Author: Michael Vlismas

BEL OMBRE, Mauritius – On a tough opening day of wind and rain, the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open leaderboard was packed tighter than a pod of dolphins at La Réserve Golf Links on Thursday.

Battered by a constant wind from dawn to dusk, and with intermittent squalls of rain, South Africa’s Casey Jarvis and Scotland’s Scott Jamieson rose to the top of the leaderboard for the shared clubhouse lead with rounds of five-under-par 67. The round was unable to be completed because of darkness and will restart on Friday morning.

They are one stroke clear of six players, including 2017 AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open champion Dylan Frittelli, Herman Loubser – currently second on the Sunshine Tour Courier Guy Order of Merit –, and Brandon Stone.

The challenge of the conditions on day one is reflected in the fact that of the 155 golfers in the field, only 33 were under par.

Even the two leaders had double bogeys on their cards.

Jayden Schaper made another good with his round of three-under 69 as he seeks back-to-back victories following his win in last week’s Alfred Dunhill Championship.

And he summed up just how difficult a first day it was.

“It’s a tough course out there and we were out there for quite some time. I managed to stay calm and not focus too much on the wind around me. I did well to block it out. But it’s definitely a challenge out there. It’s very windy and the course is quite tight, and there are a lot of crosswinds.”

Frittelli agreed.

“The wind was howling and we had three rain squalls come through. I was really happy to be under par today. But I’m also starting to learn this course.”

And Levy was equally pleased to have come through the opening round in contention.

“It was tough and I played really well. There was wind and rain and it was really tricky. You have to keep the ball on the fairway because this is a very tricky golf course.”

The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open is proudly supported by leading brands such as AfrAsia Bank, Heritage Resorts, ER Group, Beachcomber Resorts & Hotels, Heritage Villas Valriche, Mont Choisy Group, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA), Range Rover, Emtel, Poncini, Mauritius Golf Federation, Phoenix Beverages, ticketbox.mu, DStv, C-Care, Mautourco, Ernie Els Wines, CBE, Miko Coffee, MobiMEA, Mastercard, SMAG and iconic. – Michael Vlismas

• Features 28 tournaments in 19 different countries
• Estonia to become the 52nd country to host a HotelPlanner Tour event
• A return to England for the first time since 2023
• Total prize fund of €9m for the second successive year
• To view the full schedule, click here

The HotelPlanner Tour has today announced its global schedule for the 2026 Road to Mallorca, which will see Estonia make its debut as a host nation and mark a return to England for the first time in three years.

The 2026 Road to Mallorca will visit 19 countries across three continents, and will boast a prize fund of €9 million for the second successive year. It will also mark the second of a multi-year partnership with technology company HotelPlanner as Title Partner.

The 28-tournament HotelPlanner Tour schedule returns to England for the first time since 2023, with the England Golf Challenge supported by HotelPlanner taking place at The Vale Golf Club in June, before The Caversham plays host to the English Challenge in September.

Estonia will become the 52nd country to host a HotelPlanner Tour event since the Tour’s inception in 1989. The Infortar Estonian Challenge, which will take place at Estonian Golf & Country Club just outside the capital city of Tallinn in July, will be the country’s first ever professional golf event and will make Estonia the first new nation added to the schedule since 2020.

The season begins in South Africa for the sixth consecutive year, with the SDC Open at Zebula Golf Estate & Spa the first of four co-sanctioned events with the Sunshine Tour.

The HotelPlanner Tour returns to the United Arab Emirates in April for the Abu Dhabi Challenge and the RAKBANK UAE Challenge, which take place as part of the European Tour group’s long-term partnership with the Emirates Golf Federation.

The Road the Mallorca then touches down in Europe for the first time in May, with the Italian Challenge Open kick-starting a run of 19 tournaments in a 20-week stretch, weaving through 16 countries on the continent.

The Blot Open de Bretagne will take place at Golf Bluegreen de Pléneuf Val André for the 19th time after it first appeared as a host venue on the 2007 schedule, and the Vierumäki Finnish Challenge supported by Finnish Golf Union will make its tenth appearance on the HotelPlanner Tour.

Several new venues also feature on the 2026 schedule. The 27th edition of the Challenge de España visits Isla Canela Links – a DP World Tour Qualifying School Second Stage venue – for the first time, while PGA Aroeira 1 in Lisbon will make its maiden appearance on the schedule as host of the Open de Portugal.

The Road to Mallorca returns to China for back-to-back events in October, with the Hainan Open and the Hangzhou Open offering a final opportunity for players to make sure of their place in the field for the Rolex Grand Final supported by The R&A.

The end of season showpiece will take place at Club de Golf Alcanada in Mallorca for the sixth time, from October 29 – November 1, as the leading players on the Rankings battle it out for one of 15 life-changing DP World Tour cards.

Those 15 players who benefit from the formal pathway to the DP World Tour will then be eligible for the DP World Tour’s Earnings Assurance Programme, guaranteeing them minimum earnings of $150,000 for the 2027 season if they play in 15 or more events.

The top five graduates will also benefit from the John Jacobs Bursary, designed to provide security and a strong platform for the 2027 season on Golf’s Global Tour.

Jamie Hodges, HotelPlanner Tour Director, said: “It is a proud moment to unveil our schedule for the 2026 Road to Mallorca.

“This schedule allows us to build on the fantastic momentum gained in 2025, as we continue to provide the next generation of golfing talent with the best platform. Last year’s graduate class enjoyed four wins on the Race to Dubai, with three players achieving dual membership with the PGA TOUR upon the conclusion of the DP World Tour Championship.

“It’s incredibly pleasing to see that the pathway we’re offering continues to work. Each year, it is evident that our graduates are not only ready to compete on the DP World Tour, but they are ready to win.”

Last season, four of the 2024 HotelPlanner Tour graduates – John Parry, Kristoffer Reitan, Martin Couvra and Nicolai von Dellingshausen – earned victories on the 2025 Race to Dubai, with ten players ending the season inside the top 50 on the Race to Dubai Rankings delivered by DP World.

Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, who ended 2024 as the Road to Mallorca Number One, joined Reitan and Parry in earning dual membership with the PGA TOUR for 2026.

Hodges added: “I would like to thank all of our promoters, national Federations, tournament sponsors, host venues and partner Tours for their commitment to the HotelPlanner Tour. Without their support, the schedule for 2026 wouldn’t be possible.

“I would also like to thank HotelPlanner who were announced as Title Partner back in January. We have enjoyed a groundbreaking year since, with their investment giving players on our Tour the best chance of success. We’re looking forward to continuing that work into the new season.”

The full 2026 Road to Mallorca International Schedule can be viewed by clicking here.

Tickets available at https://www.ticketbox.mu/event/abmo-2025

Jayden Schaper arrived for this week’s AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open still revelling in his first DP World Tour victory and looking to achieve something only Louis Oosthuizen has managed to do in this event and on the La Réserve Golf Links that will host it.

A win for Schaper this week will give him the same back-to-back triumph that Oosthuizen achieved in 2023, when he followed up his own Alfred Dunhill Championship victory with the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open trophy on a La Réserve Golf Links course he co-designed with Peter Matkovich.

It’s an even greater possibility given Schaper’s record in Mauritius. In the three AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Opens he’s played, Schaper hasn’t finished worse than 13^th. And he finished sixth the last time the tournament was played here at La Réserve Golf Links in 2023.

It would be another remarkable triumph for the young star, who tees off in Thursday’s first round as the leader on the Race to Dubai Rankings, the leader of the DP World Tour’s Opening Swing standings, the leader on the Sunshine Tour’s Courier Guy Order of Merit, and having climbed into the top 100 on the Official World Golf Ranking.

Most importantly, though, he’s back on island he loves and has been coming to for family holidays and golf since he was a boy.

“The last two weeks have been incredible, and being here after that is pretty cool,” Schaper said on Tuesday. “I just love Mauritius. I love the resorts, the ocean, the golf courses. What I like about this design is that it’s familiar. My home course is also a Peter Matkovich design, and his designs are focused on being smart and not just bombing it. They’re fun to play. There are always a couple of driveable par fours in his designs, which are also fun.”

Another golfer hunting his own bit of tournament history is defending champion John Parry.

The Englishman is looking to become the first golfer to successfully defend this title.

“I’m really excited. Defending a title is not something I’ve had the opportunity to do before so it’s a new experience which I’m really looking forward to. I absolutely love it in Mauritius. I have my wife with me as well. The golf course looks fantastic. I can see the rough is heavy and I’m guessing it blows a lot here. It looks like a very second-shot golf course and it’s all about hitting it in the right areas and the right levels on the greens. There’s a feeling that if you’re playing well and it’s a windy course like this it might play into your hands a little bit. And being from England I’m fairly used to a bit of wind as well. So I’m excited,” he said.

The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open is proudly supported by leading brands such as AfrAsia Bank, Heritage Resorts, ER Group, Beachcomber Resorts & Hotels, Heritage Villas Valriche, Mont Choisy Group, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA), Range Rover, Emtel, Poncini, Mauritius Golf Federation, Phoenix Beverages, ticketbox.mu, DStv, C-Care, Mautourco, Ernie Els Wines, CBE, Miko Coffee, MobiMEA, Mastercard, SMAG and iconic.

• Julien Sale and Pierre Pellegrin lead challenge of Mascarene Islands

• Tickets available at https://www.ticketbox.mu/event/abmo-2025

French sensation Julien Sale will head back to his golf roots this week when he makes his debut in the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open at La Réserve Golf Links, starting this Thursday.

Sale will be joined by Mauritius’ Pierre Pellegrin as proud representatives of the Mascarene Islands in this Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour co-sanctioned tournament, and with both sharing the desire to become the first true home winners of the Indian Ocean’s premier golf tournament.

Although now playing under the French flag, Sale grew up on the nearby island of Reunion where he honed his love for the game.

This year he made history on the Asian Tour when he won in his first tournament as a member of the Tour in the Smart Infinity Philippine Open, also becoming the first French winner of this title.

He ended 40^th on the HotelPlanner Tour’s Road to Mallorca rankings this year with three top-10 finishes.

Pellegrin has been a familiar face in this tournament, having played in it since his amateur days and now as a professional. It’s been a key stepping stone in his own career as he’s now graduated to the Sunshine Tour.

The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open is proudly supported by leading brands such as AfrAsia Bank, Heritage Resorts, ER Group, Beachcomber Resorts & Hotels, Heritage Villas Valriche, Mont Choisy Group, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA), Range Rover, Emtel, Poncini, Mauritius Golf Federation, Phoenix Beverages, ticketbox.mu, DStv, C-Care, Mautourco, Ernie Els Wines, CBE, Miko Coffee, MobiMEA, Mastercard, SMAG and iconic.

The chase to Alfred Dunhill Championship glory will resume on Sunday after the third round had to be abandoned following challenging weather at Royal Johannesburg.

The majority of the field was unable to tee off in the third round as 22.4mm of rain fell on the East Course. Since Monday the course has taken 150mm of rain.

The tournament will now be a 54-hole contest, with the third and final round resuming at 06:30 on Sunday.

Spain’s Eugenio Chacarra still leads on 15 under par and has yet to tee off his third round. He is two strokes clear of South Africa’s Jayden Schaper, with England’s John Parry and South Africa’s Branden Grace on 12 under par. All have yet to tee off their third rounds.

South Africa’s Christiaan Burke and Spain’s Eugenio Chacarra took advantage of a receptive East Course at Royal Johannesburg and signed for rounds of 63 to lead the first round of the Alfred Dunhill Championship on Thursday.

They head the field on nine under par and are one stroke clear of the South African duo of former Alfred Dunhill Championship winner Brandon Stone and Thriston Lawrence.

The first round produced a tantalising leaderboard that also includes another former champion in Branden Grace just two strokes off the lead, and a group of former champions in Louis Oosthuizen, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Shaun Norris, Marcel Siem and Pablo Larrazabal joining Aldrich Potgieter and Dean Burmester four shots behind the leaders.

It’s the kind of quality leaderboard that, as well as he played with an opening stretch of six consecutive birdies and a closing eagle, sent Burke straight to the driving range after his round.

“My ball striking wasn’t there at all today so that’s why I needed some range work, but I’ve never seen my putter this hot,” said Burke. “I had a good start and only figured out after the seventh hole that I made six birdies in a row. Then I had back-to-back bogeys on 15 and 16 and my caddie said just finish strong. So we did with a birdie and an eagle. I like this golf course. I play here a lot and it suits my game.”

His co-leader Chacarra was just as pleased with his start.

“I played really good golf. I’ve been playing well but the score hasn’t been there. But I trusted the plan I have with my caddie and I think we did a tremendous job. The course is playing a little easier being so soft, but you still have to hit the shots out there. With the soft greens you can attack a little more than you normally would.”

Just one stroke behind them, both Stone and Lawrence didn’t drop a single shot. Stone in particular was delighted with his putting performance as he chases a second Alfred Dunhill Championship title.

“That was amazing. It’s the first time my putter’s worked in about 18 months to two years. Hopefully that continues,” Stone said.

“The goal for me was to go out and play with a bit more freedom and trust my natural ability, and almost channel that inner child that used to play this course when I was a kid.”

Tickets available to purchase here: Alfred Dunhill Championship

Louis Oosthuizen is looking forward to rekindling his memories of a Royal Johannesburg East Course which he played early in his career before he became a Major champion, and where he starts his quest for a second Alfred Dunhill Championship title in Thursday’s first round.

“I do like this golf course and it’s just nice being back in Johannesburg and playing where the golf ball goes a bit further. I’m looking forward to the week. It’s nice being back on a golf course I played a long time ago,” said the 2023 winner of the Alfred Dunhill Championship.

It may have been a long time ago, but Oosthuizen’s performance back then should serve as a warning to the rest of the field this week as the South African seeks to become only the third player in Alfred Dunhill Championship history to win multiple titles.

In a stretch of professional tournaments he played here in 2007, 2009 and 2010 – the year he won The Open – Oosthuizen finished tied 19^th, tied 10^th and tied 12^th respectively.

The golf course is now considerably longer than he remembers it, especially with the par-five first hole playing as a strong par four this week. All of which has convinced Oosthuizen about what he’d like for a Christmas present.

“I’d like about 20 more yards on my driver,” he joked.

Dean Burmester is equally excited as he goes in search of a maiden victory in a tournament he desperately wants to win.

“If you look at the list of winners, it’s a really special championship. I would love to add that leopard trophy to my cabinet. I’ve been working really hard to get ready for this week. I’m excited and the game is taking shape again. But I’m also just pleased to be playing in South Africa again. The Sunshine Tour is where we started and it’s important to go back to your roots,” he said.

And Branden Grace, the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Championship winner, is delighted to be back on a golf course where he won his first DP World Tour title in 2012.

“This is where it all kicked off for me. I haven’t been back here in a long time, and I’m excited to go. This golf course gets your attention from the very first hole. It will also play longer than usual in the wet conditions,” he said.

Tickets available to purchase here: Alfred Dunhill Championship

The Alfred Dunhill Championship’s return to Johannesburg for the first time in two decades has been like a trip down memory lane for several stars in this week’s field as they drove through the gates of Royal Johannesburg.

This premier Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour co-sanctioned tournament has brought a field which includes an impressive gathering of former Alfred Dunhill Championship winners led by Major champion Louis Oosthuizen.

Many of them have very personal reasons for looking forward to the challenge of the famed East Course, which is ranked within the top three in Gauteng.

Shaun Norris returns as the defending champion after what he described as a career-defining victory in this tournament at Leopard Creek last year, and now playing an East Course he has always enjoyed.

“Winning the Alfred Dunhill Championship last year was massive for me. Every South African wants to win this tournament, and it was a special week for me,” said Norris.

“There’s a little bit of extra emotion in a week when you’re defending a title because you always want to try and defend. It’s also nice to be in Johannesburg and staying at home, so I’m a little bit more relaxed. This has always been a great golf course and as South Africans we all love it. It’s a demanding test.”

Former champions Branden Grace, still the only golfer to have won both the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, and Richard Sterne will relish the prospect of returning to an East Course where they’ve both won titles in their careers.

Germany’s Marcel Siem is simply enjoying being back in Johannesburg where in January of 2004 he won the Alfred Dunhill Championship when it was still played in the city of gold before moving to its traditional home of Leopard Creek.

“It feels like I’m defending the title 21 years later. It feels great to be back here. I was still a baby at 24 years old. I remember the playoff with Gregory Havret and Raphael Jacquelin. It was the kickstart to my career. It meant a lot, and all the people in Joburg were so nice to me,” said Siem.

Rising South African star Casey Jarvis is back at the golf course where he achieved the crowning glory of his amateur career in winning the South African Amateur in 2020. He comes into this week in impressive form after winning twice in three weeks on the Sunshine Tour last month.

“I’m feeling very confident. To get the two wins is very special. It’s nice to head into a week like this on a golf course I know very well, and with some confidence,” he said.

Young Spanish sensation Angel Ayora also has fond memories of Alfred Dunhill Championship tournaments in general. He finished tied fifth in last year’s Alfred Dunhill Championship, and tied fifth in this year’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

“It’s just a special event for me. I love being here in South Africa as well – the people, the food, the golf courses. And the weather. I prefer to play in hot climates. I’m just happy to be here again in this tournament,” he said.