shareholder seat. LIV Golf League was launched in June 2022 with an estimate of 2 billion USD for the first two seasons, both in the administrative year.
With the money from PIF, the owner company LIV Golf League becomes a partner of the Asian Tour, through a grant of 300 million USD for the International Series branch consisting of 10 tournaments in 10 years, announced in early 2022. In the first half of 2023, The Asian Tour has determined to organize four International Series tournaments with a prize fund of two million USD, respectively in Oman and Qatar in February, Thailand in March, and Vietnam in April.
After the International Series Vietnam, the Asian Tour is expected to continue hosting the BRG Open Golf Championship in Da Nang, under a three-year contract with the host BRG Da Nang Golf Resort. The event belongs to the Asian Development Tour (ADT) second-class system. Last year, the tournament was part of the Danang Golf Tourism Festival, which kicked off on August 31, through three rounds of stroke play, and competed for a prize fund of $75,000. However, this year's tournament has not determined the implementation framework, in the context that the ADT 2023 calendar is still empty.
ADT has been operating since 2010, as a stepping stone to the first-class arena of the Asian Tour, similar to the Korn Ferry Tour of the US PGA Tour or the Challenge Tour of the European DP World Tour. Since 2013, ADT awards are scored on the World Professional Rankings (OWGR).
The history of this arena so far has recorded only Tran Le Duy Nhat as the Vietnamese national champion, at the Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament 2015.
