Chadha trails crowded leaderboard by three at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open
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 107th 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-49th.
- 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-10th 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.
By Olle Nordberg, Former Asian Tour and European Tour professional
The Tournament
The €1,000,000 (approximately US$1,152,000) AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open is tri-sanctioned by the Asian Tour, European Tour and Sunshine Tour, and has been on the Asian Tour schedule since it’s inception in 2015. The event has been the scene of considerable success for Asian Tour players during the four editions.
In 2016 Korean Jeunghun Wang birdied the 72nd hole to win the event by one shot over fellow Asian Tour player Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh, preventing the latter to become the first Bangladeshi to win an event co-sanctioned with the European Tour.
Arjun Atwal of India came very close to claiming the trophy in 2017 when he birdied the last hole to get into a playoff against South African Dylan Frittelli, who would eventually win with a birdie on the first extra hole.
Last year it was Asian Tour player Kurt Kitayama of the U.S. who drew the longest straw, winning the event by two shots over Chikkarangappa S. from India and France’s Matthieu Pavon. It was Kitayama’s first win on Tour and he followed it up a few months later with a win in Oman on the European Tour.
Another memorable moment came in 2015 when Spanish Asian Tour player Javi Colomo came to the par-four ninth hole on Friday, his last hole of the day, needing a birdie to make the cut. Instead of making the necessary birdie to make the cut, Colomo aced the 322-yard hole with a driver to record the first ever hole-in-one on a par-four on either of the three sanctioning tours.
The Course
This year’s venue Heritage Golf Club in Domaine de Bel Hombre was also used in 2015 and 2017 and has been voted as one of the top-10 courses in Africa. The Peter Matkovich designed course will play as a par-72 at 7,106 yards from the championship tees.
Situated right on the south coast of the island of Mauritius, players should expect wind to be a factor this week.
The Contenders
Shubhankar Sharma
The 2018 Order of Merit winner came close to winning his third title a few weeks ago at the Turkish Airlines Open when he missed the six-man playoff by only two shots after a final round 64, tying the low round of the day.
Except for the tied-seventh finish in Turkey, Sharma also had a tied-seventh at the Italian Open, another Rolex Series event, and could be on the way back to the form that won him the Joburg Open and Maybank Championship in the span of a few months in 2017-2018.
John Catlin
Having recently won the Thailand Open in a three-man play-off after an immaculate approach to set up a birdie on the first extra hole, Catlin seems to be returning to the form that saw him win three Asian Tour events in 2018.
After playing the European Tour for most of this season but failing to secure a card at their Qualifying School a couple weeks ago, the Hua Hin based American will be looking for a win this week to get himself back on the European Tour.
Johannes Veerman
A player that did secure his European Tour status at the recent Qualifying School after closing with rounds of 67, 67, 66, and 66 to grab card number 13, Veerman showed remarkable heart by overcoming a rough 74, 74 start to his campaign.
The American quickly followed it up with a tied-seventh at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa last week and seems likely to continue his good run this week in Mauritius.
Shiv Kapur
Having narrowly missed out on notching his fifth Asian Tour victory twice in his last two events after being one of the play-off participants at the Thailand Open, and double bogeying the final hole at the Panasonic Open India to lose by one, Kapur would definitely be the sentimental favorite this week.
Obviously in good form at the moment and coming off a week’s rest at home, Kapur could erase the disappointment of the two recent close calls with a win this week at Heritage Golf Club.
Justin Harding
The two-time Asian Tour winner has been playing a Major and top-tier-event heavy schedule much of this year, thanks to an incredible run in 2018 and early part of 2019 that saw his Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) rise from 716th in early 2018 to a peak of 42nd in May this year.
His year also included a win on the European Tour in Qatar in March and a tied-12th at the Masters, the latter guaranteeing the South African an invitation back to Augusta in 2020.
Harding was also in the mix for a win last week at Leopard Creek on the back nine on Sunday, until a missed birdie opportunity from just off the green on the par-five 13th and a double-bogey on the 14th derailed his challenge and meant he had to settle for a tied-seventh place.
Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, November 24: Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert defeated compatriot Phachara Khongwatmai and Australian David Gleeson with an incredible chip-in birdie on the second play-off hole to clinch his second Asian Tour title in style at the Sabah Masters on Sunday.
The 30-year-old Pavit, who suffered a play-off defeat at the Thailand Open two weeks ago, redeemed himself by emerging victorious in a four-way play-off against Phachara, Gleeson and Aman Raj of India at the Sutera Harbour Golf and Country Club.
Pavit marked his week’s best efforts with a closing six-under-par 65 to force extra time with Phachara (67), Gleeson (68) and Raj (63) after the quartet ended regulation play with matching totals of 13-under-par 271s at the US$300,000 full-field Asian Tour event.
The first play-off hole, which was held on the par-four 18, saw Raj bow out with a bogey while the others made pars. The remaining trio found the center fairway on the second extra hole but their second shots were all short of the green.
It was Pavit who sealed the deal with his 15-yard chip-in birdie from the fringe while Phachara and Gleeson missed their chips to settle for pars. Pavit’s birdie on the 74th hole is only the second one recorded in the final round of the Sabah Masters.
The inaugural Sabah Masters is proudly supported by the Tourism Malaysia with an aim to boost tourism in Sabah.
Did you know?
- Pavit Tangkamolprasert marked his week’s lowest round with a closing 65. Starting the final round with a three-shot deficit, Pavit dropped a shot on his third hole but bounced back brilliantly with seven birdies on his way home to force the play-off.
- Pavit’s stats this week were very strong across the board, he led the field in birdies with 24, Driving Distance 316 yards (1st), Putts/GIR 1.591 (3rd), Putts/Round 1.44 (5th), GIR 68.06% (T10th) , Driving Accuracy 85.71% (T10th).
- Pavit is a six-time champion on the Asian Development Tour (ADT), where he was crowned the Order of Merit champion in 2014. He shares the record of the most wins on the ADT with Chan Shih-chang of Chinese Taipei.
- He claimed his first Asian Tour victory at the 2016 Macao Open, also in a play-off where he defeated India’s Anirban Lahiri.
- He had also defeated Chinese Taipei’s Lin Wen-tang in a play-off at the 2016 Charming Yeandger ADT, which was his biggest victory yet on the region’s secondary circuit.
- Enjoyed his career-best season yet on the Asian Tour in 2016 where he finished 12th on the Order of Merit.
- Pavit lost in a playoff at the Thailand Open two weeks ago and had another top-10 on this year’s Asian Tour at the Bank BRI Indonesia Open where he finished tied-sixth.
- On the All Thailand Golf Tour (ATGT), Pavit has racked up eight top-10s in 10 outings this season and in the last two of those in the weeks leading up to Thailand Open, he finished tied-third and tied-second.
- Pavit moved up from 35th place to 18th place on the Order of Merit following his victory.
- Pavit comes from a golfing family. His dad brought him into the game and his younger brother and sister are professional golfers too.
- Phachara Khongwatmai marked his fourth top-10 result this season with his tied-second place finish at the Sabah Masters.
- The 20-year-old Phachara had led the first two rounds but a double-bogey on the last hole in the third round saw him slip out of the lead for the first time this week. The young Thai, however, fought back brilliantly in the final round with four straight birdies from the 11th hole to secure his berth in the play-off.
- Phachara came into prominence when he won the 2015 PGM CCM Rahman Putra Championship to become the youngest ADT winner at the age of 15.
- Phachara enjoyed his career-best season yet on the Asian Tour in 2017, where he came in third.
- David Gleeson, who hails from Queensland, was left to wait longer for his comeback victory after missing out on his fourth title and first since 2011 at the Sabah Masters.
- The 41-year-old Gleeson had agonisingly missed a 12-footer on the last hole in regulation play to seal the victory.
- Gleeson’s last victory came at the 2011 Hero Indian Open. He claimed his first victory at the 2002 Volvo China Open and his second title at the 2008 Macau Open.
- Gleeson’s joint runner-up finish at the Sabah Masters came after missing four cuts in as many starts on Tour this year.
- Gleeson turned professional in 1998 and reached a career high of 154th on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) in January of 2009.
- Aman Raj of India secured his 2019 Asian Tour card after coming through the Qualifying School last December. He has enjoyed a consistent season so far, missing only three cuts in 11 starts.
- The 24-year-old Indian would mark his best result ever on the Asian Tour with his joint runner-up finish at the Sabah Masters this week.
- After turning professional in 2016, Raj travelled to Thailand for Asian Tour Qualifying School but was forced to return home after fracturing his jaw following a fall in the bathroom. He was out of action for two months after that.
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