My first golf trip to Vietnam was a success with a 6th place finish. The ADT event at BRG golf club was a very impressive set up considering the purse size was only $75,000. There was a full TV crew and television broadcast and some of you may have tuned in to the live stream link on the BGR golf website. If you didn’t manage to catch it you can find it all on YouTube which I will link below.
The air quality, unlike some of the destinations, was clean but the heat index was incredibly hot. Lots of the players were talking about the heat this week and how it felt hotter than normal for this part of the world. Umbrellas were being used to shelter from the sun whilst walking down the fairways and I was repping my big Wilson sun hat and shades once again. Sun screen was applied however most of it would sweat out of the skin before I hit my first tee shot.
Golf felt good this week and I got off to a flying start with a great eagle on the 18th hole, which was my 9th hole for the first round as I started on hole 10. An aggressive line off of the tee, over the left fairway bunkers with the driver, left me with a perfect distance for my second shot, with my hybrid club, into the green. The wind was blowing from left to right and there was a little up slope, before the pin, for my ball to land on – if I was able to execute the shot perfectly. Perfect golf shots don’t happen very often but I am pleased to say that this time I pulled it off! The ball started at the left side of the green and floated with the wind over the lake, right into my landing spot. It rolled to about 6 feet and I made the putt for eagle. It’s was a good feeling!
A few holes later I came across some bad luck. The tee shot on my 11th hole ended up in a horrid sand filled divot. In Asia most of the divots are filled with sand after the shot is hit because, unlike in England, the grass doesn’t grow back when it is replaced – something to do with the grass route structure I believe. Not only was my ball in one of the worst sand divots I’ve ever seen, the next shot was also over an expanse of water. I was playing so well that I believed that I could get good contact on the ball and decided to take the shot on. Unfortunately it didn’t come off as planned and I lost the ball in the water. A penalty drop meant that I made a double bogey. It was tough to stomach but in this moment I remembered what I wrote about in an earlier blog back in Thailand. I picked myself up and tried to “make my next shot my best shot”. It really was just a bad break.
Consistent good golf for the next two days gave me my first top 10 this season and a solid move up the order of merit.
The food theme for the week was of course Vietnamese. Fresh spring rolls are some of the local favourites out here and I have certainly taken a liking to them. Juicy fresh herbs, mango and shrimp or pork wrapped in rice paper with a peanut or sweet chilli dip. So good. This, accompanied with a fresh coconut, is my staple out here. Other dishes which are also good are the Pho soups. Unbelievable flavours from such a simple dish of noodles, spices and a bit of beef. I have tried to replicate these back home but it’s never the same.
After the tournament was over I was lucky to be able to combine my passion and my favourite hobby, surfing. It did mean another early start but for a surfing North Norfolk local I will get up anytime for a good wave. It wasn’t the best surf I have ever had, the waves were slow and small, but nevertheless it was really fun sharing some rides with nice local Vietnamese surfers. It was a real treat!
I have a few days off now and I’m sharing these moments with my girlfriend Eleanor who has flown out for a well deserved break. On Saturday we will travel together down to Indonesia for my next tournament on the ADT.
Here is the link for Final Round coverage on YouTube