Published on December 9, 2019

Danish Teen Højgaard Claims Mauritius play-off Victory


Rasmus Hojgaard of Denmark. Photo: Asian Tour

Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard announced his arrival on the biggest stage when he sunk an eagle on the third play-off hole to win the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open on Sunday.

At 18, the Danish teenager secured his European Tour card at Qualifying School last month and his breakthrough at the Heritage Golf Club came very quickly in what was only his fifth appearance on the European Tour.

It took a crucial birdie on the 72nd hole for the young Dane to force his way into a three-way play-off with Italian Renato Paratore and Frenchman Antoine Rozner after closing with a four-under-par 68 and 19-under-par 269 total.

Hojgaard missed a 12-foot eagle putt for the title on his first trip back up the par-five 18. With Parattore bowing out after hitting his ball into the water then, it was left to Hojgaard and Rozner to battle for top honours again.

Both made birdies on their second play-off hole but Hojgaard’s moment of glory would come soon after when he eagled the hole in his third attempt for an emotional triumph on the paradise Indian ocean island.

China’s Wu Ashun and India’s Jyoti Randhawa flew the Asian flag when they finished in a share of 13th and 17th place respectively at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open which was inaugurated in 2015.

It was the first tournament to be tri-sanctioned by the Asian Tour, Sunshine Tour and European Tour.

 

Round four scores

269 R Højgaard (Den) 66 69 66 68, A Rozner (Fra) 67 67 66 69, R Paratore (Ita) 69 67 66 67,
270 L De Jager (RSA) 7265 69 64, T Detry (Bel) 67 66 67 70, G Forrest (Sco) 66 71 67 66, B Hebert (Fra) 66 68 70 66,
271 R Sciot-Siegrist (Fra) 73 68 65 65,
272 J Guerrier (Fra) 71 67 68 66, S Kim (USA) 67 67 67 71, C Syme (Sco) 68 66 69 69, O Bekker (RSA) 69 70 66 67,
273 B Stone (RSA) 66 67 69 71, A Wu (Chn) 71 65 68 69, S Kjeldsen (Den) 68 67 69 69, T Pieters (Bel) 74 66 67 66,
274 J Randhawa (Ind) 70 69 70 65, M Pavon (Fra) 67 66 75 66, T Lawrence (RSA) 69 70 66 69, C Hill (Sco) 68 64 68 74,
275 J Veerman (USA) 70 71 67 67, C Bezuidenhout (RSA) 67 68 68 72, G Higgo (RSA) 70 67 71 67, G Coetzee (RSA) 71 70 66 68,
276 M Siem (Ger) 69 71 69 67,
277 Y Liu (Chn) 70 70 68 69, Z Lombard (RSA) 67 71 73 66, R Langasque (Fra) 66 74 71 66, A Chesters (Eng) 71 67 71 68, L Gagli (Ita) 71 67 70 69, J Sjöholm (Swe) 71 66 75 65, H Porteous (RSA) 69 69 70 69,
278 T Smyth (Aus) 70 66 71 71, D Van Tonder (RSA) 70 71 67 70, J Walters (RSA) 74 67 69 68, T Linard (Fra) 7268 67 71, J Ahlers (RSA) 67 7269 70,
279 N Schietekat (RSA) 70 68 71 70, J Singh Brar (Eng) 69 71 68 71, R Enoch (Wal) 70 70 71 68, J Strydom (RSA) 69 69 70 71, O Strydom (RSA) 68 727267,
280 T Fisher Jnr (RSA) 7268 70 70, B Easton (RSA) 7264 75 69, L Slattery (Eng) 70 70 66 74, G Fdez-Castaño (Esp) 70 71 71 68, D Law (Sco) 68 71 71 70, J Catlin (USA) 70 69 7269,
281 C Pigem (Esp) 7265 73 71, S Garcia Rodriguez (Esp) 70 67 7272, P Lawrie (Sco) 71 69 68 73,
282 J Ritchie (RSA) 70 68 71 73, S Maeng (USA) 7269 7269,
283 H Otto (RSA) 70 68 73 72, K Horne (RSA) 67 71 74 71, A Chadha (Ind) 69 70 71 73, U Mane (Ind) 73 68 74 68, J Higginbottom (Aus) 70 70 7271, G Havret (Fra) 70 71 70 72,
284 J Senior (Eng) 69 71 7272, R Bland (Eng) 70 71 69 74, D Fichardt (RSA) 68 69 73 74,
285 O Farr (Wal) 7268 73 72, K Davidse (RSA) 70 71 74 70,
286 R Santos (Por) 67 74 74 71, C Basson (RSA) 71 70 73 72,
289 S Prakongvech (Tha) 74 67 74 74, S Kooratanapisan (Tha) 71 70 75 73,
290 A Michael (RSA) 74 64 75 77, D McGuigan (Sco) 73 68 74 75,
291 V Madappa (Ind) 71 70 75 75,
292 E Conradie (RSA) 69 69 79 75,