IPS: New 'runway' helps Vietnamese golfers reach US NCAA scholarships

Trang An Golf & Country Club is the first destination of IPS - AJGA in Vietnam.

In recent years, the door to sports scholarships in the US has been opened wider than ever, and golf is one of the sports sought after by top universities. With the emergence of the International Pathway Series (IPS) in official cooperation with the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA), for the first time, Vietnamese golfers have the opportunity to step onto the professional “runway” to win prestigious university scholarships in the US, where a sports scholarship can be worth up to 200,000 - 300,000 USD.

In the US, the NCAA Golf system brings together hundreds of university programs with golf teams, from Stanford, Arizona State to Wake Forest. This is also the place that has trained big names in the world of golf such as Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson or Nelly Korda. Every year, thousands of international students are selected through tournaments in the AJGA system, which is considered the “golden door” to enter the NCAA.

However, for many years, young Vietnamese golfers have had almost no opportunity to compete directly or be recognized in this international ranking system. Therefore, the fact that IPS, an independent system licensed by AJGA to co-organize outside the US, has officially opened the way for Vietnamese athletes to participate is not only good news, but also a historic turning point for young Vietnamese golfers.

According to IPS Vietnam Series representative, the first tournament will take place from January 22-25, 2026 at Trang An Golf & Country Club ( Ninh Binh ). This is an international standard course, voted by Golf Asia magazine as one of the most beautiful courses in Southeast Asia. Achievements at the tournament will be recognized in the AJGA Performance Based Entry (PBE) rankings, a key factor in the admissions process of American universities.

Currently, Vietnam has only a few golfers who have reached the NCAA threshold, such as Luu Thai Duong (University of Washington) or Tran Lam (California State University) - who had to spend many years finding opportunities to study abroad and compete through intermediary systems. IPS - AJGA Series promises to significantly shorten this path, helping young talents have the opportunity to be selected right at home.

Not only a sports playground, IPS is also expected to become a bridge for education and career orientation. Each season, the Organizing Committee plans to invite NCAA recruitment experts, American university coaches, and former golf scholarship students to share experiences, directly observe and select potential athletes.

In the context of Vietnamese sports seeking a professional direction, the appearance of an integration "runway" like IPS not only helps young golfers see their goals more clearly, but also helps parents realize: investing in golf is now not only a passion, but can also be a sustainable educational investment.