Fijian P.M. gets a century

Press, 28 March 1981, Page 23

Fijian P.M. gets a century

NZI’A Sydney The Fume Minister nt Fiji scored a century on Monday, hut he would have been far happier with a lower score. Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara was playing in the opening round of the Qantas 72-hole international golf tournament for amateurs aged over 55 at The Lakes, Sydney. If he had wielded a cricket bat he would have been delighted with his total of 50 for the first nine, and 50 on the homeward run. Sir Kamisese, who will fly to London tomorrow to attend a meeting of the Privy Council, gave his handicap of 13 a pounding. He took three shots to get out of the bunker at one hole, lost a ball in the water at another, and hit a ball out of bounds in taking nine at the short seventh.

But he holed one long putt from off the green to save his par. and the short fifteenth struck an unbelievable escape shot over water through a small gap in a thicket of trees. "Take your courage in both hands," he said loudly before hitting a shot worthy of Arnold Palmer. Ratu Sir Kantisese proudly parred the 385 m uphill twelfth, after reaching the green with mighty blows from a 3-iron and 4iron. He walks with a slight limp, after having two cartileges removed from' his right knee while playing rugby at Oxford. "It forced me to give up golf for a couple of years, but acupuncture every six months has eased the pain." Ratu Sir Kamisese said.