Golfer hits female caddie over game rules dispute

A member of Quang Nam's legislative body and an entrepreneur has caused a public outcry after hitting a female caddie in the face with a golf club.

In a report submitted Tuesday to the central province's People's Council, Nguyen Viet Dung, 44, chairman of Dat Quang Group JSC, said he had been playing a round at the BRG Group course in neighboring Danang on December 6 with several partners.

His group was been accompanied by a 32-year-old female caddie. During their round, a dispute started involving game rules between Dung and the caddie. He swung his club towards the woman. The club snapped in two, with one half hitting her in the face.

Dung’s relatives later took the caddie to the Danang Hospital for a check-up. The businessman said he had apologized to the victim and paid for all her hospital expenses.

"I really regret what I did to her, which also affects the reputation of the Quang Nam People’s Council," he said in his report.

For her part, the woman said on Monday that she had been assigned to caddie for a friend of Dung. The incident took place due to a disagreement over the rules between her and Dung's caddie.

"Shortly after the incident, I was taken to the hospital by Dung’s relatives for a check-up," she said, adding that she was okay and only suffered a light injury, contradicting rumors that had been spreading on social media claiming she had serious brain trauma.

“Those comments are completely untrue,” she told The Investor.

The woman also said that after being sent to hospital, Dung's family visited and expressed their regret for his act. They also delivered an apology and showed goodwill to cover all her treatment expenses.

"Now I hope the company will solve the matter in the most satisfactory way, so that I can return to work soon. I also want the story to end here," she said.

On Tuesday, the caddie returned to work.

BRG Danang announced it would ban Dung from all BRG golf facilities.

A representative of the Bach Khoa Danang golf club, where Dung was a member, said that his action was a serious violation of golfing etiquette, tarnishing the reputation of players and the sport itself.

Vietnam has up to 100 golf courses, of which 32 are classed in the national 5-star standard combined with luxury resorts. The number of courses is expected to increase to 200 by 2025, with the total number of players reaching about 300,000, including Vietnamese and foreigners living here, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

BRG Danang, sprawling across 350 hectares, is situated on the central coast of Ngu Hanh Son district. The 18-hole golf course features a 7,160-yard layout.