Regretfully losing, Nguyen Anh Minh stopped at the 1/8 round of Western Amateur

Anh Minh’s opponent, Garrett Endicott, is an American golfer born in 2003, currently ranked 57th in the World Amateur Rankings (WAGR) and a member of the University of Mississippi golf team. With home advantage and consistent form, Endicott proved his mettle in a tense match that lasted until the final hole.

The match took place dramatically at Skokie Country Club (Illinois, USA). After a tie in the first 9 holes, Anh Minh played explosively, continuously scoring important points to take a 3 Up lead after hole 14. When victory seemed within reach, the game turned in an unfavorable direction for the young Vietnamese golfer.

In the last 4 holes, Anh Minh made unfortunate mistakes, while Endicott played brilliantly with precise putts and shots in the decisive holes. As a result, Anh Minh let his opponent come back, losing 1 Down at hole 18, a regrettable result when he had a huge advantage before.

Anh Minh (top row, 4th from left) is in the top 16 best golfers of Western Amateur 2025.

Despite his stoppage, Nguyen Anh Minh’s performance at the Western Amateur still left a lasting impression. Before that, he had successfully passed the rigorous stroke play round to be among the top 16 golfers, becoming one of the few Asian golfers to make it to the knockout round.

The Western Amateur, the tournament known as the “Everest of amateur golf”, is always a tough challenge for every young golfer, where many legends such as Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson have left their mark. The achievement of reaching the round of 16 once again proves Nguyen Anh Minh’s remarkable progress and international competitive spirit.

Anh Minh's journey in the US has not stopped yet. After finishing second in the US Junior Amateur and Western Amateur, the 18-year-old golfer will continue to conquer another big challenge: the 2025 US Amateur Championship, a tournament held at The Olympic Club (California), which gathers the best amateur golfers in the world.