Home comfort for Els in Mauritius Open
Ernie Els will make his first appearance at the Afrasia Bank Mauritius Open at Anahita this week but he is no stranger to the host venue.
The four-time major winner returns to Four Seasons Golf Club Mauritius at Anahita over ten years after designing the course and he is delighted to be back.
“I haven’t been back here since we opened the course,” said the 49-year-old. “It’s so nice to have a tournament of this stature played on our golf course. It’s been ten years since we opened the course and that was the last time I played it. We’ve done quite a few courses since then but it comes flooding back to you.
“It was a late call but when I saw it was going to be the tenth anniversary of the opening of the golf course, I wanted to make an effort to come and play here. It’s been nine years since I’ve been here, it’s amazing how time flies.”
Fellow South African Dylan Frittelli is the defending champion in a field that includes four Scots – David Drysdale, Grant Forrest, Liam Johnston and South Africa-based Doug Mcguigan.
Also on the European Tour, a five-strong Scottish posse is in action in the Australian PGA Championship at the RACV Royal Pines Resort in Queensland,
Bob Macintyre, who made the cut on his debut on the circuit in Hong Kong last week, is joined by Connor Syme, Ewen Ferguson, Duncan Stewart and Craig Ross.
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
On-form Gary Orr will be trying to stop home favourite Miguel Angel Jimenez from making a winning debut on the Staysure Tour on Spanish soil this weekend.
While Jiménez won two of the five Senior majors this year, including the Senior Open at St Andrews, the Costa Blanca Benidorm Senior Masters is his first regular Staysure Tour event since turning 50. The field for an event taking place on the Levante course at Meliá Villaitana also includes another Spanish hero in two-time Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal, as well as winning 2014 Ryder Cup captain Paul Mcginley.
But Orr heads into the event in good fettle, having followed up a maiden win in the Scottish Senior Open at Craigielaw in September by also landing the Paris Legends Championship in his next outing.
The Helensburgh man, who sits fourth on the money list with three events to go, is joined in flying the Saltire by Gordon Brand jnr and Andrew Oldcorn.
Elsewhere, Murrayfield’s Alison Muirhead finished as the leading Scot in the Faldo Series Europe Grand Final at Al Ain in the UAE.
In an event won by Chinese Taipei’s Chen Ting-yu, Muirhead signed off with a 68 to end up 18th on five-over, a shot ahead of Aberdour’s Hamish Gorn (72) and two in front of Longniddry’s Cameron Gallagher (74).