Da Nang City, Vietnam: Following its successful introduction to the Asian Development Tour (ADT) schedule last season, the BRG Open Golf Championship Da Nang will return to Da Nang Golf Resort next month.

The event broke new ground in 2022, marking the first time the ADT had visited Vietnam and was won by rising Chinese star Chen Guxin following a sudden-death play-off against Lloyd Jefferson Go of the Philippines.

This year sees the introduction of SeaBank as the tournament’s newest partner and with this new relationship it is anticipated that the prize money for the event will top the US$75,000 on offer at the inaugural event last year.

“The BRG Open Golf Championship Da Nang is a long-term project with local-promoter, VGS Events, and we welcome the second staging of an important tournament for Vietnam and the Asian Development Tour,” said Ken Kudo, Associate Director, Partnerships, Asian Tour.

“We thank Da Nang Golf Resort for their continued support and look forward to another edition of this popular new event which earned rave reviews from players last year,” he added.

To be held from August 31 to September 2, the event will be the climax to a week-long golfing festival during which the second Asian Golf Industry Federation Da Nang Conference will take place from August 29-31 at the BRG Group-owned Sheraton Grand Hotel.

The tournament will boast a diverse international field of 144 players from across the region, including 99 ADT members who will play alongside 20 professionals nominated by the Vietnam Golf Association.

Added Kudo: “Importantly, this year’s event will play a key role in promoting the city of Da Nang as a tourist and golfing destination. It is also part of the Da Nang Golf Tourism Festival and will act as a platform to inspire young Vietnamese golfers to pursue professional golf as a career.

“The country enjoyed great success at the SEA Games this year, with Le Khanh Hung winning gold and Nguyen Anh Minh bronze in the men’s individual event. Their performances helped Vietnam claim silver in the team competition, and we are confident the BRG Open Golf Championship Da Nang will build on this momentum.”

Chen’s win last year, fittingly coming on Vietnam’s National Day, was his second on the ADT after claiming the Blue Canyon Classic in May.

Victory for the young Chinese golfer helped him to finish fifth on the final ADT Order of Merit to secure full playing rights on the 2023 Asian Tour, with the top 10 on the Merit list earning Tour cards for the following season.

Today’s news comes soon after the announcement in May that the Da Nang Golf Resort had become a member of Asian Tour Destinations – the exclusive network of world-class golfing venues in the region with direct ties to the Asian Tour.

The Da Nang City venue, which boasts two 18-hole courses, one designed by Jack Nicklaus and the other by Greg Norman, became only the second golf club in Vietnam to join ATD, which now boasts a total of 13 members across the region.

The Nicklaus Course will be used for the BRG Open Golf Championship Da Nang.