• Links exponants set to shine at La Réserve 

• GIR the key stat two years ago

• Great event for the South African contigent

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Tournament History

This is the ninth edition of the Mauritius Open - an event co-sanctioned between the DP World Tour and the Sunshine Tour.

The tournament originally alternated between two venues - the Four Seasons Golf Club at Anahita and its original venue, La Réserve Golf Course at Heritage Resorts, Domaine de Bel Ombre, but after a break of three years due to the pandemic, the tournament returned to the schedule in 2022 at a brand new venue, Mont Choisy Le Golf in Grand-Baie in the north of the island, which was used again 12 months ago.

In 2023, the event was staged at another new venue, La Réserve Golf Links at the Heritage Resorts, and that's where we return this time around

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Venue

La Réserve Golf Links, Heritage Resorts, Domaine de Bel Ombre.

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Course Details

La Réserve Golf Links only opened shortly before the 2023 edition, so it perhaps wasn't too surprising that the man that knew the layout better than anyone else in the field went on to win - the pre-event favourite and co-course designer, Louis Oosthuizen.

The former Open Champion, Oosthuizen, designed the course alongside acclaimed architect Peter Matkovich.

La Réserve Golf Links is described as the first and only contemporary links course in the Indian Ocean and there are views of the Indian Ocean on every hole.

Positioned on a former sugar cane plantation, Réserve Golf Links has undulating, fast rolling Paspalum fairways and Paspalum greens.

Typical links-style pot bunkers are a hazard, and water is in play on six holes but the course is exposed and it's primary defence is the often-windy weather.

This is what Oosthuizen said about the course prior to the off two years ago.

"We've worked with the land to create a strategic, undulating course that plays in the traditional links style, with running fairways, pot bunkers and long grasses. The location is breathtakingly beautiful with incredible views of the Indian Ocean."

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Weather Forecast

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TV Coverage

Live on Sky Sports all four days, starting at 9:30 on Thursday morning.

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First Eight Tournament Winners

2015 - George Coetzee -13 (playoff)
2016 - Jeunghun Wang -6
2017 - Dylan Frittelli -16
2018 - Kurt Kitayama -20
2019 - Rasmus Hojgaard -19 (playoff)
2020-21 - No Tournament
2022 - Antoine Rozner -19
2023 - Louis Oosthuizen -17
2024 - John Parry -14

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The Story of 2023

The defending champ, Antoine Rozner, was matched at just 2.1411/10 on Thursday morning after he'd played his first 14 holes in 11-under-par but that was as good as it got for the Frenchman and he eventually finished tied for 29^th.

Having won the weather interrupted Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek on the Monday, Oosthuizen was quite weak in the market before the off, drifting from 7/18.00 to 9/110.00 on the Exchange and he was matched at 20.019/1 when he trailed Rozner by six after round one.

Oosthuizen was trading at 6.411/2 when he trailed the halfway leader, Sebastian Soderberg, by three but after a seven-under-par 65 on Saturday, which included three eagles, he was a 1.684/6 chance with 18 to play.

The course designer was far from convincing early on - on Sunday and he was caught and passed by three men after back-to-back bogeys at four and five but a lengthy birdie at 10 got him back on track and he went on to win by two.

A HUGE putt! @Louis57TM moves one ahead with a massive birdie at 10. #AfrAsiaBankMauritiusOpen pic.twitter.com/6rDvDGD6PL

-- DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) December 17, 2023

There were no stats produced for the winner, Jacques De Villiers, who finished tied third or for Lyle Rowe in tied seventh, but the worst any of the other seven players in the top-10 ranked for Greens In Regulation was 16^th and the top four in the Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green stats all finished inside the top seven so approach play was key.

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Look to Oman and Previous Renewals for Clues

Given the 2023 edition was won by a former Open champion and that Daniel Brown, who's a very good links player, finished third, links form is a huge plus but looking back at previous editions is arguably the best angle in.

Last year's venue, Mont Choisy Le Golf, which was also the venue in 2022, as well as the other Heritage Resort course, used for the event in 2015, 2017 and 2019, were also designed by Peter Matkovich.

Rozner won at Mont Choisy two years ago after finishing second at the other Heritage Resort course and as already mentioned, he traded very short on day one last year so he ties the three tracks up nicely and I'd also look to any tournaments staged at the Al Mouj Golf in Oman.

Al Mouj was the host course for three editions of the Oman Open on the DP World Tour and form crossed over between that event and this one, no matter which venue was used for the Mauritius Open.

Kurt Kitayama won both events, Mauritian winners, George Coetzee, Rasmus Hojgaard and Rozner all finished inside the top ten in Oman in 2020 and the 2023 winner here, Oosthuizen, finished runner-up there on the LIV Tour last year.

Al Mouj is another coastal Paspalum layout so it's not surprising that form holds up well in Mauritius.

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South Africans and French Worth Following

South Africans tend to fare well in Mauritius as it's a popular tourist destination for them.

Coetzee won the inaugural edition 10 years ago, Dylan Frittelli was victorious two years later and Oosthuizen won here two years ago.

After two consecutive tournaments in their homeland, a trip to Mauritius is the perfect way to wrap up the year for the South Africans.

As demonstrated perfectly by Rozner three years ago, the French also enjoy it here.

In addition to winning the event, Rozner was also beaten in a playoff in 2019, Matthieu Pavon finished second at Anahita in 2018, and Frenchmen Julien Brun and Jeon Weon Ko finished third and fourth three years ago.

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In-Play Tactics

John Parry was trailing by five with a round to go at Mont Choisy last year, but the previous eight winners had trailed by no more than a stroke with 18 to play.

Although the event has been played at different venues, they're all similar in style and wind exposed tracks tend to speed up and get tougher as the week goes on so making up ground is tough.

All nine previous winners have been within four strokes of the lead at halfway.

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Selections

In a weak field, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the highly talented Jayden Schaper double up after he got off the mark on Sunday in his homeland, but I'm not convinced he's a great price at around 8/19.00.

Daniel Brown is an interesting entrant this week given he now has a PGA Tour card for next year following Laurie Canter's move to LIV.

I would have expected him to take the rest of the year off following Canter's defection, but Brown clearly sees this as a great opportunity to sign off the year in style.

As highlighted above, he's a fine links exponent and he contended strongly here two years ago so we know he likes the track.

Brown finished third two years ago, beaten by three, and that was despite shooting a 73 on Saturday.

Having been beaten in a playoff in Bahrain in February, Brown won the BMW International Open in July before losing in extra-time again in October at the Open de Espana.

This is his first appearance since the DP World Tour Championship, where he finished 45^th, so it's impossible to know how his game is but he's a class act who looks too big at around 25/126.00 in a field this weak at a venue that clearly suits him.

Jacob Skov Olesen is a considerably shorter price than he was when a Find Me a 100 Winner pick in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in October, where he finished fifth.

He was backed that week at 280.0279/1 on the strength of his Amateur Championship victory in foul conditions at the Ballyliffin Golf Club last year and his third placed finish in the Nexo Championship at the Trump International Golf Links in August.

He loves playing links golf and as an added plus, he finished ninth in this event at Mont Choisy 12 months ago.

He's no bigger than 33/134.00 on the High Street so I was more than happy to get the talented Dane onside at 40.039/1 as he bids to emulate fellow Dane, Rasmus Hojgaard, who got off the mark on the DP World Tour in this event in 2019.

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