Ho Chih Minh City, Vietnam (June 21): Aspiring young Vietnamese golfers will tread in the footsteps of reigning Masters champion Sergio Garcia when they line up in this week’s 10th edition of the Faldo Series Vietnam Championship.

For the second year in succession, the R&A World Amateur Golf Ranking-counting event, which acts as the third leg of the 2017-18 Faldo Series Asia campaign, is being held at The Bluffs Ho Tram Strip. 

Less than 2½ hours by road from Ho Chi Minh City, in the Ho Tram Strip, The Bluffs is a links style course at which Spaniard Garcia triumphed in the inaugural Ho Tram Open at the end of 2015.

Being staged in conjunction with the Vietnam Junior Open, the Faldo Series Vietnam Championship has attracted a field of 90 of the country’s most promising male and female amateurs.

Additional incentive for age group winners is that the 12th Faldo Series Asia Grand Final is scheduled to take place on ‘home soil’ at Laguna Lăng Cô in Danang, Vietnam, in March, 2018.

Six-time Major champion Sir Nick Faldo, who will host the Grand Final, said: “It’s quite a milestone that we’re celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Faldo Series Vietnam Championship. Over the course of the past decade, Vietnam has made waves as one of the world’s fastest emerging golfing nations. 

“It’s encouraging that new courses are being built and more men, women and children are taking up the game. I’m confident that the next 10 years will see the upward trend of golf in Vietnam continue.

“I’m hopeful, also, that by 2027 we’ll be watching young Vietnamese golfers making their mark on the professional Tours in Asia and around the world. I’m sure that there are players in the field at Ho Tram this week who will be among them. Tournaments such as the Faldo Series Vietnam Championship are important in the career development of these youngsters.

“I thank the Vietnam Golf Association for their support and am looking forward to spending more time in Vietnam when I return for the Grand Final early next year.”

Only eligible to boys and girls who are Vietnamese citizens, the Faldo Series Vietnam Championship is being conducted in five age group categories, three for boys and two for girls. The winners of each category will earn an invitation to the Grand Final.

At last year’s Faldo Series Vietnam Championship, victory went to Nguyen Thao My with a three-day aggregate of one-under-par 215. It was her third successive triumph in the event.

The 2017-18 Faldo Series Asia season is supported by The R&A and endorsed by the Asian Tour and the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation. The International Junior Golf Academy is a partner of the Faldo Series.

As well as two events in China, India and Thailand, championships are being staged in Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Chinese-Taipei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.

Recognised as the only global amateur series for boys and girls, the Faldo Series was established in 1996, expanding to Asia in 2006.

Today, 40 Faldo Series tournaments take place in 30-plus countries worldwide, touching more than 7,000 golfers each year. Past champions include Tseng Ya-ni and Rory McIlroy, both multiple Major winners.