Tran Le Duy Nhat: 15-year-old Future Star of Vietnamese Golf

Tran Le Duy Nhat: 15-year-old Future Star of Vietnamese Golf 

Surpassing 156 Vietnamese golfers from local golf clubs at the first Him Lam Golf Tournament in late 2004, Tran Le Duy Nhat, the 15-year-old future star  won the tournament with a round of 78. VIB Forum’s reporter Song Phuong held an interview with him about his future in the game.

What do you think about your achievements so far?

The most important thing in my mind are my initial results and I have to put in a great effort to be successful in golf. I have only been playing the game for four years, so it is too early to say where I’m going in the game.

Can you tell us about how you developed your progress in the game?

When I was 11, my father took me to golf courses and I found it very interesting. With my parents’ encouragement to engage in the sport, I started practicing. I went to Auckland in New Zealand to study at Peter’s School with indigenous pupils without English training courses when I was 12. I boarded with a native family and arranged all my activities, from learning, practicing to joining competitions, by myself. Apart from following subjects at the school, I had chances to practice and play golf with training courses of professional coaches of Auckland’s Akarana Club, and then became a member of Peter’s sport team, participated in many large-scale golf tournaments in New Zealand, and won many prizes. In 2004, my school’s team ranked sixth in the national golf tournament in Wellington Capital and won the Champion Cup for secondary students in Auckland.

In Vietnam, I reached the Champion Cup of Johnny Walker Classic Vietnam and was allowed to join Pro-Am Tournament under the framework of the professional International Johnny Walker Classic opened in Australia in 2003. In late 2003, I came back Vietnam to enjoy the summer holiday and seized the Champion Cup of the Friendship Tournament of Song Be Golf Club here. Last year, I won the same cup of Song Be Golf Club and the champion title of the Him Lam Golf Tournament 2004.

You will enter the 11^th grade in early 2005, what are your future plans?

In the last school year, I ranked third among 10^th grade classes of Peter’s School. With the good studying result, I was admitted to learn at Saigon South International School, an international high school in District 7, Ho Chi Minh City for foreigners. Thanks to overseas training in New Zealand and meeting requirements of the school, I started school here from the beginning of the New Year. In Vietnam, I will have the chance to realise my dream to participate in the coming 23^rd Sea Games.

I will pursue golf forever because I am very interested in the sport. However, to become a professional golfer, I need to have hard training and practice. I will follow both subjects at the school and playing golf and joining tournament together to get more practical experience. After finish university education, I will spend more time on golf. I intend to follow higher education in the US because it is one of the most developed golf destinations in the world.