The History of Golf in Fiji

According to GolfEurope.com, the origins of golf are different, depending on which European country you're talking about. The Italians claim golf dates back to the Roman sport of paganica, in which players used a stick to strike a leather ball lying on the ground. Rome conquered Britain in the 1st Century A.D. and the game of golf evolved over the years in the United Kingdom into what it is today. The Chinese assert they originated the sport in the 8th Century with a game called chuiwan ("chui" meaning hit and "wan" meaning ball). The Dutch say the game began in The Netherlands in the late 13th Century with the advent of a game called kolven, in which a ball was hit with curved bats. However, the most widely-accepted account is that golf originated in Scotland in the 12th Century when shepherds made a game out of knocking stones into rabbit holes on the site of what would become the world-famous Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.

Fiji, or the Republic Islands of Fiji, is an island nation in the South Pacific. The country is actually an archipelago made up of 322 different islands. Only about 100 of the 322 are inhabited and the two most populous islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, account for nearly 90 percent of the country's population. Civilization in Fiji dates back to as early as 3,500 B.C., but settlements started soon after Dutch explorer Abel Talsman "found" the island in 1643. Europeans began to establish permanent towns and settlements in Fiji the early 19th Century and brought the game of golf with them.

In the second half of the 20th Century, golf greatly increased in popularity in Fiji. In 1963, the country's most accomplished and well-known golfer, Vijay Singh, was born. Shortly thereafter, the National Golf Association was founded to, as its website FijiGolf.org states, "develop the game of golf in Fiji in a commercial and all-encompassing manner." In 1995, the Fiji Golf Association, a golf federation for the islands of Fiji and Canada, was founded. According to FijiCanadaGolf.com, there were only 18 original founding members, of which Singh was one. Now there are more than 50 members. The federation sponsors several tournaments in Fiji and Canada every year between March and October. They include: the Vijay Singh Trophy in March, the Fiji Golf Invitational in July and the Canada and President's Cups in August.

Golf has become so popular on the islands that there are several amateur and professional championships held annually in Fiji. Every March, the federation sponsors the Fiji Amateur Championships. Nationwide tournaments, such as the Theodore Cup in July and the Nomura Cup in September, also are held annually. Fiji also plays host to international tournaments, such as the Pacific Minigames every September and the Pacific Harbour Open every November. The National Golf Association of Fiji also plays host to thousands of players every year at events in Australia, New Guinea and New Zealand.

Vijay Singh is Fiji's most popular golfer. Golf has been popular in Fiji for decades, but it was Singh that helped put the country in the spotlight. Singh burst onto the world stage with a win at the 2000 Masters. He also represented Fiji in the 2002 WGC-World Cup. In 2003, he was the PGA Tour's leading money winner, beating runnerup Tiger Woods by nearly $1 million. He also represented Fiji on the International Team in the President's Cup seven times between 1994 and 2007.