Mauritius (The Hawk): At the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, Antoine Rozner put on a strong performance on the final day with a round of 67, putting aside the memory of losing in a play-off at the previous competition in 2019.
"That was a distinct occasion, and a distinct route. Rozner, who triumphed by a record margin of five strokes in the final DP World Tour event of 2022, remarked, "I did not even think about it.
It's incredible. There isn't a better way for me to end the year than this. It's incredible. To be honest, it felt like playing at home. The crowds were incredible here. The week was out of this world, according to Rozner, who in 2019 lost a playoff for this title.
"I played well all week," he continued. One of my best nines ever was the first nine holes. It made a significant difference to complete the front nine, the more difficult nine, in five under. I tried to maintain present-tense focus as I was unaware of the results. I began to miss a few shots here and there, but I still had a substantial advantage, he remarked.
Wining is extremely difficult, therefore this is enormous. Your thoughts and your skills are put to the test, and I became extremely emotional at the conclusion. We put forth a lot of effort toward this, so completion is incredible.
Rozner has won three times on the DP World Tour, but this is his first victory since the 2021 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters. He won the final competition of the year.
On his 41st birthday, Alfredo Garcia-Heredia of Spain shot a perfect 67 to finish alone in second place at 14 under.
Julien Brun of France finished third after a level-par 72, two strokes further back.
The Frenchman started the day with a two-shot lead and increased it to five shots at the halfway point by recording an eagle and three birdies on the front nine.
After successfully paring the following seven holes in windy circumstances, he finished the tournament with a score of 19 under par, erasing the memory of his play-off loss against Rasmus Hjgaard in this competition three years prior.
Early in the fourth round, Rozner did well to maintain a spotless record by pulling off a stunning recovery shot from a precarious lay to preserve par at the third.
The 29-year-old started his round with a birdie from about six feet at the fifth hole, and then he created an opportunity for an eagle at the par-five seventh with an excellent approach shot.
And to raise his score to 17 under, his ten-foot putt just barely missed the hole's right edge and fell below the surface.
At the par-three eighth hole, Rozner's tee ball struck the green, and he rolled in the putt to gain another stroke before making a huge birdie attempt at the ninth hole to extend his lead to five shots.
Rozner had yet another incredible iron shot that gave him a birdie opportunity on the tenth, but he was unable to convert this time, and he also missed another opportunity at the short eleventh.
After recovering from a misfired tee shot on the 12th hole, he parred the 13th, 14th, and 15th holes as well.
Rozner missed the green on the short 17th but dropped a stroke after lagging his huge birdie putt to tap-in range at the 16th. At the very last hole, he made up for it, nearly chipping in for an eagle before sinking the close-range birdie putt to complete an incredible victory.
Unbelievable, Rozner exclaimed with excitement. It's a difficult game. We work so hard all year long in practise, and I'm really happy I finished this. It's wonderful that I will now have a few weeks to celebrate. There is nothing better that I could ask for.
(Inputs from Agencies)
