Golf  

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese golfer Nguyễn Anh Minh has been named by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), a member-led non-profit organisation in the United States, as one of five notable college freshmen this season.

Minh, 17, has received a full scholarship to Oregon State University and will officially join the golf team as a freshman in the next few days.

At the same time, the race for the NCAA Championship is on.

Minh and teammates will battle it out for major awards, victories and more against a new wave of talents who have entered the fold and are ready to make their mark on college golf.

Coach Jon Reehoorn confirmed Minh is likely to become “the most decorated recruit in our programme's history”.

In its latest article, the prestigious nbcsports.com Golf Channel names Minh among five players in its Preseason All-Freshmen teams.

He is in the first team, along with Kihei Akina (BYU), Michael Riebe (Vanderbilt), Logan Reilly (Auburn) and Henry Guan (Oklahoma State).

Golf Channel describes Minh as a “well-rounded rookie” with powerful driving ability, stable ball control and a solid competitive spirit, qualities that will help him adapt quickly and do well in his first season in the US.

This marks the first time a Vietnamese golfer has been so highly regarded in the NCAA Division I, the highest level of American college sports, which brings together top training programmes and is considered the world's most competitive environment for global junior golf.

Minh's latest achievements include a second-place finish in the 2025 US Junior Amateur, a match play appearance at the Western Amateur and winning the pro Korea K-Golf Lab Invitational title earlier this year.

The young athlete has become a familiar face in the international golf community, as he won the 2023 Faldo Series Asia Grand Final.

Afterwards, six-time Major winner Nick Faldo, who founded the programme, said: “Minh was immense out there. It has been very hot the last week and conditions were extremely tough. So to put on a consistent show like that was awe-inspiring.”

He also placed seventh in the 2023 Asia‑Pacific Amateur Championship at Royal Melbourne, the highest finish for a Vietnamese golfer in the event’s history.

Along with Asian teammates, he won Bonallack Trophy in 2023 and 2024 as well as the Nomura Cup 2024, after earning a bronze individual medal and silver team medal at the 32nd SEA Games in 2023. VNS