Fourteen golfers from Australia are competing in the Jack Akbar Shield 2024 golf tournament, which kicks off today at the Fiji Golf Club. Susan Yee, secretary of the Fiji Senior Golfers Association, noted that the annual tournament continues to grow, expecting a total of 64 participants this year.
She mentioned that all past winners, except for Jack Reddy, will compete this time around. Yee expressed curiosity about whether a previous champion would take home the title again or if a new victor would emerge from the competition. The tournament will follow a stroke play format, with the winner, either male or female, being determined by the lowest net score.
Launched in 2015 in honor of golf enthusiast Mohammed Razak Akbar, who passed away in Malaysia in 2014, the tournament has become a highly anticipated event on the seniors’ golf calendar. Born in Suva in 1929, Akbar was educated at Marist Brothers Primary School and St Teresa Catholic School. He began his professional journey as an apprentice with the Public Works Department, later becoming the head of the machine shop at Burns Philp, which is now known as Asco Motors. In 1974, he established Akbar Engineering Ltd.
Despite being an avid tennis player in his youth, Akbar took up golf in the late 1970s due to his commitment to staying active, which was important for managing his diabetes. Additionally, he was deeply involved in social work, holding various leadership positions in organizations such as the Suva Jaycees, Rotary Club Suva, and the Fiji Muslim League. He was recognized for his services with an MBE awarded by the Queen in 1987.
Throughout his life, Akbar was supported by his wife, Gulnoor, who was a regular attendee at the Jack Akbar Shield prize-giving ceremonies in Fiji before her passing.
Previous winners of the tournament include Thiphait Hussein, Gardiner Whiteside, Ishwar Nand, Kevin McCarthy, and Shalendra Prasad, the defending champion from last year.