170 golfers target $30,000 prize at Vodafone Fiji Open
30 August, 2006
More than 70 overseas and local professional golfers will be competing for $30,000 in prizemoney at this year's Vodafone Fiji Open which starts at the Fiji Golf Club tomorrow.
And the tournament looks set to regain its status as the premier event on the national golfing calendar, with golfers from Australia, New Zealand and the United States competing.
A hundred amateur golfers are also taking part in the Vodafone Fiji Open, a 72 holes event, played over four days, complying with international open standards.
Leading the chase is last year's Open winner Marika Batibasaga of Brisbane and Neelkash Ram.
The Minister for Sports, Rajesh Singh, says Vodafone Fiji's generous sponsorship should enable the once prestigious tournament to regain its status as one of the South Pacific's premier golf events.
"The presence of such a large number of golfers is a good omen for us as we try to put this tournament back where it belongs - being an important and integral part of the South Pacific and Australian/NewZealand golf circuit," Singh said at the opening ceremony of the tournament in Suva tonight.
"For many years, this tournament was the stage for junior players from the Australian and New Zealand tours to make their mark - a sort of baptism."
He said the Open has created many stars. "Many of the winners of the Open like Simon Owen, Barry Vivian, Stuart Reese and Ian Stanley went on to become household names in the international and Australasia golfing circles."
The Open will also be a major trial for local and overseas based Fiji players to qualify for the Fiji team to take part in the 2006 World Amateur Teams Championships in South Africa and the 2007 South Pacific Games in Apia, Samoa.
Batibasaga, one of the prospects for the Fiji national team to South Africa and Samoa, is the son of Asaeli, a star in the national rugby team in the 1970s.
Singh said he was also excited by the National Golf Association's plans for junior golf and to start primary schools' golf later this year.
"So for many golfers today, in line with the National Golf Association's vision, the sport of golf is becoming a career of choice, something for many years was probably restricted to rugby and soccer."
He said the National Golf Association's slogan of creating a lifetime of opportunities and golf has certainly provided a lifetime of opportunities for a few of our golfers.
"Golf has arguably created one of the most bankable brands the country has ever produced in Vijay Singh. And he has taken advantage of every opportunity he got from the game he loved after his Dad introduced him to the sport at the Nadi Airport Golf Club many years ago," Singh said.
"And we must not forget golfers like Mukesh Chand who won the Fiji Open in 1998 and went on to play on the Japanese PGA Tour, winning several major events.
"Both these golfers have not only done well for themselves, but they have individually contributed greatly to the Fiji brand name, and the obvious flow-on benefits to tourism, especially sports tourism.
"Sports is now big business all around the world and we should capitalise on the promotion Vijay Singh has given Fiji and Fiji golf and look at reviving related events around the Fiji Open such as held in the past at the Shangri-La's The Fijian Resort and Pacific Harbour Golf and Country Club and incorporate Denarau on the professional calendar so as to give enough incentive - in terms of total prizemoney on offer in Fiji - to professional golfers from all over the world to come to Fiji."
The Minister for Sports congratulated Vodafone Fiji in giving a helping hand to the National Golf Association when they needed it to revive the Fiji Open as well as other golf related activities around the country.
"Vodafone Fiji began its association with sport in 1994 when it came to the aid of the Fiji Rugby Football Union after the Rugby World Cup - soon after the Vodafone Fiji national team thrashed Samoa," Singh said.
"The company's subsequent 10-year sponsorship with the Fiji Rugby Union between 1994 and 2004 allowed players to be rewarded, have access to better facilities and equipment, and thus perform better on the field and find clubs overseas."
"Vodafone Fiji also helps the community each year through the Vodafone ATH Fiji Foundation - since its inception in March 2004, the foundation has directly invested over $1.3 million into the community by funding the work of non-government and community based organizations. This financial year, another $1 million will be given in grants to deserving NGOs."
Singh said this kind of commitment to Fiji, and sports particularly by Vodafone Fiji, is the kind of corporate responsibility that was needed.
He reminded everyone of Vodafone Fiji's unwavering and continuing commitment to investing in Fiji started in the post-1987 period, when few foreign global firms were interested.
Vodafone Fiji has invested in excess of $100 million since the company started, with another $37.4 million budgeted for the current financial year to upgrade technology to meet the increased demand as well as putting in place a 3G network.
The company plans to invest over $100 million in Fiji in the next few years.
30 August, 2006
More than 70 overseas and local professional golfers will be competing for $30,000 in prizemoney at this year's Vodafone Fiji Open which starts at the Fiji Golf Club tomorrow.
And the tournament looks set to regain its status as the premier event on the national golfing calendar, with golfers from Australia, New Zealand and the United States competing.
A hundred amateur golfers are also taking part in the Vodafone Fiji Open, a 72 holes event, played over four days, complying with international open standards.
Leading the chase is last year's Open winner Marika Batibasaga of Brisbane and Neelkash Ram.
The Minister for Sports, Rajesh Singh, says Vodafone Fiji's generous sponsorship should enable the once prestigious tournament to regain its status as one of the South Pacific's premier golf events.
"The presence of such a large number of golfers is a good omen for us as we try to put this tournament back where it belongs - being an important and integral part of the South Pacific and Australian/NewZealand golf circuit," Singh said at the opening ceremony of the tournament in Suva tonight.
"For many years, this tournament was the stage for junior players from the Australian and New Zealand tours to make their mark - a sort of baptism."
He said the Open has created many stars. "Many of the winners of the Open like Simon Owen, Barry Vivian, Stuart Reese and Ian Stanley went on to become household names in the international and Australasia golfing circles."
The Open will also be a major trial for local and overseas based Fiji players to qualify for the Fiji team to take part in the 2006 World Amateur Teams Championships in South Africa and the 2007 South Pacific Games in Apia, Samoa.
Batibasaga, one of the prospects for the Fiji national team to South Africa and Samoa, is the son of Asaeli, a star in the national rugby team in the 1970s.
Singh said he was also excited by the National Golf Association's plans for junior golf and to start primary schools' golf later this year.
"So for many golfers today, in line with the National Golf Association's vision, the sport of golf is becoming a career of choice, something for many years was probably restricted to rugby and soccer."
He said the National Golf Association's slogan of creating a lifetime of opportunities and golf has certainly provided a lifetime of opportunities for a few of our golfers.
"Golf has arguably created one of the most bankable brands the country has ever produced in Vijay Singh. And he has taken advantage of every opportunity he got from the game he loved after his Dad introduced him to the sport at the Nadi Airport Golf Club many years ago," Singh said.
"And we must not forget golfers like Mukesh Chand who won the Fiji Open in 1998 and went on to play on the Japanese PGA Tour, winning several major events.
"Both these golfers have not only done well for themselves, but they have individually contributed greatly to the Fiji brand name, and the obvious flow-on benefits to tourism, especially sports tourism.
"Sports is now big business all around the world and we should capitalise on the promotion Vijay Singh has given Fiji and Fiji golf and look at reviving related events around the Fiji Open such as held in the past at the Shangri-La's The Fijian Resort and Pacific Harbour Golf and Country Club and incorporate Denarau on the professional calendar so as to give enough incentive - in terms of total prizemoney on offer in Fiji - to professional golfers from all over the world to come to Fiji."
The Minister for Sports congratulated Vodafone Fiji in giving a helping hand to the National Golf Association when they needed it to revive the Fiji Open as well as other golf related activities around the country.
"Vodafone Fiji began its association with sport in 1994 when it came to the aid of the Fiji Rugby Football Union after the Rugby World Cup - soon after the Vodafone Fiji national team thrashed Samoa," Singh said.
"The company's subsequent 10-year sponsorship with the Fiji Rugby Union between 1994 and 2004 allowed players to be rewarded, have access to better facilities and equipment, and thus perform better on the field and find clubs overseas."
"Vodafone Fiji also helps the community each year through the Vodafone ATH Fiji Foundation - since its inception in March 2004, the foundation has directly invested over $1.3 million into the community by funding the work of non-government and community based organizations. This financial year, another $1 million will be given in grants to deserving NGOs."
Singh said this kind of commitment to Fiji, and sports particularly by Vodafone Fiji, is the kind of corporate responsibility that was needed.
He reminded everyone of Vodafone Fiji's unwavering and continuing commitment to investing in Fiji started in the post-1987 period, when few foreign global firms were interested.
Vodafone Fiji has invested in excess of $100 million since the company started, with another $37.4 million budgeted for the current financial year to upgrade technology to meet the increased demand as well as putting in place a 3G network.
The company plans to invest over $100 million in Fiji in the next few years.
