Mauritius, December 7: France’s Antoine Rozner together with Belgium’s Thomas Detry and Scotland’s Calum Hill will head into the final round of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open with a one-shot advantage after sharing the third round lead on Saturday.

A graduate of the European Challenge Tour, Rozner showed his promise in his rookie season on the main Tour by closing with a pair of birdies in his last two holes to sign for a six-under-par 66 along with a place atop the leaderboard.

Hill, who started the day with a one-shot lead on his own, mixed his card with two bogeys and six birdies for a three-day total of 16-under-par 200 at the Heritage Golf Club.

While it was not enough to give him the outright lead again, it was still a rewarding day as he showed great character by recovering well with a bogey on 16 to close with birdies on 17 and 18.

Asian Tour member Sihwan Kim of the United States trailed the leading trio by a single shot as he returned with a 67 to share fourth place with promising Danish youngster Rasmus Hojgaard.

China’s Wu Ashun emerged as the highest placed Asian after signing for a 68 to stay four shots off the pace in a share of 10^th place while India’s Jyoti Randhawa posted a 70 to lie in tied-35^th place, nine shots off the leaders.

The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open was inaugurated in 2015 and was the first tournament to be tri-sanctioned by the Asian Tour, Sunshine Tour and European Tour.

Did you know?

• Antoine Rozner graduated from the European Tour Qualifying School this year and is playing his rookie season.
• Thomas Detry has 13 top-10s from 84 European Tour events, with two coming in his last four starts. He is seeking his maiden win this week.
• Calum Hill has won twice and enjoyed three other top-10s in five starts on the European Challenge Tour before going on to secure his European Tour card this year.
• Wu Ashun finished tied-20^th in his AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open debut at the Heritage Golf Club in 2017.
• The Chinese played predominately on the Asian Tour and in Japan since he turned professional in 2007 before he started playing regularly on the European Tour following his win at the Volvo China Open in 2015.
• With that victory, Wu became the first Chinese golfer to win a European Tour title on home soil.
• Wu has since followed up with that victory with wins in Austria and The Netherlands which made him the first Chinese player to win three times on the European Tour.
• Jyoti Randhawa recently celebrated his career milestone on the Asian Tour when he teed up for his 300th event at the Panasonic Open India last month.
• He once reached a career high of 70th place on the Official World Golf Ranking in March 2008.
• Out of his eight Asian Tour victories, five of them have come from home. Randhawa has also captured the titles of five National Opens, with three Indian Opens, one Thailand Open and one Singapore Open.
• Randhawa enjoyed his best finish of 2019 when he finished tied-14th at the Thailand Open in November.

Antoine Rozner (Fra) Third round 66 (-6) Total 200 (-16)
I’m happy. I played really solid and I had a great front-nine again. Probably the best I’ve played all week so far. I played great on the back as well and I’ll take six-under anytime. I was lucky enough to play with Benjamin and he’s a relaxed guy. We can talk between shots and that helped me to stay relaxed too. Unfortunately, I’ll not be playing with him again tomorrow. But that’s just golf. I’m not going to lie but I’m really looking forward to tomorrow and hopefully get that win. It’s a packed leaderboard but a victory tomorrow would be a huge accomplishment. I need to shoot something really low and I got to keep playing the way I’ve been doing.

Calum Hill (Sco) Third round 68 (-4) Total 200 (-16)
It was nice to have a couple of birdies to finish off and sneak back into a tie for the lead. Happy with how it finished off. It was similar to my morning round yesterday, wasn’t much wind then either. The scoring was good out there if you played well. I hit a lot of nice shots to start off the back nine until the par five but couldn’t get my putts, needed to hit it six inches harder on every hole. Then on the par five – if you get your driver right it should be a birdie today or even better if I managed to drop it into the hazard. Got lucky, managed to whack it out and save par. Hit a few not spot-on iron shots after that which cost me a shot, but coming in with two good putts was nice. Eight under might do it. I could do with another one of those and I might be able to come in with a smile on my face.

Thomas Detry (Bel) Third round 67 (-5) Total 200 (-16)
I got off to a better start today compared to yesterday – two under after five. A great drive in nine, hit the green there and got it going. I made two silly mistakes. I think we misjudged the yardage on 12, we hit the wedge shot about 25 metres short. Don’t know what happened there. The 16th is a bit of a tricky green very firm. But very, very happy with the way I played today. We’ve had a few good breaks, took advantage of the birdie putts we had. Very pleased with the way I played. Ball striking wasn’t 100 percent on the first few holes, but I got some confidence and felt pretty good out there.

Very happy (to be one of the favourites). My first time here, a lot of people speak French, get a lot of Belgian people here, lots of crowds following. It’s nice to have that.I’m very exited and looking forward to tomorrow. I’ve been in this position a few times. Was in this position three weeks ago in Sun City at a big event. A few weeks before at the French Open gave myself a chance to win – Nico (Colsaerts) won there, which was great. I’ve got some experience in this domain so let’s just play our own game and have fun like we have the last three days. Sometimes you over think a few things instead of just letting it go. I think it’s all about keeping it simple. Just play like you have been playing in practice rounds. It’s easy to say, but I think that’s how you approach the fourth day.

Sihwan Kim (Usa) Third round 67 (-5), Total 201 (-15)
I played well today. Stayed patient and made some pretty good putts in the middle of my round which got me going. If there’s no wind like today, the scores are going to be low tomorrow and we’ll just have to see how the wind blows then. But whatever it is, you still got to go out there and play well. I’ve been bad off the tee the whole week but I putted really well. I got the speed right and that has been the key.

Wu Ashun (Chn) Third round 68 (-4), Total 204 (-12)
I was playing a domestic event last week and it was really cold back home in China. So it was a big change in weather and I was trying to adjust back to the tropical climate conditions here. The first two days were also all about getting familiar with the golf course again and today, I felt I managed to do well. I took advantage of my chances and I’m in a good position heading into the weekend. I’m not that far off the lead so anything can happen. My wife’s with me this week and her presence has kept me very relaxed too. It’s like a holiday feeling especially when we get to stay in a nice resort too.

Jyoti Randhawa (Ind) Third round 70 (-2), Total 209 (-7)
Today was a little patchy day as I was playing slowly and was being monitored and had to speed up play. I missed a few shots there but overall it’s still okay. I guess I need to play a little quicker now. I’m not used to playing fast in a two-ball. Just need to play faster than what I did today and I should be fine.

Mauritius, December 6: Asian Tour member Sihwan Kim of the United States battled through the heat and humidity to stay in close pursuit of Scotland’s Calum Hill who signed for a eight-under-par 64 to take the second round lead at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open on Friday.

South Africa’s Brandon Stone, who was one of the five players tied for the first round lead, also kept himself in the title race by returning with a 67 to trail Hill by one shot in second place with Belgium’s Thomas Detry and France’s Matthieu Pawon at the Heritage Golf Club. 

Kim matched his opening day’s effort of another 67  to give himself a chance of making his breakthrough on the Asian Tour where he first played on after graduating from Qualifying School in 2017.

Unlike his opening round where he traded six birdies and one eagle against a double-bogey and bogey, Kim kept a clean slate on his bogey-free card with five birdies to be among the four players bunched in tied-fifth place.

While Kim has only one top-10 finish in India to show for this season, the Korean-American is hopeful of finding success once he addresses his driving woes.

India’s Jyoti Randhawa and Abhijit Chadha, who signed for matching total of 139, were among the 72 players to progress into the weekend rounds where the cut was set at three-under-par

The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open was inaugurated in 2015 and was the first tournament to be tri-sanctioned by the Asian Tour, Sunshine Tour and European Tour.

Did you know?

• Sihwan Kim is making his eighth start on the Asian Tour this season. His best result so far is a tied-10th finish at the Hero Indian Open.
• Kim is a graduate of the 2017 Asian Tour Qualifying School. Straight after securing his card, he went on to claim two straight top-10 finishes at the Leopalace21 Myanmar Open and Bashundhara Bangladesh Open that year.
• The Korean-American finished in 55th place on the Order of Merit to retain his card for 2018. He is currently in 48th place on the money list.
• Calum Hill won twice and enjoyed three other top-10s in five starts on the European Challenge Tour before going on to secure his European Tour card this year.
• He finished 13th at the Alfred Dunhill Championship last week.
• Brandon Stone comes from a strong golfing background. His father, Kevin, is an experienced Sunshine Tour player and the national coach for the South African amateur junior team, while his grandfather, Sam, also played for his country.
• He enjoyed a stellar amateur career, particularly in the American collegiate ranks where he was named the 2013 NCAA Freshman of the Year while representing the University of Texas.
• Stone graduated from the Challenge Tour in 2015 and made his breakthrough on the European Tour with his win at the BMW South Africa Open the following year. He is now a three-time European Tour winner.
• Jyoti Randhawa recently celebrated his career milestone on the Asian Tour when he teed up for his 300th event at the Panasonic Open India last month.
• He once reached a career high of 70th place on the Official World Golf Ranking in March 2008.
• Out of his eight Asian Tour victories, five of them have come from home. Randhawa has also captured the titles of five National Opens, with three Indian Opens, one Thailand Open and one Singapore Open.
• Randhawa enjoyed his best finish of 2019 when he finished tied-14th at the Thailand Open in November. 
• Randhawa enjoyed a memorable year in 2004 when he won the season finale Volvo Masters of Asia and finished second on the Order of Merit with US$351,709.
  
  

Calum Hill (Sco) Second round 64 (-8), Total 132 (-12)
It’s been very warm. It’s hot and humid so you are sweating buckets for the whole round, but I seem to be getting used to it. You have to position it quite well here. There are a few holes where you’ve got to keep an eye out. One errant shot can cost you quite a lot. The greens have been immaculate, this course is in very good condition. It’s a pleasure to play on. The last couple of days the game has been nice. Managed to get the putter going well today, which added up to a good score. Last week was a slow start and I played better at the weekend. It’s just built on from there. I’m happy with that, especially to make a putt on the last hole to finish off a good round. I made a lot of long range putts – 20, 25 foot – probably made four of those. It would be good fun (to be in the final group), it would be an experience that I’ve never had before.

Brandon Stone (Rsa) Second round 67 (-5) Total 133 (-11)
I’m very happy with how things went today. I got off to a nice start this morning; a couple of birdie early which kind of settled the nerves a little bit. And then from there I just played great all day. Very low stress, always in play, gave myself a lot of opportunities and managed to convert a fair number of them and sitting 11-under-par going into the weekend is exactly where you want to be. Putting is an important component every week. I think that was the missing factor I had last week because I felt like I hit the ball as good last week as I am this week, but I just didn’t convert. It felt like your back was against the wall, whereas this week, I’m giving myself a lot of opportunities and managed to convert the majority of those and that’s why I see myself at the top of the leaderboard and not at the cut line like I was last week.

Sihwan Kim (Usa) Second round 67 (-5) Total 134 (-10)
I’m really happy. It was very hot out there and I had to stay focus with every shot. When I was in trouble, I ended up making a par and I managed to make some key putts coming in and made some birdies. It was so humid without the winds this morning and it kind of drains you out. I had to make sure I was hydrated. I’ve been putting well. I have a little trouble hitting off the tee but my putting makes up for it. If I can correct my tee shots, I should be okay. I’m going to have my lunch now and head to the beach!

Jyoti Randhawa (Ind) Second round 69 (-3) Total 139 (-5)
I hit my irons very well today unlike yesterday where I’ve been struggling. But overall it was a solid round although I wished I could have putted better where I missed a few birdie chances. But other than that, I’m pretty pleased. I know I can still shoot good numbers but my problem is to do it consistently for four rounds. I still have the much gas left in the tank but I have to be cleverer in the way I approach my game. My body cannot take so much of the workout anymore and I’m counting on my experience to give me that advantage.

Abhijit Chadha (Ind) Second round 70 (-2) Total 139 (-5)
I played well today and just had one really bad hole on number one where I made a seven. That actually hampered my score. I want to get to double digit and under par as fast as I can. I feel that when the wind picks up, it’s going to be challenging. So let’s see. But for tomorrow, I want to get off to a fast start and play a good round.

Hong Kong, December 6: Organisers of the Hong Kong Open have confirmed that the 61st edition of the tournament will take place at Hong Kong Golf Club from January 9-12, 2020. 

Sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Hong Kong Golf Association, the 120-player field will once again include a number of top international golfers who will compete for Official Golf World Ranking points and a US$ 1 million prize purse. The European Tour will continue to stage the tournament, which is Hong Kong’s longest standing professional sporting event and which will be televised to a global audience. 

Spectators attending the tournament, which had originally been scheduled to take place at the end of November, will continue to enjoy free access to Hong Kong Golf Club on Thursday and Friday, with under-21s benefiting from free entry throughout the week.

With the tournament set-up unchanged, event-goers will once again be able to enjoy four days of world-class action on the historic Composite Course at Fanling as well as a host of fun and family-friendly activities for fans of all ages in the Spectator Village.

William Doo, Jr., Captain of Hong Kong Golf Club, said: “After the disappointing postponement of last month’s championship, we’re delighted to be able to confirm that the 61st Hong Kong Open will be played in January. The early-year date helps ensure the participation of a number of leading international players, while the Composite Course remains in optimal condition.

“We’d like to thank the Asian Tour, the Hong Kong Golf Association, the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the European Tour and all the tournament sponsors and the many fans from Hong Kong and overseas. We look forward to welcoming everybody to the Club next month.”

Kenneth Lam, President of the Hong Kong Golf Association, added: “The decision to proceed with the 61st edition of the Hong Kong Open in the early new year underlines the commitment of the Hong Kong Golf Association and Hong Kong Golf Club to the ongoing development and promotion of the game in Hong Kong and the region. We look forward to welcoming the international golf community back to Hong Kong in January and to showcasing the depth of homegrown talent competing in the tournament.”

Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the Asian Tour said: “We are pleased to announce the 61st Hong Kong Open will now be the curtain raiser for our 2020 season. As our season opening event, there will be an undoubtedly strong Asian Tour field with players eager to get their seasons off to a fast start. 

“Hong Kong Golf Club has always been one of the favourite stops on the Asian Tour so last month’s postponement was received with mixed emotions from our membership. We look forward to competing again on the storied fairways of Hong Kong Golf Club in cool conditions in January and expect a highly competitive tournament as always which will set the stage for what is going to be yet another exciting 2020 season.”

Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, said: “While we are unable to sanction this edition of the Hong Kong Open due to other tournament commitments, we are delighted to retain an integral role in staging one of Hong Kong’s best-loved sporting events and we very much look forward to returning next November when the 62nd Hong Kong Open will kick off our 2021 European Tour season.”

Star players confirmed to play in the 61st edition of the Hong Kong Open will be announced in the coming weeks.

The Hong Kong Open is hosted by Hong Kong Golf Club. Tickets are available to purchase via Ticketflap – https://www.ticketflap.com/thehongkongopen. Tickets purchased for the original event from 29 November to 1 December 2019 remain valid and will grant access to the rescheduled tournament in January.

The tournament is free to attend on Thursday 9th and Friday 10th January for all. Under 21s go free for all four tournament days.  For more information see www.thehongkongopen.com

The Hong Kong Open has also been recognized as an “M” Mark event to help enhance the image of Hong Kong. “M” Mark is awarded by the Major Sports Events Committee, symbolizing an intense, spectacular and signature event in the territory sports calendar.

Ends.

Mauritius, December 5: India’s Abhijit Chadha stayed three shots off the pace on a crowded leaderboard where the first round lead of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open was shared by five players on Thursday.

Scotland’s Grant Forrest, South Africa’s Brandon Stone, Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard along with Frenchmen Benjamin Hebert and Romain Langasque shared the opening day’s honours when they returned with identical six-under-par 66s.

Chadha, who is battling to secure his Asian Tour card with three events left on his schedule, put up a gallant fight by mixing his card with four birdies and one bogey for a 69 and a share of 22nd place at the Heritage Golf Club, which is hosting the tournament for the third time.

The Indian is coming into the week on the back of an encouraging result on his domestic circuit last week and is hopeful he can translate his good form into success on the Indian Ocean island this week.

South Africa’s Keith Horne, who is still searching for his Asian Tour breakthrough, returned with a 67 to stay within a shot back of the leaders in tied-sixth place.

Despite the threat of his younger rivals, the 48-year-old knows he still has every chance to match up to them.

The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open was inaugurated in 2015 and was the first tournament to be tri-sanctioned by the Asian Tour, Sunshine Tour and European Tour.

Did you know?

• Abhijit Chadha earned his Asian Tour card this season by finishing tied-35th at Qualifying School last December, the second time he has finished inside the top-40 since 2015. He is currently in 107^th place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit.
• His best result this season came at the Classic Golf and Country Club International Championship in September where he finished tied-fifth.  
• He enjoyed a tied-third finish at the Kensville Open presented by Tata Steel PGTI last week.
• Chadha was one of India’s top amateurs in 2010 and 2011, and a member of the Indian team that won the silver medal at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.
• He finished a career-high third in the Professional Golf Tour of India’s (PGTI) 2015 Ranking, having secured a win at the BILT Open along with three other top-10 finishes, including two top-three results in the season. 
• At 18, Rasmus Hojgaard is a Qualifying School graduate from the European Tour. He made his first European Tour cut at last week’s Alfred Dunhill Championship where he finished tied-49^th.
• In 2018, Hojgaard and his identical twin brother Nicolai combined with John Axelsen to win the Eisenhower Trophy for Denmark and played together in the Junior Ryder Cup.
• Benjamin Hebert has six wins on the European Challenge Tour but is still seeking a maiden victory on the European Tour having been defeated in the final of the 2018 Belgian Knockout and lost out in three play-offs in 2019.
• Keith Horne has two top-10 finishes on the Asian Tour this season. He finished tied-10^th at the Hero Indian Open and tied-ninth at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters
• Horne’s last professional victory was in 2017 when he won the Vodacom Origins on the Sunshine Tour.

Ends.

Benjamin Hebert (Fra) First round 66 (-6)
It was a good day. The greens were very firm during the practice round and they were much softer this morning, so it was easier. During the practice round it was very hard to reach pin high because the bounce was huge on the green. It was a little bit windy on the last nine, a little bit tougher, but I did well so I am very happy. There was definitely less wind today, especially on the front nine. The course is in great condition anyway so, if you find a good way to manage the wind it is very scoreable. It feels a little bit like vacation, I have a friend on the bag, so we’re just trying to enjoy the tournament. Everything is so nice, the hotel is pure, the area is just amazing. We just try to enjoy it, and maybe that’s the way to have a good week, we’ll see.

Rasmus Hojgaard (Den) First round 66 (-6)
It was great, I played well and gave myself a lot of chances. Conditions are very good. It’s a course where if you are playing well you can see a lot of chances. I managed to take them today. I had a full season on the Challenge Tour, which gave me a lot of confidence in what I am doing. I just need to believe in myself. It’s paying off right now and hopefully it will pay off in the long run as well.

Romain Langasque (Fra) First rond 66 (-6)
It was pretty solid all day. It was the kind of round I was looking for to start the tournament, so I’m pretty happy. I love this place, I feel great, but loving the place and playing well is not the same thing. I played well here two years ago and I think this is a course that fits my game really well. I’ll just stay focused on doing my own thing and it worked well today. I’m going to rest tonight as I’m playing really early tomorrow and then just focus on playing the same game. I think the wind will be a little bit less tomorrow morning so maybe I will take on the course a little bit better, but I will just focus on doing good things and enjoy my time here.

Grant Forrest (SCO) First round 66 (-6)
I made a long putt on my first hole – probably 45, 50 foot, so that’s always a good way to start the round. Couple of nice birdies, a bogey on the 13th (his fourth) and chipped in for eagle on the 14th (his fifth). A bit of an up and down start, but it’s god to get out of the blocks quickly.
The par fives are key, they are all reachable. The second is the one that is playing the longest into the wind, but you can still reach in two. You get the tee shots away there and there are really good chances so you need to make the most of them. The game is getting there. We’ve done a lot of work over the past few months and it’s been a bit of a struggle on the golf course but we’re starting to see signs now. I had a great start to the tournament last week as well. It’s been encouraging the last little while and things are falling into place for the coming season.

Keith Horne (Rsa) First round 67 (-5)
So far so good. I made a bogey on the last but it was a good day. I was very happy with the way I played today. I made a lot of good putts. I just kept it in play, hit it solidly, did everything right and made some putts. There are quite a few birdie holes out if you keep it in play and you’re hitting a few short irons. All of the par-fives are reachable in two, so yes there are birdies out there. Very seldom I play in a three-ball where a guy I’m playing with is older than how long I’ve been on Tour for, so I pretty much get used to it now. I think the guys are professional and the younger guys are a lot more fearless. They just go out there – even 18-year olds go out there and shoot the scores. They’re just fearless and competitive from a very early age, which I think is awesome and it’s fun to watch. As you get older and more experienced, I don’t think you can hit it so far. Fearlessness goes away and you need to start boxing a little bit more cleverly. I think at the end of the day you start to learn that if you manage your score a lot more over the long run, you become a lot more consistent that way. If you stay fearless you’re going to have a couple of really good rounds but you’re also going to have a couple of large numbers, so if you can find a good balance, that’s when you start to produce consistent results.

Abhijit Chadha (Ind) First round 69 (-3)
Today was good. It was not that windy in the morning so I took advantage of those conditions. I started off well and I played really well today. It’s a good start, no doubt about it. I’ve got to keep hitting as many fairways as I can. The course is not too long for me and I just got to stick to my plan of being good off the tee. My form is good. I played an event back home last week and I finished third. The conditions were quite tough then and so I feel good about my game coming into this week. I need to have a strong finish to keep my card so I’m doing all I can to do well this week.