Fiji International and Challenge Tour Preview

Post by Sports Writer Derek Clements

THE European Tour takes time to draw breath after the Ryder Cup this week at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, while the PGA Tour prepares for the start of a new season and the long-awaited return to action of Tiger Woods (hopefully!).

Meanwhile, the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia visits Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course for the Fiji International. The island's greatest golf export is Vijay Singh and the veteran, who first made his name on the European Tour, will be the star attraction, ensuring that tournament should attract some large and enthusiastic crowds.

Also in the field are Australian Steven Bowditch and Americans Boo Weekley and Brandt Snedeker, who will arrive fresh from taking part in the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine.

The Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course provides a stunning layout for championship golf, but good friends Bowditch and Weekley are also looking forward to enjoying some of the tourist attractions Fiji is renowned for.

“When I heard about the Fiji International, it was immediately on the top of my list of tournaments I wanted to play,” said Bowditch, a two-time winner on the US PGA Tour and a three-time winner on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia. “And to have Boo coming with me definitely means we will find some fun away from the course.”

One of the most colourful characters on the PGA Tour, Weekley is looking forward to visiting Fiji for the first time. “I hope the golf is good in Fiji but I love fishing, so I’m looking forward to checking that out too,” said Weekley. “We are lucky to do the job that we do. Playing golf has taken me to some great countries around the world, and I can’t wait to experience Fiji.”

There is an all-star cast of Australians, including Daniel Popovic and Max McCardle, and look out, too, for the latest Chinese prospect, 20-year-old  Zi-Hao Chen.

The European Challenge Tour heads to Italy for the second time this season for the Italian Challenge at the beautiful Terre Dei Consoli Golf Club. Set in the stunning valley of Monterosi, the course overlooks the volcanic lakes of nearby Martignano and Vico and is 30 miles from Rome.

Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr, Terre Dei Consoli measures 7,600 yards and features water and a lot of bunkers. It opens with a 660-yard par five, a dogleg right, with a huge lake on the right side and with a deep ditch that is situated in front of the green.

Robert Trent Jones Jr. knows all about championship golf – he designed Chambers Bay which hosted the US Open last year. Here, short and driveable holes, island greens, water, bunkers and nature are all part of the game.

The closing stretch of holes are very challenging, starting with the long par four 15^th which has out of bounds on the left hand side, bunkers on the right and a two-level green protected by a creek in front, and a lake on the right. The course’s signature hole is the 17^th which is a short par three, with an island green, surrounded by water.

The favourite to win will be Bernd Ritthammer, of Germany, who has won twice in 2016, as well as three other top-five finishes. The German leads the Road to Oman and has already secured his playing rights to compete on the European Tour next season. He will be pushed hard by England's 23-year-old Jordan L Smith, with one victory and an astonishing nine top 15 finishes to his credit.