AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open 2024 Preview, Picks & Analysis

While most of the DP World Tour’s top players have headed home for Christmas, a lucky few will be spending the build-up competing at the Mauritius Open at Mont Choisy Le Golf in Grand Baie, a tournament jointly sanctioned by the DP World Tour and Sunshine Tour.

And Frenchman Antoine Rozner will attempt to become the first double winner. He returns to an island which he fondly calls paradise and to a tournament which has played an integral part in his career as he owns one of the best records of any professional in its history.

The 31-year-old Frenchman made his DP World Tour debut in this event in 2018 and finished tied seventh. A year later he lost in a playoff to Rasmus Hojgaard.

Then in 2022, at a Mont Choisy Le Golf course celebrating its first hosting of a major professional tournament, Rozner stormed to a five-shot victory, which remains a tournament record.

The Frenchman now heads back to Mauritius seeking to become the first double winner of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open.

He said: "I have a lot of good memories from Mauritius. My win definitely helped me to start that season in the right way and I had a really good year. It gave me good momentum and confidence, and everything started in Mauritius."

His victory in 2022 sparked a strong season where Rozner had five top-10s on the DP World Tour. He also finished tied 20th in The Open, tied 10th in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and tied 11th in the DP World Tour Championship on his way to 33rd overall on the Race to Dubai Rankings.

And he has become a firm favourite with the Mauritius fans. "It’s the best place you can dream of to finish the year. It’s paradise. Every time I go there it’s a privilege. When I won, it felt like playing at home to be honest. The crowds were amazing. It was an unbelievable week."

His recent form has been highly encouraging, culminating in a third-place finish at the DP World Tour Championship and is full of confidence.

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

South Africans have a good record in this part of the world and nobody has played better here without winning than Oliver Bekker.

He has played in every single edition and has only finished outside the top 10 on two occasions. His record in this tournament includes finishes of eighth, 18th, ninth, seventh, ninth, seventh and 34th.

"I generally play well in Mauritius. It’s a place where I feel very comfortable playing. It’s nice to be able to relax after a long year, come off the course and go to the beach and forget about golf for a while and recharge," says Bekker.

He will be relishing a return to Mont Choisy Le Golf in particular where he finished seventh behind winner Rozner in 2022.

That year Bekker opened with a 64 to place him only two shots off the first-round lead. He was one shot off the lead going into the weekend and then just three shots behind Rozner going into the final round.

“Mont Choisy Le Golf is the kind of golf course where you can make quite a few birdies. We’ve seen 62s and 64s there before. The golf course almost has a links feel to it, with no trees and a lot of run-offs and hills and bumps and things. Your short game is very important there. But it’s a good fun week where the weather is the main contributor to the scoring,” he says.

The South African record in this tournament includes winners George Coetzee, Dylan Frittelli and Louis Oosthuizen, while there are a number of other South Africans with impressive records.

Thomas Aiken has had finishes of fourth and seventh. Brandon Stone has been sixth, 13th and 11th. Louis de Jager has had two fourth-place finishes in Mauritius. And Jayden Schaper has finished ninth and sixth here.

South Africa’s Robin Williams will lead an exciting group of young rising stars.

The big-hitting 23-year-old has secured his DP World Tour card for the next season and amidst what has been a phenomenal rise through the ranks in only his second season on the Tour.

From being crowned the Fortress Rookie of the Year on the Sunshine Tour last season, Williams is now a two-time winner on the Sunshine Tour and has impressed in a few tournaments on the DP World Tour. His form has caught the eye of even Gary Player, who has taken the young golfer under his wing.

The next step for Williams would be a breakthrough win in a Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour co-sanctioned event, with the Mauritius Open offering that opportunity.

"To be in this situation where I am now and competing against some big names on the big stages is mind-blowing. I would never have believed it at the start of the year. I’ll just keep going, keep my head down and work hard," said Williams.

Around him are several other young stars equally poised for a big week in Mauritius.

The 21-year-old Yurav Premlall has already broken through with his maiden Sunshine Tour victory this year, and is just as ready to take the step up with a possible DP World Tour triumph. The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open will also offer him an opportunity to consolidate his current third place on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy which, if he can remain there by the end of the season, will earn him a DP World Tour card.

"I’ve put myself in a good position on the Sunshine Tour and I don’t want to lose sight of what my goal was this year. The Sunshine Tour is a great platform to get onto the DP World Tour, so I’ll focus on that and hopefully get that job done," he said.

The Mauritius Open will be the final tournament on the DP World Tour’s Opening Swing on the 2025 Race to Dubai. The winner of the Opening Swing will earn a US$200 000 bonus as well as exemption into the DP World Tour’s next Rolex Series tournament and to some of the Tour’s most historic tournaments, each offering increased Race to Dubai Ranking Points and the chance to qualify for the DP World Tour Championship.

Tournament Winners:

It was won in 2015 by George Coetzee, in 2016 by Jeunghan Wang, in 2018 by Dylan Frittelli, in 2019 by Kurt Kitayama, in 2020 by Rasmus Hojgaard, in 2022 by Antoine Rozner and last year by Louis Oosthuizen.

The Course:

Mont Choisy Le Golf was designed by Peter Matkovich. Built on a former sugar plantation it makes the most of its many water hazards, volcanic landscapes and rolling fairways. It is a par 72 that measures 6,890 yards and is ripe for low scoring.

Form Guide:

Antoine Rozner enjoyed a fabulous finish to the 2024 season, finishing fourth at the Genesis, tied sixth in Abu Dhabi and tied third at the DP World Tour Championship and will be looking to continue that form in a tournament he won two years ago.

How to Watch:

Thursday, December 19, Friday, December 20, Sky Sports Golf, 8.30am; Saturday, December 21, Sky Sports Golf, 9am; Sunday, December 22, Sky Sports Golf, 6am.

Prize Money:

Total prize money is $1.5m, with 3,000 Race to Dubai and 1,000 Ryder Cup points up for grabs.

To Win:

Antoine Rozner. Great memories

Each Way:

Oliver Bekker. Loves this event

Each Way:

Richard Mansell. Mercurial talent

Five to Follow:

Antoine Rozner. Wondrous short game

Oliver Bekker. Man in form

Richard Mansell. Makes birdies for fun

Andrea Pavan. Gifted Frenchman

Sean Crocker. Big Hitter

Five Outsiders to Watch:

Christo Lamprecht. Fabulous prospect

John Parry. Enjoyed a great season on the Challenge Tour

Eddie Pepperell. Looking to get back on track

Nicolas Colsaerts. Never a dull minute

David Law. Beautiful ball striker