Q & A | Lautoka Golf Open marks 95 years

The countdown is on for the prestigious Shop N Save-sponsored 95th Lautoka Golf Open, which gets underway at the Lautoka Golf Club (LGC) next Saturday, November 7.

In an interview with SUNsports yesterday, LGC trustees chairman Raymond Singh spoke about the club's history and how the tournament, now in its 95th year, has been a breeding ground for many of Fiji's top golfers.

SUN: Could you tell us about the background of this golf tournament, which is now in its 95th year?

SINGH: In 1882, the CSR (Colonial Sugar Refining) company was established in Fiji. In 1903, CSR's largest sugar mill was established in Lautoka. In 1961, its subsidiary company, SPSM (South Pacific Sugar Mills), took over sugar milling and commercial operations. On April 1, 1973, FSC (Fiji Sugar Corporation) succeeded CSR and SPSM.

However, the first Lautoka Golf Open was staged in 1931. Membership was then restricted to expatriates only.

The first Lautoka Golf Open was won by J.H. McLeod. In 1960, Lautoka Golf Club membership was opened to locals.

SUN: Over the years, the Lautoka Golf Open has been a breeding ground for many of Fiji's top golfers. Could you highlight some of them?

SINGH: Let's start with former world No. 1 Vijay Singh, who won the Lautoka Golf Open in 1981 and 1982 before turning professional.

Other prominent golfers include Shiu Sami Naidu, who played alongside Vilikesa Kalou.

Then there were Dharam Prakash and Mahmood Buksh, who won Fiji's gold medal at the 1987 South Pacific Games in Noumea, New Caledonia.

Kalou also won the individual gold medal and went on to win the 1987 Fiji Sportsman of the Year award. He is the only golfer to have won the award.

Over the decades, the Lautoka Golf Open has also produced many national representatives, including Daven Gopal, who won Fiji's gold medal at the 1995 South Pacific Games in Tahiti.

Roneel Prakash also became a national representative and has since turned professional. He has won tournaments on the Fiji PGA circuit.

Others include Rahmat Ali, a former Nausori Golf Club member who became the first left-handed golfer to win the Lautoka Golf Open title five times.

There were also Eastern golfers who classified the golf links course as a "Goat Track", along with a host of Suva golfers such as Vijay K. Singh, Arvind Lal, Rajend Goundan, Olaf Allen Junior and Isei Waqa.

Likewise, former No. 1 amateur golfer Abid Hussein of Nadi won the Lautoka Golf Open several times.

Former national representative and Ba Open champion Anuresh Chandra claimed back-to-back wins in 2022 and 2023.

Ba's Rafiq Mohammed recorded a hat-trick of wins.

Former national representatives Indra Warjan, Jalen Ramen, Vikrant Chandra and Vishwa Nadan have also recorded wins in the competition.

SUN: What makes the Lautoka Golf Club unique?

SINGH: The Lautoka Golf Club is a major tourist attraction, with the golf course overlooking the outer islands, Lautoka Port and spectacular mountain scenery.

Membership costs $2 a week.

For the Lautoka Golf Open, we are blessed to have Shop N Save sponsoring the event for the ninth consecutive year.