Cambodia 15-year-old competitor Le Khanh Hung shed tears after his par putt on the 18th hole in the final round of the individual stroke play to help Vietnam win its first SEA Games golf gold medal.
When Khanh Hung finished his round at the Garden City par 72 course on the afternoon of May 10, Vice President and General Secretary Vu Nguyen of the Vietnam Golf Association (VGA) came to congratulate him. While hugging each other, both of them burst into tears.
Khanh Hung shared after winning the gold medal.
On April 28, Vu Nguyen, born in 1992, became the youngest leader in the history of VGA since its establishment in 2006, after many years of working on youth golf development. This afternoon, he witnessed Khanh Hung make history for the country's golf and become the youngest athlete to win a gold medal in the delegation to the Games in Cambodia this year. This is a breakthrough result for Vietnam since golf began to be included in the SEA Games program in 1985, then interrupted for two terms and then fixed since 2005.
"This morning, I was very nervous, even losing control of my hand when I placed the ball on the green on the first hole. But now, I am very happy and proud of myself," Khanh Hung said on Garden City course.
According to this 15-year-old golfer, in today's final round, the heaviest mental pressure lasted for the first four holes. In which, he bogey hole 3, causing his score to drop to -9, unintentionally creating conditions for the Malaysian duo and his teammate Nguyen Anh Minh to catch up. However, after that mistake, Khanh Hung did not bogey and scored four birdies to get to -13, at hole 14. The player ranked 535th in the world amateur rankings held this score until the end of the round.
Khanh Hung revealed that his parents' direct support on the field is the secret to helping him lift his spirits and improve his competitive mentality. "After every missed shot, I look at my parents to gain more determination," said the new SEA Games champion.
Khanh Hung tees off on the 18th hole of the final round of the men's individual stroke play, SEA Games 32 on the afternoon of April 10. Photo: Bui Luong
Besides Khanh Hung exceeding the coaching staff's expectation of "winning a medal", the Vietnamese golf team also won a bronze medal after Anh Minh lost to Malcolm Ting Song Hung on the fifth extra hole in the play-off for the silver medal. Before that, Anh Minh and Malcolm eliminated Anson Yeo Boon Xiang. The three-way play-off took place after these three players tied at -9.
The Vietnamese men's team added Nguyen Dang Minh to T10 (-5). However, the entire Vietnamese women's team was outside the top 15 overall.
The men's and women's team pit competition will start tomorrow morning, May 11.
At the 31st SEA Games at Dam Vac par72 course, host Vietnam also exceeded the target of "having a representative in the top 10 individuals", when Anh Minh finished sixth (-4 points) and Khanh Hung finished T10.
In the past 13 months, Anh Minh and Khanh Hung have competed many times above their level and caused shock on the VGA Tour professional tournament system, in which Anh Minh won two cups - Lexus Challenge and Vietnam National Championship season 2022. Khanh Hung won the Lexus Challenge season 2023, in February. This year, Anh Minh is 16 years old, one year older than Khanh Hung.
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