Rozner leads French charge in AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open

Frenchman Antoine Rozner has the chance to claim his first title on the European Tour as well as become the first French winner of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open as he heads into Sunday’s final round of this tournament in a three-way tie for the lead at Heritage Golf Club.

Rozner signed for a 66 in Saturday’s third round to finish the day tied for the lead with Belgium’s Thomas Detry (67) and Scotland’s Calum Hill (68) on 16 under par.

But the leaderboard is still tightly packed behind them and they lead by only one stroke over Danish teenager Rasmus Højgaard and American Sihwan Kim.

And with European Tour Rolex Series winner Brandon Stone just two shots back and another European Tour champion in Christiaan Bezuidenhout three off the lead, it’s set to be a thrilling final round.

But Rozner in particular has shown himself to be more than capable of standing up to what this golf course and the field can throw at him.

“I had an amazing start to my round. That front nine was probably the best golf I’ve played this week,” he said of his three birdies and an eagle to go out in 31.

“I’m very happy with the score and I’ll take six-under anytime.”

The two-time winner on the Challenge Tour this year has adapted easily to the rigors of the main tour and was quite calm throughout his third round as he played his way into contention.

“I was lucky enough to play with Benjamin (Hebert) and he’s a relaxed guy. We can talk between shots and that helped me to stay relaxed too. But I’m not going to lie, I’m really looking forward to tomorrow and hopefully getting that win.

“It’s a packed leaderboard so I need to shoot something really low and I’ve got to keep playing the way I’ve been doing. But a victory tomorrow would be a huge accomplishment.”

Both Detry and Hill will be chasing the same outcome.

“It’s my first time here, and I’m very exited and looking forward to tomorrow. I’ve been in this position a few times. I’ve got some experience in this domain so I’ll just play my own game and have fun like I’ve been doing the last three days,” said Detry.

And Hill is hoping he can replicate his second round of eight-under-par 64 on the final day.

“Eight under might do it. I could do with another one of those and I might be able to come in with a smile on my face,” he said.