Samoa Golf Incorporated (S.G.I.) launched its Invest Samoa Open 2018 yesterday at the Faleata Golf Course.

There are 50 professionals and 50 amateur golfers participating. Forty-eight professional players are from Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.

Attorney General, Lemalu Hermann Retzlaff, said: “On behalf of the Chairman and Board of Directors of S.I.F.A., I extend our sincere congratulations to the S.G.I. and the Professionals Golfers Association (P.G.A. Australia) in staging this year’s Invest Samoa Open 2018. I also extend a warm welcome to all the participants in this year’s tournament.

“Invest Samoa is the promotional arm of the S.I.F.A. and as the major sponsor for this year’s tournament. We are pleased to see it go from strength to strength, gathering increasing support and interest with the Australasia region evident in the growing number of participants.

A representative from P.G.A. Australia, David Barker, who is also the tournament Director, shared his view about this particular event.

“There are more than 100 golfers who will be participating for this tournament. I have been coming to Samoa for over 10 years to run the event and golf has really progressed and improved in that 10 years.

“The facilities for the event is in good condition and more suitable for that international level.

“S.G.I. partnered with P.G.A. Australia and so we come over to coordinate the event and its general ruling,” he said.

The professionals are playing for AUD$50,000 ($T95,575) and the seniors are playing for AUD$45,000 ($T86,018).