Mauritius Open unveils trophy

Mauritius Open unveils a beautifully sculpted trophy

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Edited by Anand Datla

 

May 05, 2015: In addition to a prize fund of €1million – the largest for a tournament on the island of Mauritius – the players at this week’s AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open will be competing for a new trophy, which was unveiled at the tournament’s launch on Monday.

 

Designed by renowned sculptor and designer Hubert Privé, the trophy is inspired by the tournament logo and the player who lifts it on Sunday night will go down as the winner of the first tri-sanctioned event between the European, Asian and Sunshine Tours.

 

Privé said: “I am pleased to have been associated with this unprecedented event in Mauritius through the creation of this trophy. The underlying concept for this sculpture was AfrAsia Bank’s Golf logo, which has been revisited through a more traditional appeal. It has the form of a laurel wreath, previously known as Triumphal Crown and symbolises victory. It is the perfect fit for the winner of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open. In addition, the trophy’s four branches give it a spherical aspect. This circular shape is symbolic of earth, humanity and the universality of golf. One can also imagine it to reflect the curves of the little white ball.”

 

“The Tee, on the other hand, the backbone of this work, is the essential tool for any golfing performance. This is one item that constitutes my artistic signatures and that is dear to me. This particular piece of work, the tee, represents the setting up and launch of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open.”

 

James Benoit, CEO of AfrAsia Bank said: “AfrAsia Bank is honoured to have the privilege to be a part of this historic tournament. As a bank, we are not only committed to providing different banking solutions, we are also ardent on supporting unique and innovative endeavors such as this tournament. We are looking forward to watching some of the best players in the world this week as they battle it out for the ultimate honour of being crowned the inaugural AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open champion. Our congratulations to Hubert Privé for designing this splendid trophy that one outstanding golfer will lift at the end of the tournament.”

 

The 132-player field competing for the trophy includes Thomas Bjørn, the 15-time European Tour winner, Kiradech Aphibarnrat who recently won his second European Tour title at the Shenzhen International in April, and George Coetzee who also recently won his second European Tour title when he lifted the 2015 Tshwane Open trophy.

 

Also in the field is 22 year old Mauritian Ludovic Bax De Keating, who is making his debut on all three tours.

 

He said: “I am very excited, and I believe it’s going to be a great experience for me regardless of the result. I am going to play the tournament without any expectation as I never had the chance to participate in such a tournament. I am very grateful to the Mauritian Golf Federation giving a Mauritian a chance to play in such a tournament.”

 

To add on to the excitement of the tournament for the spectators, additional fun activities will be made available at the Heritage Golf Club, including a climbing wall, mini zip line, laser tag, quad-biking, buggy rides, and a golf simulator.

 

Ryan Dodds, General Manger at the Heritage Golf Club, said: “We would like to thank the sponsors for all their input in preparing for the inaugural AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open. We are really looking forward to the tournament and all the exciting activities happening this week. Players and fans alike are in for a treat this week, and we would like to encourage the fans to come out in their numbers to experience history in the making.”

 

 

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