For the second year in a row, the European Tour will head to Natadola, Fiji and the Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course for the Fiji International. This is the fourth year in a row that Natadola Bay will host the event but only the second year it is has been co-sanctioned by the European Tour after it was co-sanctioned with OneAsia in the two years before that. With last year’s winner Brandt Snedeker competing in the Wyndham Championship on the PGA Tour, a new champion will be crowned in 2017. Once again, very few European-based golfers will tee it up this week with the majority of this year’s field coming from Australia, New Zealand and the Asian Tour. We won’t see any of the big names like Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson or Jason Day either as all are skipping this event.
Details
Event: Fiji International
Category: European
Date: August 17-20
Venue: Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course, Natadola, Fiji
There will be a handful of golfers that have competed at this course in the past and have a pretty good idea of what to expect in terms of the weather and conditions for the Fiji International. Snedeker dominated here a year ago with a record final score of 16-under but it’s definitely unlikely that anybody in this year’s field challenges that mark this week.
Past Five Winners
2016: Brandt Snedeker -16
2015: Matt Kuchar -4
2014: Steven Jeffress -10
What To Know About The Course
There will be even more changes to this year’s tournament after three-time major winner Vijay Singh revamped Natadola Bay after the 2016 edition of the Fiji International. However, the stunning coastal venue will once again be at the mercy of the elements and provide a tough test for those teeing up. Driving Accuracy will be important with heavy winds expected to take their toll once again this week. Experience at this course should matter once again so it’s impossible to overlook those that are familiar with the Natadola Bay course.
The Field
The fact that Singh is listed at +2500 odds to win this event outright is a testament to a couple of notable factors. First, the field for this year’s event is once again very limited. Second, Singh’s familiarity should give him a distinct advantage. Ryan Fox is the sports betting favorite to win this event outright at +1100 odds. Meanwhile, Scott Hend, Andrew Dodt and Michael Hendry join Fox and Singh to round out the top-five options on the board according to the sports betting odds for this event. Hend and South Korea’s Jeunghun Wang are two of the highest-ranked pros taking part in this tournament.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Ryan Fox over Jake Higginbottom
Fox has already registered two top-10 finishes at Natadola Bay and he should be feeling confident that he could record another strong result here in 2017. Fox made the cut at last week’s PGA Championship and he has played pretty well of late on the European Tour including a trio of top-six finishes. HIgginbottom tied for seventh at this tournament last year but he has not teed up competitively in almost three full months so it makes sense to fade him in this spot versus Fox this week.
Top-Five Pick: Vijay Singh
Nobody knows this course better than Singh so we have no problem taking a chance on the 54-year-old and betting on him to finish in the top-five this week. Singh’s experience should help him and as long as the conditions aren’t too harsh he should be able to figure out the best approach to this tournament. At +2500 odds to win this event outright in a weak field, Singh seems like a decent value to place among the top-five at the Fiji International.
2017 Odds To Win The Fiji International
Ryan Fox +1015
Vijay Singh +1250
Andrew Dodt +1550
Scott Hend +1550
Michael Hendry +1650
Jazz Janewattananond +2250
Jbe Kruger +2050
Matthew Millar +2050
Siddikur Rahman +3250
Jarryd Felton +3250
Brendan Jones +3550
Poom Saksansin +3550
Austin Connelly +3250
Danthai Boonma +3550
Jeunghun Wang +3550
Matthew Giles +4550
Michael Sim +4550
Deyen Lawson +4550
Gavin Green +3550
Brett Rumford +3550
Adilson Da Silva +4550
Natipong Srithong +5500
Rattanon Wannasrichan +4550
Ashley Hall +4550
Wade Ormsby +4550
Panuphol Pittayarat +4550
Peter Lonard +4550
Anthony Quayle +4550
Jason Scrivener +4550
Aron Price +4550
Click here to get all of the latest golf betting lines at BetDSI including head-to-head matchups, props and odds to win each tournament!
