Role Model Anh Minh’s Major-Driven Inspiration

Hanoi, Vietnam: For Nguyen Anh Minh, winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) would mean more than earning a place in golf’s biggest tournaments. It could help inspire a new generation of Vietnamese golfers to participate in the sport and believe they, too, can aim for the stars.

The 19-year-old Vietnamese number one amateur will compete at Te Arai Links in New Zealand next week (October 29-November 1), seeking a victory that would earn him invitations to the 2027 Masters Tournament and an exemption into The 155th Open Championship at St Andrews.

But the opportunity to represent his country on golf’s biggest stages carries significance beyond his own ambitions.

“It would mean a lot, not just for me or my team-mates, but for golf in Vietnam,” Anh Minh said about the prospects of winning the AAC. 

“Having a Vietnamese player compete in the Masters and The Open would be a huge moment for our country and hopefully inspire more young golfers back home to believe they can reach that level, too.”

Anh Minh has already established himself as one of Vietnam’s leading golfers, becoming the first player from his country to reach the final of a USGA championship, when he finished runner-up at the 2025 US Junior Amateur Championship in Texas.

He also enjoyed a breakthrough first season of US college golf with Oregon State, winning the individual title at the Bandon Dunes Collegiate in March. His breakthrough season earned him GCAA Freshman All-American honours and the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year award. He also tied for fifth at the Amer Ari Invitational and finished runner-up at the West Coast Conference Championship in 2026.

A two-time member of the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) team that won the Ryder Cup-style Bonallack Trophy against Europe (2023 and 2025), he said: “Those results meant a lot to me and gave me confidence that I can compete at the highest level.

“The US Junior was a great learning experience, and winning at Bandon Dunes showed me how much I’ve grown since then. Both motivated me to keep improving and competing for bigger things.”

Now in his sophomore season at Arizona State University (ASU), Anh Minh believes competing regularly against leading collegiate players in the US has helped prepare him for the challenge in New Zealand.

He said: “College golf in the US has helped me grow a lot. Competing against top players every week has improved my consistency, course management and mental game. It’s also helped me become more disciplined and independent both on and off the course.”

His development has been built on a strong record across Asia. In 2024, he won the individual title at the Nomura Cup, helping Vietnam to an historic victory in the Asia-Pacific team championship for the first time, and captured the Malaysian Amateur Open, Taiwan Amateur Championship and Vietnam Amateur Open.

He also won the 2023 Faldo Series Asia Grand Final and finished tied for seventh at the AAC in Australia that year. 

He missed the 2025 edition in Dubai, and was inspired by new ASU team-mate, Pongsapak ‘Fifa’ Laopakdee, who became the first Thai to win the AAC following a play-off triumph over Japan’s Taisei Nagasaki.

In New Zealand, Anh Minh is hoping to emulate Fifa and become the first Vietnamese player to win the AAC.

He said: “It definitely inspired me a lot seeing him winning and getting to go to the Majors. I was very happy for him. He’s a great guy.

“Knowing he was the first from his country to win the AAC has inspired me a lot to go and hopefully make a statement for myself.

“The AAC is definitely one of the biggest events in amateur golf, especially for players from the Asia-Pacific region. What makes it so special is not only the level of competition, but also what’s at stake. Having the opportunity to earn a spot in the Masters and The Open is something every amateur golfer dreams about.

“I’m really looking forward to this year’s AAC. I’ve always wanted to travel to New Zealand, and I’m looking forward to experiencing new cultures and a new golf course. Having missed the event in Dubai last year, I’ve been counting down the days to come back to the AAC.”

Established in 2009 by the APGC, The R&A and the Masters Tournament, the championship provides a pathway to two of golf’s most prestigious Major championships while helping to develop the game across the region.