The 20-year-old Vietnamese made his first cut in the region’s elite circuit in five tries at the Queen’s Cup in Thailand last week, a result which gave him an added dose of confidence in his quest to become his country’s most successful professional golfer and put Vietnam golf firmly on the world’s map.
Tran, whose full name is Tran Le Duy Nhat, shot rounds of 71, 68, 76 and 73 to finish tied 33rd in the US$300,000 event and the slender youngster now hopes that there will be better things to come on the Asian Tour for him.
“I’m really happy to make my first cut on the Asian Tour,” said Tran. “As a junior, I dreamed of playing on the Asian Tour and now that I’m on this Tour, I hope to learn and become better gradually.”
Tran missed his card and a place in Asian golf history at Qualifying School in Thailand early this year. He entered the last day well inside the top-40 but shot a nervous 76 to miss his card by two strokes.
He termed his experience as growing pains and knows that he needs to take in a few more knocks before he can compete and hold his own against the stars in Asia.
“In Qschool, with seven holes to play, I got nervous and missed out by two shots in the end. I learnt a lot from that experience. I’m choosing the wrong clubs, making the wrong decisions but hopefully with experience I can become better,” he said.
Growing up in Ho Chi Minh city where his family owns a restaurant, he picked up golf when he lived in New Zealand as part of a student exchange programme when he was 12. He represented the country in the Southeast Asian Games and Asian Games and knew that professional golf was his calling.
A chance meeting with Asia’s greatest player, Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand, during the Vietnam Masters in 2008 saw him become friends with the reigning Asian number one.
“I have always looked up to Thongchai and met him two years ago and we became friends. He invited me to stay with him last year (in Lopburi) where I practiced with his coach who fixed a few things with my game.
“Thongchai always say to me that I need to remain patient and to not force things to happen. He wants me to improve on my technique and to become mentally strong, just like how he is,” said Tran.
Through his country exemption, Tran will likely have a total of 10 starts on the Asian Tour this season. “I’m looking forward to the rest of the year now. The result at the Queen’s Cup has been very positive for me,” he said.
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About the Asian Tour
As the official sanctioning body for professional golf in Asia, the Asian Tour leads the development of golf across the region, enhancing the careers of its members while maintaining a commitment to the integrity of the game. The Asian Tour, through its membership of the International Federation of PGA Tours, is the only recognised pan-Asian professional golf tour in Asia. This unique feature positions the Asian Tour at the pinnacle of professional golf in Asia; providing its events with Official World Ranking status. Tour Partners include J.Lindeberg (Official Apparel Partner), Ricoh (Official Office Solutions Provider), Inetol Headwear (Official Headwear Supplier), Royal Selangor (Official Trophy Supplier), Singha Beer (Official Beer), Pan Pacific (Official Hotel) and Srixon (Official Ball).
