Luke Donald of England, now the #1 ranked golfer in the world following his win at the BMW PGA Championship, will join IMG in the design of the first 18 holes at Ba Na Hills Golf Club located in Danang, Vietnam.
The first golf course at Ba Na Hills is now ready to start construction with completion expected in late 2012.
Donald, continuing his streak as the hottest golfer in the world with his victory, defeated Lee Westwood in a playoff at the BMW PGA Championship, earning the top spot in the Official World Golf Rankings in the process.
The Ba Na Hills site is unique and different from the current offering of golf courses in the Danang area. It will not be another seaside course but a mountain course with a great mix of natural topography and vegetation.
Luke Donald has had an interest in golf course design for many years and comes from a very artistic background. An avid painter and an accomplished piano player, he earned a degree in Art Theory and Practice at Northwestern University in the USA.
He commented, “To be able to work on my first ever golf course design at Ba Na Hills is a tremendous opportunity. We have a great site with good elevation change and incredible existing natural features including large trees, streams and mountain backdrops.
“I am really happy how the current design is looking on paper and look forward to getting on site later this year to further refine the detailed design features. Working with a quality developer such as the Sun Group, and in the Danang market which already has become a top golf destination in Asia, is very exciting.”
Dang Minh Truong, General Director of Sun Group commented, “Luke Donald is a great addition to the Ba Na Hills project team and we congratulate him on becoming the #1 ranked player in the world. We have been impressed with his hard work and determination on the golf course and know that this attitude along with his artistic talents will bring many great design ideas to our golf course at Ba Na Hills.”
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