Fourteen golfers from Australia are competing in the Jack Akbar Shield 2024 golf tournament, which begins today at the Fiji Golf Club.
“The Jack Akbar Shield has been an annual event that continues to grow each year, with an expected field of 64 players this time,” said Susan Yee, secretary of the Fiji Senior Golfers Association.
She noted that all past winners, except for Jack Reddy, will participate this year, making it intriguing to see whether a former champion will prevail or if a new victor will emerge.
The tournament will be held as a stroke play event, with the lowest net score determining the winner, who could be either a man or a woman.
The Jack Akbar Shield was established in 2015 to honor the memory of the golf enthusiast who passed away in Malaysia in 2014.
“This shield has become a highly anticipated annual event on the seniors’ calendar since the passing of Mohammed Razak Akbar, affectionately known as Jack Akbar to his close friends,” Yee added.
Born in 1929 on Extension Street in Suva, Akbar attended Marist Brothers Primary School and St. Teresa Catholic School in Ba, after Suva schools closed due to the war. He apprenticed with the Public Works Department and later managed the machine shop at Burns Philp (now Asco Motors) before founding Akbar Engineering Ltd in 1974.
While an avid tennis player in his earlier years, he took up golf in the late 1970s due to time constraints from his business. He was often the first on the course, exercising as part of his battle against diabetes.
Akbar was also devoted to social work, holding multiple leadership positions, including president of the Suva Jaycees and the Rotary Club Suva, among others. He received an MBE from the Queen in 1987 for his contributions.
His wife, Gulnoor Akbar, was his constant support and attended every Jack Akbar Shield prize-giving ceremony until her passing.
Previous winners of the Shield include Thiphait Hussein in 2015 and 2017, Gardiner Whiteside in 2016, Jack Reddy in 2018, Ishwar Nand in 2019, Kevin McCarthy in 2022, and Shalendra Prasad in 2023. Shalendra Prasad will be defending his title this year.