The Lautoka Golf club is extending it’s vision and mission this year to attract and develop more junior players.
Club executive Raymond Singh is urging the Ministry of Education to liaise with teachers to encourage students from the age of six years and above to be part of the club’s junior development program.
“Through golf, Fiji has her richest individual sportsman,” Singh said.
“That’s our Fijian professional Vijay Singh whose nett worth is over US75 million (FJ$158m). The best part about golf is being an individual sport and you can only blame yourself when things don’t go according to plan. Unlike team sports, you can always shift the blame to someone else.
“Lautoka Golf Club is keen to provide golf clubs and balls with free coaching lessons by our very own local professional Roneel Kumar.
“More importantly, Roneel is a school teacher and aspiring students can easily interact with him.
“Imagine, through golf, from a tiny country of ours, Fiji’s Vijay Singh became world No.1 and is inducted into the Hall of Fame.
“We all know the saying, nothing is impossible, so another rising star can be in the making from our country.
“Lautoka Golf Club has many individuals and corporate organisations supporting the program. When you start any sport at a young age, the the temptation of being involved in illegal activities is cut off.”
Singh said New Zealand caddie Sam Pinfold pocketed US$500,000 (FJ$ 1,053,930m) in last weeks players championship.
Pinfold caddied for 28-year-old Australian golfer Cameron Smith, who claimed the PGA tour’s biggest payout first prize of US$3.6m (FJ$7.58m) being the biggest individual purse in golf history.
“Yet no Professional golfer from New Zealand or Australia, our main sporting rivals has ever won nine major tournaments than our very own Vijay Singh. Singh accounted for the 2000 US Masters title and two PGA championship in 1998 and 2004.
None of which was won by Aussie great, former world No.1 Greg Norman who is known as the great white Shark.”
Gregory John Norman, Wikipedia reports, is an Australian entrepreneur and retired professional golfer who spent 331 weeks as the world’s No.1 in the 1980s and 1990s.
He won 89 professional tournaments, including 20 PGA Tour tournaments and two majors: The Open Championships in 1986 and 1993. Norman also earned 30 top-10 finishes.
He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2001.
“I urge parents or teachers to contact Roneel Prakash on telefone number 9293148 and Raymond Singh on 9027480 to register their children in the program,” Singh said.
