Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) Fiji has confirmed its continued sponsorship of the Fiji International 2015, the nation’s biggest sporting event.
Acting General Manager of Coca-Cola Amatil (Fiji) Neil Searanke, said the newest tournament on the PGA Tour of Australasia and OneAsia tours, hosted at Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course from October 15-18 was going to be even bigger and better this year.
“Coca-Cola Amatil is committed to the development of all sports in Fiji and we were delighted with our partnership of the inaugural Fiji International in 2014. We are excited about extending the mutually beneficial partnership for this year.”
“Being a part of the nation’s biggest and richest sporting event which boasts such a strong exposure platform both locally and internationally is important for our brand positioning”, he said
“One of our event activation programs will be offering an exclusive 600ml Coca Cola and Fiji International joint branded pack which will be available at the event in October.” added Neil Searanke.
CCA is one of the largest bottlers of non-alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages in the Asia-Pacific region and one of the world’s top five Coca-Cola bottlers. CCA operates in six countries – Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Samoa. CCA employs 14,900 people across the Group and has access to 270 million consumers through more than 700,000 active customers.
The inaugural Fiji International, boasting a million dollar prize purse, signalled Fiji’s official arrival onto the golfing world stage with the Fijian Government, Fiji Tourism and Fiji’s number one golf ambassador, Vijay Singh, all making a push to put their country on the lucrative world golfing map.
It was not only a great golf event, but also an opportunity to showcase Fiji as a premier cultural, leisure and sporting destination with a diverse range of activities and attractions. 120 players from 16 different countries came together at the spectacular Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course to take on the challenging layout, designed by local hero Vijay Singh, to compete in the region’s first ever internationally broadcast tournament.
Other players in the field included three time Major Champion Nick Price, Fiji’s Dinesh Chand, India’s highest ranked and world top-100 player Anirban Lahiri, China’s top ranked players Liang Wenchong and Wu Ashun, and two of Australia’s most successful and respected golfers Craig Parry and Peter O’Malley.
Hitting the very first tee shot of the Fiji International, Steven Jeffress went on to make history by sinking the last putt of the tournament as he birdied the 18th hole to claim the title by four shots from fellow Australian Jake Higginbottom.