Hue, Vietnam (March 2): Jet-setting Emily Brennan will ‘play her heart out’ in an attempt to become the first non-Asian winner of the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final.

The 19-year-old England international and Faldo Series specialist will be among the favourites when the 13th edition of the 54-hole stroke play championship tees-off at Laguna Lăng Cô on March 20.

Brennan earned her ticket to Vietnam courtesy of her success in last year’s Faldo Series Europe Grand Final.

At Abu Dhabi’s Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club in November, Brennan posted a four-under-par aggregate to win the Girls’ Under-21 title and claim second place overall, behind Chinese Taipei’s Chen Ting-yu.

That performance also helped to secure Brennan a place in the South American Amateur Championship at Club de Golf Los Leones in Chile in January where she finished ninth.

“It’s been exciting to see the progress that Emily has made in recent years,” said Sir Nick Faldo, who will be on hand to welcome Brennan to his award-winning course in Danang, Central Vietnam. “Competing at Laguna Lăng Cô against many outstanding Asian players will be another good test for Emily.”

Winner of the Faldo Series England Girls Championship in 2015 and 2016, Brennan has risen to 483rd in The R&A World Amateur Golf Ranking – a position she hopes to improve upon during her Asian sortie.

Brennan, whose impressive curriculum vitae also includes a runner-up finish in last year’s St Rule Trophy in Scotland and a semi-final spot in the English Women’s Match Play Championship, said: “I’m really excited about the trip to Vietnam. It’ll be the first time I’ve been there so it’s going to be a whole new experience for me.

“There are going to be a lot of different factors affecting my game … and my adjustment to Vietnam’s courses and time zones. I think I’ll just take each day as it comes and play my heart out.”

The 2018-19 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 and Thailand, championships were staged in Australia, Bangladesh, Chinese-Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, 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, while Thidapa Suwannapura (2010 Faldo Series Asia Grand Final Girls’ champion) and Nasa Hataoka (2016 Faldo Series Asia Grand Final Girls’ champion) both won on last year’s LPGA Tour.