"Was it really worth the many millions dollars budgeted for this tournament?: The money that has been spent when so many Fijian people are still homeless after Hurricane Winston...The gatekeepers advised around forty-nine people in total actually paid entrance the last three days" - Email, 10 October 2016
 The 2016 winner Brandt Snedeker |  WINSTON: Fijians still living in submerged tents |
Fijileaks: We have redacted the original e-mail including the name of the sender to other golfers
* The population of Fiji is 900,000 and there are but 1500 members of golf clubs. It was, and always will be, an elitist sport as it is in almost every country in the world;
* Two very charming Fijian ladies on the gate gave me a summary on the paying attendance. We did not attend the first day Thursday. On Friday eight persons paid an entrance fee, Saturday fourteen persons paid to enter, Sunday twenty-seven persons paid to enter. Children were free to enter, as were the many volunteers. Sponsors from Fiji business communities had passes to give away to clients. A coach was available to Denarau residents and hotel visitors to come watch the golf. Two persons got off the bus from Denarau to Natadola on Sunday!;
* The gatekeepers advised around forty-nine people in total actually paid entrance the last three days:
* I was disappointed at the prize-giving to see the head of the Australian PGA accept a tabua and yaqona with his golf cap on. Fiji protocol is important to the Fijian people including you my readers;
* The promoters say 400 million around the world watched the golf event. One of my readers stated “Another Fiji exaggeration“ but this figure was from the promoters, not from the Fijian people. Holidaymakers staying at Denarau came across to the golf club in the afternoon Sunday to watch the event on television, Sorry they were told the golf club TV is not showing the golf event. They only have Sky so they were not part of the 400 million;
* Brandt Snedeker won and collected a nice amount of prize-money to go with his attendance fee, hotel and holiday expenses for himself and his family. Congratulations Brandt, you were the event superstar in the field as was Matt Kuchar last year. But for a very few relatively known golfers it always looked like your tournament;
* Over the past weekend it was announced that Fiji’s Vijay Singh was going to make major adjustments to the Natadola course: wow! How much more FNPF and Tourism Fiji will he be paid to do this and what guarantee can Vijay give you that more tourists will come?
NATADOLA GOLF UPDATE
------------------------
Was it really worth the many millions dollars budgeted for this tournament???
From: [email protected]>
Date: 10 October 2016 at 16:02
Subject: NATADOLA GOLF UPDATE
HELLO AGAIN FROM DENARAU TO THE 232 DEDICATED GOLFERS ON MY DATABASE WITH A LOVE OF GOLF IN FIJI.
You have all lived and worked in Fiji, many of you are currently members at Fiji Golf Clubs.
Today is FIJI DAY celebrating forty-six years since Fiji became independent and forty-six years ago since the first golfing tourists came to Fiji.
THE DATABASE HAS GROWN SINCE WE ARRIVED LAST WEEK TO DENARAU.
I MET UP WITH SOME MORE FIJI GOLFING FRIENDS FROM DAYS GONE BY AND WHO ARE HERE WITH A LARGE GROUP OF GOLFERS TO PLAY AN EVENT AT DENARAU WITH RICHARD ELLIS.
Overnight a storm has arrived so let’s hope Richards’s golfers get a game today. As I write to you from here at the Sheraton Denarau we are experiencing hurricane winds and rain.
BACK TO NATADOLA = On the three days we attended the tournament two very charming Fijian ladies on the gate gave me a summary on the paying attendance.
We did not attend the first day Thursday. On Friday eight persons paid an entrance fee, Saturday fourteen persons paid to enter, Sunday twenty-seven persons paid to enter.
Children were free to enter, as were the many volunteers.
Sponsors from Fiji business communities had passes to give away to clients. A coach was available to Denarau residents and hotel visitors to come watch the golf.
Two persons got off the bus from Denarau to Natadola on Sunday.!
Thanks for the many responses to my initial email to you.
Expense to see the golf tournament even tho it was just $10, the money that has been spent when so many Fijian people are still homeless after Hurricane Winston, reference to the FNPF investment participation in not so enthusiastic ways, too far to come down from Suva for the day, rather watch on TV, uncomfortable course to follow players, too hilly and long walks tee to green. These were some of the responses.
The population of Fiji is 900,000 and there are but 1500 members of golf clubs. It was, and always will be, an elitist sport as it is in almost every country in the world.
The promoters at Natadola have sold the idea of Fiji attracting masses of golf holiday tourists from around the world. Fiji Tourism should now take a serious look at this expenditure.
The first golfing tourists arrived in Fiji to play in the inaugural Fiji Open in 1970 sponsored by Air New Zealand.
The promoters were from New Zealand, myself included. We then trained the FGA and the FPGA over a short period of time to manage and market the event overseas to professional golfers.
The Open winner becomes the champion of Fiji with so many benefits world wide with the title OPEN CHAMPION of the country. The Open was not a commercial enterprise as this Natadola event is. The Fiji Open had no financial support from such as the FNPF or Tourism Fiji. We did however have great support from local industry and from the Fiji Visitors Bureau and Air New Zealand.
At that time the only eighteen hole course was the home of golf in Fiji the Vatuwaqa course in Suva. Local citizens were not permitted to play or join the Fiji Golf Club not so long ago. The first invited local person to join the FGC was Ratu Mara around 1960. There were some very keen and good golfers amongst the locals. Most of them started hitting balls with guava sticks. The caddies at Vatuwaqa would do so early morning and when everyone had gone home after golf.
Scratch golfers Rhamat Ali and Ranga Reddy ( Indian descent ) come to mind, they could not be members at the FGC for many years. They were allowed to play and join the Nausori golf club, built and maintained by the CSR and now in ruins. When I played in the East team in 1961 every member was from overseas, no locals in the team.
Now there are three resort courses, Pacific Harbour, Denarau and Natadola. Robert Trent Jones Pacific Harbour ( opened 1975 ) and Denarau ( opened 1993 ) both more conveniently located then Natadola and continuing to struggle attracting golfing tourists.
Denarau is far and above the main golf course for touring golfers, they stay there and they play there. The facilities are, and always will be, the most varied and convenient.
Natadola is a course golfers may drive down and play from Denarau one day during their visit. This will cost them quite an amount for the day.
There is a holiday event at Denarau right now where the golfers will visit Natadola for one game during their weeks stay in Fiji, 140 of them.
It has been estimated that 90% and more visiting golfers to Fiji are from New Zealand who do not have a winter escape location in their own country. Australian golfing tourists have tropical Queensland to attract them. Queensland offers hundreds of top golf courses, great weather and attractive golf fees, less than $100 for two persons on a cart at many courses. Japan and China are major tourism targets for Fiji. These people never travel in golf groups, their culture is different from most of us. They will come to Fiji and maybe take a day in their busy three or four day package for a game of golf, rent clubs and other gear, they will not come to Fiji solely attracted by golf.
It will be a major photographic coup for them to just have a game and show their friends against what it would cost to play in their home countries. Americans have Hawaii with amazing courses, probably the best golf holiday destination in the world. International golfers from far away are attracted to New Zealand where there are many amazing world rated courses now.
Fiji Tourism and the FNPF are putting millions of dollars attracting professional golfers to play in this Natadola tournament.
Of course the professionals follow the money and why not, but that’s not what Fiji wants. They want paying holiday golfers. No professional golf events in Australia and New Zealand offer the kind of money Fiji is offering them. Golf is struggling to attract interest around the world since the Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods phenomenon. In New Zealand and Australia courses are closing down due to lack of interest and expense.
How can an isolated location course like Natadola expect to attract the paying numbers they need to maintain such a course. Over the past weekend it was announced that Fiji’s Vijay Singh was going to make major adjustments to the Natadola course: wow! How much more FNPF and Tourism Fiji will he be paid to do this and what guarantee can Vijay give you that more tourists will come.
The developers at Natadola could have given more thought to the location to the Intercontinental hotel. You have to drive quite some way to get to the course from the hotel.
At Denarau the many thousands of holidaymakers staying in the resort can wander over to the golf club in a few minutes. If they do not golf they can sure enjoy the bar and restaurant facilities.
Back to the Golf International
There were masses of children on the last two days bussed in by the promoters from villages to see the two fellows from the Olympic games Sevens team – all children had free entry. The promoters announced a major Fijian children’s exercise showing them how to play golf. Fijian children grow up with rugby and team sports their main love and it will always be. It is no different in New Zealand and Australia. This is wasted money. The Natadola landowners from the village of Sanasana had a large attendance of their people most days bussed in from around 8 k’s away.
I was disappointed at the prize-giving to see the head of the Australian PGA accept a Tabua and yaqona with his golf cap on. Fiji protocol is important to the Fijian people including you my readers. The choir from Sanasana sang a lovely rendition of Isa lei in both in Fijian and English. Brandt Snedeker won and collected a nice amount of prize-money to go with his attendance fee, hotel and holiday expenses for himself and his family.
Congratulations Brandt, you were the event superstar in the field as was Matt Kuchar last year. But for a very few relatively known golfers it always looked like your tournament.
The course is difficult but you handled it. The media stated “the ubiquitous wind blew every afternoon". I call it a “howling gale” it was the same last year along with torrential rain !! .. Locals might well nickname the course “Cagidola “
The promoters say 400 million around the world watched the golf event. One of my readers stated “Another Fiji exaggeration“ but this figure was from the promoters, not from the Fijian people. Holidaymakers staying at Denarau came across to the golf club in the afternoon Sunday to watch the event on television, Sorry they were told the golf club TV is not showing the golf event. They only have Sky so they were not part of the 400 million.
Three hugely expensive golf promotions by professional promoters at great cost to the Fijian people. Maybe tourism Fiji will give an account to parliament as to the breakdown of expense.
One huge expense was the advertising billboards and golf magazine full-page advertisements all around Fiji and in New Zealand and Australia promoting the tournament.
The gatekeepers advised around forty-nine people in total actually paid entrance the last three days!! The Fiji flag has been flying at all major televised golf events in America for many years. The US Open, the PGA, The Masters and so many more tournaments where Vijay Singh has been playing and still is. Millions of golfers around the world watch these events.
Fiji tourism should consider a TV advertising slot at these events showcasing the Pacific Harbour Pearl course, Denarau and Natadola, all very attractive to view courses. I suggest that tourism Fiji has accountability from the promoters if they are to continue.
This particular tournament conflicted with another event on the Asian tour which was a mistake. The Australian promoters should have a contract that guarantees they attract a certain number of golf visitors to Fiji. They after all are being paid a substantial fee for a promotion with no guarantees to their Fiji sponsors.
Inbound tourist operators to Fiji along with the dedicated golf holiday companies from the Pacific and overseas should be invited to a seminar in Fiji such as IGATO the International Association of Golf Tour
Operators. They meet around the world each year and develop golf tourism. This could only be a good promotion for Fiji.
Happy golfing from Denarau where the rain and wind thunders down, you can’t walk out in it – too dangerous right now.
- Vidhya Lakhan
President
Pacific Games Council
c/-Fiji Olympic House 17 Bau Street
GPO Box 320 Suva, Fiji Islands
Mobile (679) 999 8439
Fax (679) 330 1647
www.pacificgamescouncil.com
email: [email protected]
------------------------
Was it really worth the many millions dollars budgeted for this tournament???
From: [email protected]>
Date: 10 October 2016 at 16:02
Subject: NATADOLA GOLF UPDATE
HELLO AGAIN FROM DENARAU TO THE 232 DEDICATED GOLFERS ON MY DATABASE WITH A LOVE OF GOLF IN FIJI.
You have all lived and worked in Fiji, many of you are currently members at Fiji Golf Clubs.
Today is FIJI DAY celebrating forty-six years since Fiji became independent and forty-six years ago since the first golfing tourists came to Fiji.
THE DATABASE HAS GROWN SINCE WE ARRIVED LAST WEEK TO DENARAU.
I MET UP WITH SOME MORE FIJI GOLFING FRIENDS FROM DAYS GONE BY AND WHO ARE HERE WITH A LARGE GROUP OF GOLFERS TO PLAY AN EVENT AT DENARAU WITH RICHARD ELLIS.
Overnight a storm has arrived so let’s hope Richards’s golfers get a game today. As I write to you from here at the Sheraton Denarau we are experiencing hurricane winds and rain.
BACK TO NATADOLA = On the three days we attended the tournament two very charming Fijian ladies on the gate gave me a summary on the paying attendance.
We did not attend the first day Thursday. On Friday eight persons paid an entrance fee, Saturday fourteen persons paid to enter, Sunday twenty-seven persons paid to enter.
Children were free to enter, as were the many volunteers.
Sponsors from Fiji business communities had passes to give away to clients. A coach was available to Denarau residents and hotel visitors to come watch the golf.
Two persons got off the bus from Denarau to Natadola on Sunday.!
Thanks for the many responses to my initial email to you.
Expense to see the golf tournament even tho it was just $10, the money that has been spent when so many Fijian people are still homeless after Hurricane Winston, reference to the FNPF investment participation in not so enthusiastic ways, too far to come down from Suva for the day, rather watch on TV, uncomfortable course to follow players, too hilly and long walks tee to green. These were some of the responses.
The population of Fiji is 900,000 and there are but 1500 members of golf clubs. It was, and always will be, an elitist sport as it is in almost every country in the world.
The promoters at Natadola have sold the idea of Fiji attracting masses of golf holiday tourists from around the world. Fiji Tourism should now take a serious look at this expenditure.
The first golfing tourists arrived in Fiji to play in the inaugural Fiji Open in 1970 sponsored by Air New Zealand.
The promoters were from New Zealand, myself included. We then trained the FGA and the FPGA over a short period of time to manage and market the event overseas to professional golfers.
The Open winner becomes the champion of Fiji with so many benefits world wide with the title OPEN CHAMPION of the country. The Open was not a commercial enterprise as this Natadola event is. The Fiji Open had no financial support from such as the FNPF or Tourism Fiji. We did however have great support from local industry and from the Fiji Visitors Bureau and Air New Zealand.
At that time the only eighteen hole course was the home of golf in Fiji the Vatuwaqa course in Suva. Local citizens were not permitted to play or join the Fiji Golf Club not so long ago. The first invited local person to join the FGC was Ratu Mara around 1960. There were some very keen and good golfers amongst the locals. Most of them started hitting balls with guava sticks. The caddies at Vatuwaqa would do so early morning and when everyone had gone home after golf.
Scratch golfers Rhamat Ali and Ranga Reddy ( Indian descent ) come to mind, they could not be members at the FGC for many years. They were allowed to play and join the Nausori golf club, built and maintained by the CSR and now in ruins. When I played in the East team in 1961 every member was from overseas, no locals in the team.
Now there are three resort courses, Pacific Harbour, Denarau and Natadola. Robert Trent Jones Pacific Harbour ( opened 1975 ) and Denarau ( opened 1993 ) both more conveniently located then Natadola and continuing to struggle attracting golfing tourists.
Denarau is far and above the main golf course for touring golfers, they stay there and they play there. The facilities are, and always will be, the most varied and convenient.
Natadola is a course golfers may drive down and play from Denarau one day during their visit. This will cost them quite an amount for the day.
There is a holiday event at Denarau right now where the golfers will visit Natadola for one game during their weeks stay in Fiji, 140 of them.
It has been estimated that 90% and more visiting golfers to Fiji are from New Zealand who do not have a winter escape location in their own country. Australian golfing tourists have tropical Queensland to attract them. Queensland offers hundreds of top golf courses, great weather and attractive golf fees, less than $100 for two persons on a cart at many courses. Japan and China are major tourism targets for Fiji. These people never travel in golf groups, their culture is different from most of us. They will come to Fiji and maybe take a day in their busy three or four day package for a game of golf, rent clubs and other gear, they will not come to Fiji solely attracted by golf.
It will be a major photographic coup for them to just have a game and show their friends against what it would cost to play in their home countries. Americans have Hawaii with amazing courses, probably the best golf holiday destination in the world. International golfers from far away are attracted to New Zealand where there are many amazing world rated courses now.
Fiji Tourism and the FNPF are putting millions of dollars attracting professional golfers to play in this Natadola tournament.
Of course the professionals follow the money and why not, but that’s not what Fiji wants. They want paying holiday golfers. No professional golf events in Australia and New Zealand offer the kind of money Fiji is offering them. Golf is struggling to attract interest around the world since the Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods phenomenon. In New Zealand and Australia courses are closing down due to lack of interest and expense.
How can an isolated location course like Natadola expect to attract the paying numbers they need to maintain such a course. Over the past weekend it was announced that Fiji’s Vijay Singh was going to make major adjustments to the Natadola course: wow! How much more FNPF and Tourism Fiji will he be paid to do this and what guarantee can Vijay give you that more tourists will come.
The developers at Natadola could have given more thought to the location to the Intercontinental hotel. You have to drive quite some way to get to the course from the hotel.
At Denarau the many thousands of holidaymakers staying in the resort can wander over to the golf club in a few minutes. If they do not golf they can sure enjoy the bar and restaurant facilities.
Back to the Golf International
There were masses of children on the last two days bussed in by the promoters from villages to see the two fellows from the Olympic games Sevens team – all children had free entry. The promoters announced a major Fijian children’s exercise showing them how to play golf. Fijian children grow up with rugby and team sports their main love and it will always be. It is no different in New Zealand and Australia. This is wasted money. The Natadola landowners from the village of Sanasana had a large attendance of their people most days bussed in from around 8 k’s away.
I was disappointed at the prize-giving to see the head of the Australian PGA accept a Tabua and yaqona with his golf cap on. Fiji protocol is important to the Fijian people including you my readers. The choir from Sanasana sang a lovely rendition of Isa lei in both in Fijian and English. Brandt Snedeker won and collected a nice amount of prize-money to go with his attendance fee, hotel and holiday expenses for himself and his family.
Congratulations Brandt, you were the event superstar in the field as was Matt Kuchar last year. But for a very few relatively known golfers it always looked like your tournament.
The course is difficult but you handled it. The media stated “the ubiquitous wind blew every afternoon". I call it a “howling gale” it was the same last year along with torrential rain !! .. Locals might well nickname the course “Cagidola “
The promoters say 400 million around the world watched the golf event. One of my readers stated “Another Fiji exaggeration“ but this figure was from the promoters, not from the Fijian people. Holidaymakers staying at Denarau came across to the golf club in the afternoon Sunday to watch the event on television, Sorry they were told the golf club TV is not showing the golf event. They only have Sky so they were not part of the 400 million.
Three hugely expensive golf promotions by professional promoters at great cost to the Fijian people. Maybe tourism Fiji will give an account to parliament as to the breakdown of expense.
One huge expense was the advertising billboards and golf magazine full-page advertisements all around Fiji and in New Zealand and Australia promoting the tournament.
The gatekeepers advised around forty-nine people in total actually paid entrance the last three days!! The Fiji flag has been flying at all major televised golf events in America for many years. The US Open, the PGA, The Masters and so many more tournaments where Vijay Singh has been playing and still is. Millions of golfers around the world watch these events.
Fiji tourism should consider a TV advertising slot at these events showcasing the Pacific Harbour Pearl course, Denarau and Natadola, all very attractive to view courses. I suggest that tourism Fiji has accountability from the promoters if they are to continue.
This particular tournament conflicted with another event on the Asian tour which was a mistake. The Australian promoters should have a contract that guarantees they attract a certain number of golf visitors to Fiji. They after all are being paid a substantial fee for a promotion with no guarantees to their Fiji sponsors.
Inbound tourist operators to Fiji along with the dedicated golf holiday companies from the Pacific and overseas should be invited to a seminar in Fiji such as IGATO the International Association of Golf Tour
Operators. They meet around the world each year and develop golf tourism. This could only be a good promotion for Fiji.
Happy golfing from Denarau where the rain and wind thunders down, you can’t walk out in it – too dangerous right now.
- Vidhya Lakhan
President
Pacific Games Council
c/-Fiji Olympic House 17 Bau Street
GPO Box 320 Suva, Fiji Islands
Mobile (679) 999 8439
Fax (679) 330 1647
www.pacificgamescouncil.com
email: [email protected]
"We hope that the allure of Fiji in August along with a prime position in the world, golf schedule will again ensure a quality field of Professionals competing in the fourth edition of the Fiji International."
"We also look forward to welcoming holiday makers to experience the Fiji International, which is Fiji's biggest and most prestigious sporting event. Fiji international has over the past three tournaments attracted a large number of visitors to our shores, who are interested in golf. In fact our visitor numbers during the tournament month (October 2016) saw an increase in arrivals by 6.5% (or 73,595), proving that Fiji has grown as a golfing destination since the inaugural Fiji International," added the Hon. Minister.
The move to August will see the Fiji International, which is co-sanctioned by the European Tour and ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia, played in a less congested part of the global golf schedule which will help the event secure another strong field.
"Now that the Fiji International is on the European Tour schedule we took a more global approach to scheduling," said Peter O'Malley, Chairman of the PGA of Australia.
"We believe the August date will better enable some of the leading European Tour players to include the Fiji International on their playing schedules."
"The three stagings of the Fiji International have produced excellent champions in Steven Jeffress (2014), World Number 20 Matt Kuchar (2015) and World Number 27 Brandt Snedeker (2016) and we are looking forward to seeing who will emerge the champion in August 2017."
The 2017 Fiji International will also be the first time Vijay Singh's redeveloped holes 1-6, 8, 9 and 11 -16 at Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course will be played by the Professionals.
"The date of the Fiji International will coincide with the reopening of Natadola Bay Golf Course following the changes currently being made under the design of Fijian Golf legend, Vijay Singh," said Basil Scaffidi, Managing Director of SEL, the promoter of the Fiji International.
For more information please visit fijiinternational.com
About the Fiji International
To be held from 17-20 August the Fiji International will be played at Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course which boasts breathtaking views of the Coral Coast and is home to the Natadola Beach Land Estate.
Enticed by the tropical destination, the Fiji International has attracted some of the world's best golfers since its inaugural staging in 2014 including Fijian hero and three time Major champion Vijay Singh, 2016 champion Brandt Snedeker, 2015 champion Matt Kuchar, Steven Bowditch, Boo Weekley, Nick Price, Robert Allenby, Heath Slocum, Liang Wenchong, and Anirban Lahiri.
In 2017, the Fiji International continues to have a global presence confirming its position as an integral tournament in the South Pacific region, with the tournament being co-sanctioned by the European Tour and ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.
A Pacific paradise, the Fiji International also boasts some of the most unique hospitality options in world golf with the par-3 4th hole providing the perfect vantage point to watch the golf, whilst socialising on the beach.
More than just a golf tournament, the Fiji International aims to leave a lasting legacy for golf in the Pacific region, with the PGA of Australia supporting initiatives to introduce and grow the game in Fiji.
The Fiji International is proudly supported by the Fijian Government, Tourism Fiji and the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa as the official resort of the tournament until 2017.
"We also look forward to welcoming holiday makers to experience the Fiji International, which is Fiji's biggest and most prestigious sporting event. Fiji international has over the past three tournaments attracted a large number of visitors to our shores, who are interested in golf. In fact our visitor numbers during the tournament month (October 2016) saw an increase in arrivals by 6.5% (or 73,595), proving that Fiji has grown as a golfing destination since the inaugural Fiji International," added the Hon. Minister.
The move to August will see the Fiji International, which is co-sanctioned by the European Tour and ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia, played in a less congested part of the global golf schedule which will help the event secure another strong field.
"Now that the Fiji International is on the European Tour schedule we took a more global approach to scheduling," said Peter O'Malley, Chairman of the PGA of Australia.
"We believe the August date will better enable some of the leading European Tour players to include the Fiji International on their playing schedules."
"The three stagings of the Fiji International have produced excellent champions in Steven Jeffress (2014), World Number 20 Matt Kuchar (2015) and World Number 27 Brandt Snedeker (2016) and we are looking forward to seeing who will emerge the champion in August 2017."
The 2017 Fiji International will also be the first time Vijay Singh's redeveloped holes 1-6, 8, 9 and 11 -16 at Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course will be played by the Professionals.
"The date of the Fiji International will coincide with the reopening of Natadola Bay Golf Course following the changes currently being made under the design of Fijian Golf legend, Vijay Singh," said Basil Scaffidi, Managing Director of SEL, the promoter of the Fiji International.
For more information please visit fijiinternational.com
About the Fiji International
To be held from 17-20 August the Fiji International will be played at Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course which boasts breathtaking views of the Coral Coast and is home to the Natadola Beach Land Estate.
Enticed by the tropical destination, the Fiji International has attracted some of the world's best golfers since its inaugural staging in 2014 including Fijian hero and three time Major champion Vijay Singh, 2016 champion Brandt Snedeker, 2015 champion Matt Kuchar, Steven Bowditch, Boo Weekley, Nick Price, Robert Allenby, Heath Slocum, Liang Wenchong, and Anirban Lahiri.
In 2017, the Fiji International continues to have a global presence confirming its position as an integral tournament in the South Pacific region, with the tournament being co-sanctioned by the European Tour and ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.
A Pacific paradise, the Fiji International also boasts some of the most unique hospitality options in world golf with the par-3 4th hole providing the perfect vantage point to watch the golf, whilst socialising on the beach.
More than just a golf tournament, the Fiji International aims to leave a lasting legacy for golf in the Pacific region, with the PGA of Australia supporting initiatives to introduce and grow the game in Fiji.
The Fiji International is proudly supported by the Fijian Government, Tourism Fiji and the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa as the official resort of the tournament until 2017.
