The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open will celebrate its fifth anniversary as one of world golf’s leading tri-sanctioned tournaments by offering South African professionals not already exempt an opportunity to qualify on their home tour for this year’s event.
The Vodacom Origins of Golf Final, a tournament on the Sunshine Tour this October, will serve as the official qualifying tournament for the 5-8 December AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open at the Heritage Resorts.
The five-tournament Vodacom Origins of Golf series is the longest running series of tournaments on the Sunshine Tour, this year celebrating its 16th consecutive season. It has been the platform from which some of the South African stars of the game have launched their careers.
Louis Oosthuizen, winner of The Open in 2010 and who made his debut in the 2017 AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, won his first professional tournament on this series.
George Coetzee, a multiple European Tour champion and the winner of the inaugural AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, claimed his maiden professional title on this series during his rookie season on the Sunshine Tour in 2007.
Fellow European Tour winner Branden Grace is also a former champion on the Vodacom Origins of Golf series, while Asian Tour and European Tour champion Justin Harding has won three times on this series.
The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open occupies a unique space within international golf through its tri-sanctioned status, making it a highly attractive event for young professionals seeking to fast-track their careers onto three of the biggest Tours in the game.
The winner of the tournament automatically receives playing privileges on all three the Sunshine Tour, Asian Tour and European Tour, opening up a multitude of playing opportunities into even bigger events that could arise from this.