Suspicion that Vietnamese golfer's name appeared on the world amateur golf rankings in a dishonest way

TPO - In recent days, the Vietnamese golf community has been buzzing about information circulating on social media claiming that there are irregularities in recording the achievements of young athletes on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR).

Suspicion from an anonymous post

A Facebook account named Micheal Cung posted on golf fanpages and forums questioning the fairness in reviewing achievements to be included in WAGR - a prestigious ranking for amateur golfers around the world .

The article claims that some athletes, despite competing illegally, still have their names on WAGR thanks to "relationships". Many shocking phrases such as "private entrance", "WAGR VIP" or "WAGR running line" have been mentioned, causing strong controversy in the Vietnamese golf community.

The article cites an example of a female athlete in stage 3 of the VGA Junior Tour who was said to have competed from a red tee (short tee) but was scored as if she had competed from a white tee - a mandatory condition to qualify for submission to WAGR. In addition, a male athlete was said to have entered WAGR after competing in stage 4 of the VGA Junior Tour, but there is no public information about this tournament.

VGA speaks out: There are mistakes, but no negativity

In a post on its homepage, the Vietnam Golf Association (VGA) affirmed that the above content has caused misunderstandings and affected the reputation of individuals and organizations that are seriously working for the development of the youth golf movement in Vietnam, including VGA and tournaments under the VGA Junior Tour (VGAJT) system.

Regarding the content that a female athlete competed from a red tee but was counted as competing from a white tee, VGA said: "This is a technical error in the process of synthesizing results, when the score sheet submitted to the system did not clearly state the tee from which the athlete played."

According to VGA, immediately after discovering the incident, the tournament organizers proactively contacted WAGR to inform them of the incident and asked them to consider handling it according to international regulations. The organizers fully respect and accept any decision from WAGR regarding this issue.

"The information that "just fill out the form to enter WAGR" is completely untrue, going against WAGR's strict censorship process as well as the operating regulations of tournaments in Vietnam," VGA affirmed.

Response from Vietnam Golf Association (VGA).

What do insiders say?

Faced with suspicions of dishonesty about achievements creeping into the youth golf environment, many parents whose children are pursuing a professional golf career have expressed concern. Sharing with Tien Phong, Mr. Nguyen Dang Son, father of national player Nguyen Anh Minh, gave a profound metaphor: “The narrow cocoon and the struggle of the butterfly to get through the cocoon hole is the way nature forces the liquid in the butterfly's body to flow into the wings so that the body becomes lighter and smaller, and the wings will be beautiful and large to help the body fly up gently and gracefully. If someone cuts the cocoon, the little butterfly can easily escape from the cocoon without any effort. But that is also the reason why the butterfly can never fly. Regarding the story of young golf, I personally see that some parents, with their devotion, have cut a "cocoon hole" for their children, and this act of "love" has turned their children into "butterfly golfers" who cannot fly. If adults continue like this, it will inadvertently create a butterfly effect that affects the ability of other young golfers to strive.”

From a different perspective but with the same concern, Mr. Tran Van Thuc - parent of young golfer Tran Nguyen Hai Nam - emphasized: "We must teach our children to be human first, then think about doing other things. Achievements and titles may come and go, but personality is what follows children for life."

Need objective and transparent voice

Currently, the youth golf community in Vietnam is growing strongly. Tournaments under the VGAJT system attract hundreds of young athletes from all over the country. Having young athletes listed on WAGR is not only a personal achievement milestone, but also an important stepping stone, opening up opportunities for international competitions and receiving sports scholarships from prestigious universities, thereby gradually moving towards a professional path.

Given its sensitive nature, the story of “dishonesty on WAGR” needs to be examined through independent, objective and transparent verification channels. But above all, the biggest lesson is the need for a more transparent management system: from tournament organization, scoring standards, results control, to the review and ranking announcement process. Only when every step is clear and every athlete is treated fairly, can trust be maintained.

Golf is a sport of honor. Transparency is not only to ensure fairness for players, but also the foundation for sustainable development. If parents and young athletes begin to doubt the fairness of the system, it will be a heavy blow to motivation and trust - two factors that are most important for those pursuing a professional sports career.

The World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) is run by two prestigious organizations, the R&A and the USGA, to evaluate the abilities of amateur golfers based on their performance in standard tournaments. For a tournament to be recognized and scored on the WAGR system, the organizers must meet clear criteria from the WAGR. The most basic of which is to compete for 54 holes according to R&A Rules, under the strict supervision of R&A referees.

Trong Dat

Source: https://tienphong.vn/nghi-van-golfer-viet-nam-co-ten-tren-bang-xep-hang-golf-nghiep-du-the-gioi-theo-cach-thieu-trung-thuc-post1741861.tpo