Players applaud Mauritius Open

Edited by Anand Datla

May 12, 2015: Newly crowned AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open champion George Coetzee and the leading Asian Tour stars have hailed the success of the first tri-sanctioned event by the Asian, European and Sunshine Tours. Coetzee defeated Thorbjorn Olesen on the first extra hole with a birdie to claim his seventh title on the Sunshine Tour and second of the 2015 season and was pleased with his success in the inaugural event staged at the Heritage Golf Club.

“They’ve done a fantastic job with the tri-sanctioning of this event and bring us to a fantastic place like Mauritius. It is great to get another victory on the European Tour and obviously it counts towards my Sunshine Tour ranking as well so I’m pleased with that too.

“I actually played on the Asian Tour in 2009 and I couldn’t make a cut – I was living on scraps – so it is nice to finally get an Asian Tour win as well,” said the South African, who claimed the champion’s cheque of US$186,545.

Rahil Gangjee, who is half-Mauritian, produced a solid final round 66 to finish tied 11th for his best result so far in 2015.

His fine finish pushed him to 50th on the Order of Merit but more importantly, the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open was an opportunity for Gangjee to return to his roots as his mum Nazirah hails from the world famous holiday isle.

“Mauritius is partly my home because I’m half Mauritian,” smiled Gangjee. “This is a brilliant tournament at a brilliant setting. It was a challenge with the weather initially but it’s turned out perfect.”

“What a beautiful setting it is for the spectators. It was nice to have my aunt and wife around this week. We’ll have a bit of a break before going home,” he added.

With the beautiful sea and white sandy beaches as the backdrop of the player’s lounge, Scott Hend of Australia, who finished tied fifth, said the beautiful isle of Mauritius was the ideal setting for a golf tournament.

“Off the course, the beach is nice, the pool is nice and the hotel is fantastic. The people are friendly and all the South African guys that I know here are good. I like playing golf tournaments rather than sitting at home,” said Hend, a six-time Asian Tour winner.

The 2013 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand was forced to pull out in the second round of the event due to a neck injury but he enthused that the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open was a great platform for the Asian Tour stars to stamp their mark.

“This is great for Asian Tour players and for all the Tours. It gives us the opportunity to play overseas, especially in Mauritius. This is my second or third time on the Sunshine Tour and they’re getting bigger and bigger events. It’s nice to have a tri-sanctioned event. It helps a lot for the players,” said Kiradech.

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Source: Asian Tour Website