$60,000 up for grab

Fiji Times: Saturday, May 22, 2010

Vodafone Fiji Open 2010 in Natadola June 11 to 14

A $60,000 purse for the professionals is in the taking and national golf welcomes the support for the event by Vodafone. Winning Professional also gets a strike at the Panasonic Open in Japan which offers a $USD1.3 Million purse. The winning amateur, get to play in the Air Pacific/NEC/Srixon Masters in Australia. Fabulous amateur prizes include Cleveland Golf equipment, Hole in One surprise, NTP and Day Prizes on each Day.

The event is also a world ranking qualifier for amateurs. Entries close 31 May 2010.

"Golf in Fiji" at a Glance on Memory Lane PART 3 (By the late Reginald Woodman)

Golfing activities in Suva were transferred in 1939 to the present course at Samabula (4 miles from Suva). When first constructed this course was 18 holes but the war curtailed golf in Fiji to a minimum and only 9 holes were retained. Finance has not allowed the opening of the second nine but considerable effort has gone into making a first class course of the existing nine and such players as Peter Thomson, Kel Nagle and David Thomas have had words of praise for the layout and general conditions of this course.

Today on this well manicured 6,245 yards par 72 course some 250 members and associates comprising all races, European, Fijian, Indian and now Japanese enjoy golf to its fullest.

Golf wasn't only played at Suva in the early days for energetic golf minded government officers during the 1910-14 vintage formed home courses at their schools and government stations. Such examples are the old Queen Victoria School, Nasinu where on invitations played such distinguished citizens as the Bishop in Polynesia (T. C. Twitchell) the Inspector General Fiji Constabulary, the Colonial secretary and many other distinguished residents of those days.

Prison labour laid out a course at Nadarivatu (the coolest place in Fiji elevation 3,500 feet) in 1912 under the guidance of the local police inspector and was thoroughly enjoyed by many residents of Fiji as it was a favourite holiday resort in those days. This course stayed in existence until the 1950s when the local timber company ceased to operate.

On the west and north west side of Vitilevu (Lautoka and Ba) the advent of the game of golf was simultaneous for the year 1920 saw courses formed at Natabua (3 miles from Lautoka) again built with prison labour and at Ba on Colonial Sugar Refining Co. Ltd.'s land, company sponsored as an amenity for their employees. Both these courses were patronized by all walks of life, government officials, CSR company employees and commercial people.

(To be continued Next Week on the 19th Hole)

Local Front

At Pacific Harbour Golf Club, in glorious conditions the Members Singles Stableford was won by Stephen Hildyard. Also Raj Kumar beat Jone Tuisovuna to progress to the semi final of the club match play.

Member of the National Golf elite golf squad, Sam Lee played a Par Round 72 in the qualifying round of the US Open at Oklahoma State. He missed selection by 2 strokes. Sam will now proceed towards the amateur qualifying events for the US Amateur Public Links, Oklahoma State Match Play, Oklahoma State Stoke Play and finally the Oklahoma Open.

As the competition amongst the local amateurs forge towards the Starwood Open and Vodafone Fiji Open, the elite players have now improved their individual handicaps to progress to as low as +2 and with the highest on -2.

Two junior golfers continue with their successes individually. Tristam Levestam of Nadi is heading for the US Junior World Championships once more after a lapse of three years. He will also be a front runner for the Jack Newton Junior Classics and the Greg Norman Junior Masters as well. Suva based Rizwan Hassan awaits the results of his golf scholarship application for both studies and golf tuition based in Singapore for four years commencing in 2011.