On 21 October 2026, Vietnam's Emerald Cup Final Leg concluded at Emerald Country Club in Đồng Nai province. The final stop on the VGA Development Tour's four-event Emerald Cup schedule brought professionals and elite amateurs into the same overall stroke-play competition. The overall winner was Nguyễn Tuấn Anh, an amateur born in 2009, after rounds of 69 and 71 for 140 strokes, four under par. Yet the largest cash award did not go to the champion.
A birdie at the very end
Tuấn Anh started with 69 (−3), holding the lead after 18 holes. He followed with 71 (−1) and, according to the Vietnam Golf Association's official event report, made a crucial birdie on the 36th and final hole. It completed a two-round total of 140 (−4) and a one-shot victory.
Professional Nguyễn Nhất Long finished second with successive under-par rounds of 71 and 70, totaling 141 (−3). Trần Lê Duy Nhất finished third at −1. Nguyễn Tuấn Kiệt and Park Sang Ho shared fourth at +2. The finishing positions and scores appear in the VGA's official recap and were also reported by Vietnamese specialist golf outlets.
The VND130 million distinction
Tuấn Anh was an amateur entrant. Although he won the overall title, the tournament's VND130 million winner's cash prize was awarded to Nhất Long, the highest-placed professional. This distinction matters: Tuấn Anh won the competition on strokes; Nhất Long received the leading professional payout. Calling the runner-up the tournament champion would misstate the result, just as describing the amateur as having collected the cash award would be incorrect.
The VGA also recognized Tuấn Anh as Best Amateur and awarded him Daily Best for his opening-round 69. Those honours represent separate distinctions: the lowest amateur total and the best single-round score, in addition to the overall championship.
Why it matters in Vietnam
The Emerald Cup places emerging amateur golfers directly alongside professionals in a competitive development-tour setting. The October finale completed a four-leg 2026 season, offering an opportunity to assess younger players against established competitors while maintaining separate professional prize-money eligibility.
The venue, Emerald Country Club, is a par-72 course on a river island in Đồng Nai, known for penalty areas and strategically placed bunkers. With an aggregate two-round par of 144, the champion's 140 (−4) and the runner-up's 141 (−3) were separated by only a single shot.
Sources: Vietnam Golf Association official final report; GolfViet and GolfNews, 22 October 2026. Scores, event location and prize-money distinction were cross-checked.
