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VEREENIGING, Gauteng – Veteran Sunshine Tour campaigner Oliver Bekker did exactly what he intended to do while his Mediclinic Invitational first round co-leader Willie Olivier did what he hopes can lead to the kind of career his more experienced compatriot has had.

The duo opened with rounds of seven-under-par 65 at the Maccauvlei Golf Club to lead by one shot over the group of Quintin Wilsnach, Ryan van Velzen, Matthew Spacey, Makhetha Mazibuko and Jovan Rebula.

Bekker’s name at the top of the leaderboard in the Sunshine Tour’s first tournament of 2024 is certainly to be expected from a man with eight wins on the Tour, a European Challenge Tour title, and a narrow playoff defeat in a DP World Tour event on his CV.

That’s something Olivier is certainly working towards, and his 65 was a big step in the right direction for a 25-year-old professional looking to make his mark on the Sunshine Tour.

“This was a very satisfying start to the year for me, with a good round like this,” said Olivier.

“I’m currently on the bubble in terms of keeping my card for this season with only a few tournaments left for me, so this is a good sign of what is to come. I’m very happy playing the golf I know I can play. I was a bit shaky off the tee at the start of the round and managed my wayward shots to save par. My putter was working though and a lot of birdie putts went in. My irons were also good and I was hitting them close enough, and then rolling them in with the putter always helps.

“There were some snippets of good golf last year and I’m glad everything is coming together now. It’s exciting for the rest of the tournament and the rest of the season.”

Having played on Altron Big Easy Tour, the Sunshine Tour represents a definite step up for Olivier and he’s taking in everything he can to grow his game.

“I didn’t have much off time over the festive season because I knew I had to perform in the new year to keep my card. So I only took about two weeks off and started grinding again. I had one simple thing I needed to work on in my swing to get greater consistency and that’s improved.

“The Sunshine Tour is another level. On the Altron Big Easy Tour there are smaller fields, but on the Sunshine Tour everyone is next level. Everyone’s here for a reason though. We can all play golf and it’s about making your bad shots average and your good shots exceptional. It’s about getting more consistent in your golf. Your bad rounds need to be less damaging and your good rounds need to be very good to compete with the best in South Africa.”

Louis Oosthuizen is a Major champion who has been ranked as high as fourth in the world and has achieved an abundance of accolades in a stellar career. But this one, a victory in the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open and with his family there to see him win for the first time in his career and also claim back-to-back title for the first time, is special indeed.

With a birdie on the last hole of a La Réserve Golf Links course that he co-designed with Peter Matkovich for a final round of 69, Oosthuizen claimed his second victory in as many weeks on the Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour with a two-shot triumph on Sunday.

“I’ve never gone back-to-back in my life before so it’s a big dream to be able to do that, and then having my family with me for the first time when I’ve won in my career is very special,” said Oosthuizen, who closed out the week on 17 under par to add to his victory last week in the Alfred Dunhill Championship.

Oosthuizen’s victory completes a remarkable run by South African golfers in the four Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour co-sanctioned tournaments to end this year, with Dean Burmester winning both the Joburg Open and the Investec South African Open.

England’s Laurie Canter finished second on 15 under par following a closing 68, while Sweden’s Sebastian Söderberg signed for a 63 to share third place on 14 under par alongside England’s Daniel Brown (65) and South Africa’s Jacques P de Villiers (71).

Having only arrived in Mauritius in the early hours of last Tuesday morning following the Monday finish of the Alfred Dunhill Championship, Oosthuizen had to quickly acclimatise to not only the travel but also a golf course which even though he co-designed he had yet to play himself.

“The golf course was spectacular to play and I think in a year or two, when it has settled and the greens are faster and the rough will have grown a bit, it’s going to be really tough. But for the team here to get this ready to be hosting the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open this year was some magic,” said Oosthuizen.

The South African didn’t have the best start with back-to-back bogeys on the fourth and fifth holes which opened the door for several others to challenge for the lead.

“I started poorly and didn’t hit it great, but then I found some rhythm there on holes six, seven and eight. On the back nine I felt really comfortable and started hitting good shots. And coming down the 18th it’s nice to have three putts to win,” said Oosthuizen.

And there’s every indication that he plans to return next year.

“These two events (the Alfred Dunhill Championship and AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open) will probably go on my schedule now, and from now on will be a nice way to start my holiday.”

Louis Oosthuizen has set himself up for back-to-back victories on the Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour as he takes a one-stroke lead into Sunday’s final round of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open at La Réserve Golf Links.

Playing a golf course he co-designed with Peter Matkovich, Oosthuizen now seems intent on showing how to win on it as well following a third round of 65 which included three eagles and which lifted him into the lead on 14 under par.

Jacques P de Villiers is his nearest challenger on 13 under par following a 68, while Laurie Canter is currently third on 11 under par after signing for a 65 on Saturday.

Oosthuizen won last week’s Alfred Dunhill Championship to end a five-year win drought, and now looks set to double up with a win in Mauritius.

“I think that was the first time I’ve ever made three eagles in one round, and I missed a short putt for eagle on the eighth hole. I got such a boost from hitting a very good four iron into the fifth and making an eagle and then chipping it in for eagle on the sixth. That sort of momentum gets you going. The wind was tough and there were some good holes out there, but I think I managed myself very well. I played really well,” said Oosthuizen.

Should the South African triumph on Sunday it would complete a summer of co-sanctioned doubles on the Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour, with fellow South African Dean Burmester winning back-to-back in the Joburg Open and the Investec South African Open.

“I’m playing well so it’s all going to be about how I manage myself in the final round and my thought process around this golf course. With the wind being this strong you can miss a shot and easily get into trouble out there. But hopefully I keep calm and manage myself well and see if I can get another victory.”

Behind him, De Villiers is doing his best to focus on his own game as he prepares to tee it up in the final group with Major champion Oosthuizen.

“King Louis, indeed. I can’t control what he does but I can control what I do. I’ve got my plan. I’ve been playing well this season and I’ll stick to my game and hit my goals and focus on myself. Louis does his job and he does it well so we’ll see how it goes. I’m in there with a shout and that’s always a good feeling.”

Sweden’s Sebastian Söderberg produced a composed second round of 65 to lead the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open by one stroke on a blustery day when La Réserve Golf Links presented an entirely different challenge.

A stronger wind and a tougher course set-up combined to keep the field largely in check after the low scoring of the opening round. It also made for a longer day as play was eventually suspended at 19:00 due to darkness, and with a few players who cannot change the lead who still need to complete their second rounds which they will do early on Saturday morning before the start of the third round.

Söderberg was able to get the most out of it though as he climbed to 10 under par overall and heads into the weekend chasing his second DP World Tour title.

“It was just one of those days where it felt kind of easy,” said the Swede. “It was windy but I was hitting my driver really well. I took care of the par fives and the two driveable par fours and made birdies on most of them. My short game was really good on those occasions when I did miss the green, and my putting was solid. It was a good day.”

His nearest challengers are South Africa’s Jacques P de Villiers and Germany’s Marcel Schneider on nine under par following respective second rounds of 67 and 68.

“I drove it well and just kept myself going with no big issues. It was windy but it was a consistent wind,” said De Villiers.

Englishmen Paul Waring (73) and Daniel Brown (68) and defending champion Antoine Rozner (74) of France are all well placed for the weekend on eight under par.

But where Söderberg found the going easy with a round of seven under par that was the lowest of the day, most of the professionals found it to be far more of a tricky Friday.

“There was a lot of good stuff in there and a lot of rubbish, but that’s golf I suppose. They were quite clever with the set-up and it was really hard to hit it close to some of the flags especially on the crosswind holes. Off some of these elevated tees it’s really hard to control your ball into some of these fairways with long rough around as well,” said Waring.

Rozner, who set the course record with his 62 on day one, fought hard to remain in contention. “It was one of the longest days I’ve had on a golf course. I hit the ball solid on the front nine and felt I played better than level par there, but the back nine was just bad,” he said of a second nine that included a double bogey on the 13^th.

But joint course designer Louis Oosthuizen, who is only three shots off the lead going into the weekend, was smiling at a golf course that he feels played closer to how he and Peter Matkovich designed it.

“The first-round scoring was very low and on a golf course that you’ve co-designed you want it to be as tough as it can be. I think the scoring might still be good this week as the course needs time to settle in, but in the future it will be very tough.”

Antoine Rozner believes he sent a clear message to the rest of the field about defending his AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open title as he opened with an incredible course record 10-under-par 62 to lead the first round by one stroke at the new La Réserve Golf Links on Thursday.

“I think they’ve seen it won’t be easy to take this from me,” the Frenchman said of any challenge to his title.

It was a phenomenal round of golf that immediately became the first course record in the first championship round since this golf course opened shortly ahead of this week’s Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour co-sanctioned event. It was also the lowest round of golf in a tournament for the French professional.

“I couldn’t dream of a better start. I was really hot and shot seven under on the back nine. That was unbelievable. I didn’t miss a single shot and holed everything,” said Rozner, who even holed a bunker shot for eagle on 18 to set the clubhouse target in the morning.

After teeing off on the 10th and climbing to 11 under par with four holes to play, it was a round Rozner thought would end with a magical 59.

“Everything went my way. I birdied holes one, two and three and after the birdie at the fifth I really started thinking about shooting 59, but unfortunately the bad tee shot on the sixth cost me that magic number,” he said after a bogey there, which was followed by a birdie on eight and another bogey on the ninth.

His nearest challenger is England’s Paul Waring who birdied his final two holes for a 63 in the tougher afternoon conditions of wind and rain.

“It’s a little bit unexpected because I didn’t see the golf course until Wednesday because we were delayed getting here. I just walked the golf course on Wednesday and I liked the look of it, then I played great today. I saw Antoine go really deep in the morning so I knew there was a low one out there,” he said.

Young South African Jayden Schaper is currently third following a round of seven-under-par 65 which once again puts him in contention on this Opening Swing on the DP World Tour.

“I played with co-designer Peter Matkovich in the pro-am, and my home course of Ebotse Links is also designed by him. His courses really suit my game,” said Schaper.

But the man looking to become the first player to successfully defend his AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open title and who last year won the tournament by a record five strokes is looking determined to make his mark on this year’s event as well.

“It’s a good course and it will be a nice week. There is lot of golf to be played and I’m really pleased with my start,” he said.

Major winner Louis Oosthuizen arrives at this week’s AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open in winning form as he joins a stellar field of Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour golfers for this year’s showpiece at the La Réserve Golf Links.

Oosthuizen claimed his 15th professional title worldwide when he won last week’s Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek.

He brings that form with him to an AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open in which he’ll be making his second appearance since 2017. The 72-hole tournament tees off on Thursday and finishes on Sunday.

The 2010 Open champion will feel even more confident considering that he is playing a La Réserve Golf Links course which he co-designed with Peter Matkovich and which he knows intimately.

“I’m really looking forward to this week. My family travelled to Mauritius before me and when I arrived here we had a few cocktails to celebrate my recent victory,” said Oosthuizen.

An in-form Oosthuizen adds immensely to a field that includes defending champion Antoine Rozner, five-time DP World Tour champion and Heritage Golf Club ambassador Marcel Siem, French star and recent DP World Tour champion Matthieu Pavon, the charismatic Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston who is making his return from injury, and former AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open champion Dylan Frittelli.

The field also includes rising Sunshine Tour stars such as Luca Filippi, Kyle Barker, Rupert Kaminski, Robin Williams, Jayden Schaper, Casey Jarvis and Ryan van Velzen who have all been challenging for their maiden victories in Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour co-sanctioned tournaments this summer.

La Réserve Golf Links adds significantly to the already world-class golf offering in the south of Mauritius and on the renowned Bel Ombre estate, with Heritage Golf Club having hosted the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open on three previous occasions on its critically acclaimed Le Château Golf Course.

To purchase tickets for the tournament please go to https://www.ticketbox.mu/

The 2023 AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open has once again drawn a glittering array of blue-chip sponsors, including AfrAsia Bank, Rogers Group, Rogers Hospitality, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, IBL, Beachcomber Resorts and Hotels, Heritage Villas Valriche, Phoenix Beverages, Jacobs Coffee, Pro Carts, Mautourco, KOHLER, Häagen Dazs and Oxenham.

It took longer than expected but it was well worth the wait as Louis Oosthuizen won the Alfred Dunhill Championship by two strokes at Leopard Creek on Monday to finally claim a title he has sought for most of his career.

A storm on Sunday and the subsequent suspension of the final round forced the tournament into a Monday finish. But after twice finishing runner-up in this event, Oosthuizen was happy to wait as long as needed to claim a title he has desperately wanted.

“It feels good. I’ve waited a long time for this one and it’s very special. This and the SA Open are the two events in South Africa that I always wanted to win. I’m very happy,” said Oosthuizen after a final round of 69 and a winning total of 18 under par.

Charl Schwartzel finished second on 16 under par with a closing 71, while Christiaan Bezuidenhout took third place on 14 under par with a final round of 68.

Oosthuizen and Schwartzel were tied for the lead on 16 under par through seven holes of the final round when Sunday’s storm suspended play. They resumed on Monday morning and the two Major winners matched each other on the magnificent Leopard Creek layout before a run of three straight birdies from the 13^th gave Oosthuizen the edge.

“I knew Charl was going to be around all day because he likes this golf course and he knows how to play it. I think it was those three putts (for birdie) that got me ahead. It’s tough to be very aggressive over the last few holes so I could sort of just hang on to making pars,” said Oosthuizen.

He had a three-shot lead with two holes to play and admits that Leopard Creek’s tough finishing stretch took it out of him.

“I didn’t have a great lie on 17 and ended up making bogey there and then on 18 I made par the hard way. But that’s what this golf course does. It’s such a good finishing golf course that you need to just hold on.”

The Alfred Dunhill Championship is set for a Monday finish following a storm that forced the suspension of Sunday’s final round at Leopard Creek.

The golfers were called off at 11:21 because of a large storm in the area. Play officially resumed at 16:00 and was then suspended for the day at 16:46.

The final round will resume at 09:00 on Monday.

Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen are currently tied for the lead on 16 under par through seven holes. Christiaan Bezuidenhout is their nearest challenger three shots back having also played seven holes.