NATADOLA Bay professional Sam Lee will lead the charge in the professional category during the Dinesh Chand/Fiji Airways Invitational tournament at the Denarau Golf and Racquet Club course in Nadi on January 19.
Lee failed to maintain his status on the PGA Tour of Australasia after missing the cut on the 2018 order of merit.
He participated in a couple of qualifying school competitions in Australia earlier this month but finished down the leader board. The 28-year-old will now play on the Fiji professional circuit.
Bill Suguturaga will defend the professional title during the tournament.
The other top seeds are Anasa Seruvatu, Roneel Prakash and Tomasi Tuivuna.
A new winner will be crowned in the amateur category since last year’s winner Kwom Doyeop has turned professional.
Nadi’s Abid Hussain is the firm favourite having won major titles in Vanua Levu, Suva, Pacific Harbour, Lautoka and Nadi.
Professional golfer Chand who is based in Japan represented Fiji at the World Cup of Golf in 2001 and 2002. Chand earned his Japan Tour card in 1998 and went on to win the Descente Classic.
He won the Munsingwear Open KSB Cup in 2001 and the Mandom Lucido Yomiuri Open in 2004.
Chand lost his card in 2009 after a drop in his performance but regained it in 2010 after excelling on the Japan Challenge Tour.
Denarau Golf Club manager Amitesh Chandra thanked Chand for his continued support to develop the sport in the country. Chandra said more than 100 golfers were expected to participate.
“The total prize purse for the professionals will be more than $3000,” he said.
“Dinesh will be here for the event and will also hold coaching clinics for the juniors.”
