Fiji, August 1: Vijay Singh, a former world number one and one of Fiji’s greatest sportsmen, returned home to great fanfare as he readies himself for the Fiji International presented by Fiji Airways which gets underway on Thursday.

Nicknamed ‘The Big Fijian’, Singh was greeted by the presence of his good friend Ernie Els as well as a host of international players including reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Gavin Green of Malaysia, Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond and Zimbabwean Scott Vincent at the picturesque Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course.

Singh might hold a slight advantage over the rest of the field having played a major role in the re-design of the course which was finalized just before the 2017 edition.

Green will meanwhile be hoping for an improved performance having held a share of the halfway lead last year while Jazz is looking to shake off the effects of jetlag before he steps up to the tee at the Fiji International presented by Fiji Airways, which being tri-sanctioned by the Asian Tour European Tour and ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia again.

Vincent, who has been knocking on the winner’s doors on several occasions this year, will be hoping to finally unlock it this week having finished tied-ninth last year.

Did you know?

• Vijay Singh was the first Fijian golfer to build a successful international career in golf. He was world number one for 32 weeks in 2004 and 2005 and has won three Majors.
• Singh holds 63 international victories and was elected into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2005.
• Singh designed the Championship Course at Natadola Bay in 2009 and oversaw major renovations ahead of the 2017 event, to include wider fairways, flatter greens and a finessed layout.
• Jazz Janewattananond finished tied-second, four shots back of Australian champion Jason Norris at the Fiji International last year. He carded rounds of 74, 72, 68 and 64 for a four-day total of 10-under-par 278.
• Jazz first played his way into the history books of the Asian Tour in 2010 when he became the youngest ever player to make the halfway cut at the 2010 Asian Tour International in Bangkok at the age of 14 years and 71 days.
• He won his second Asian Tour title at the Queen’s Cup last month and made his Major debut at The Open a fortnight ago.
• Gavin Green took a share of the halfway lead at the Fiji International last year.His weekend rounds of 73 and 82 however saw him finish in a share of 63rd place.
• Green became the first Malaysian to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit title last year.
• Prior to turning professional in 2015, Green enjoyed an illustrious career which saw him become the first amateur to win on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) following his victory in 2014.
• Scott Vincent is the only Zimbabwean player on the Asian Tour and he has already enjoyed six top-10s this season.
• Vincent signalled his arrival in Asia when he came through the Asian Tour Qualifying School in 2016.
• He was named the Rookie of the Year after ending his 2016 season in 28th position. The Zimbabwean finished 17th on the money list in 2017 to retain his card for 2018.

Players Quotes

Vijay Singh (Fij)

It was a long journey, but what a place to come.  I mean, the weather’s unbelievable today and I couldn’t ask for anything better. I’m looking forward to the week. I’m seeing the changes that I’ve made on this course and it’s coming in really well. Everything I hear right now is all raves, so I’m all excited. I’ve known him (Ernie) for a long, long time.  We played together in Europe when he first came and we just kind of stayed as friends. Anytime I get a chance we can have a game.  But we have a couple drinks together as well, so maybe this week.  Yeah, he’s a good guy and we did a golf course together as well in Malaysia. I hope they can get more and more Fijians playing as it gets a lot more interest to the locals here. This event is going to over 40 countries and they can see how beautiful this place is.  Hopefully, they can attract a lot more visitors and people who want to come and invest here.

Gavin Green (Mas)

It’s nice to be able to see all my friends again after being away for so long. I haven’t been playing on the Asian Tour for a couple of months and it’s good to be back in the company of the Asian guys here. The course looks a little different from last year and we’ll have to see how the course holds up especially when the wind blows. I’m back with more experience and of course more comfortable around the golf course now. But having said that, there are a lot of good players and it’s a strong field. I’ll have to do what I have to do.

Jazz Janewattananond (Tha)

I just got in today from Germany and I’m still jetlag. But the beauty of this place just takes away all the fatigue. My finish at this tournament last year really gave me a massive boost especially in terms of my confidence. I got to play in the bigger events after that and I just got better and better. So this event means a lot to me and it was a no brainer when I decided to come here even if it meant taking a very long flight. I just want to get as much rest as possible and be ready for tomorrow.

Scott Vincent (Zim)

It’s beautiful here. It’s so exciting to come back here. It’s hard to believe how clear the waters can be out here. It really is paradise. You got to play some fantastic golf here. When the wind blows, it makes your bad shots even worse. So you got to be on top of your game and you have to strike your ball really well. But as it is does every week, it comes down to making putts. Hopefully I can unlock the winner’s door this week and it will be nice to share that with her (wife, Kelsey) and I know she will love that too!

Ends.