Antoine Rozner was proud of his performance at Heritage Golf Club as he came within a whisker of claiming a first European Tour victory at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open.
The Frenchman claimed two victories last season as he graduated from the European Challenge Tour and shared the lead heading into the final round in just his sixth European Tour appearance.
A birdie on the 14th saw him break out of a seven way tie for the lead in round four but he could not follow the lead of Renato Paratore and Rasmus Højgaard by birdieing the last and we were set for extra holes.
A stunning bunker shot and two putts after hitting the green in two helped him record gains on the first two trips back up the par five last but he could not match Højgaard's eagle at the third time of asking, as the 18-year-old Dane became the third youngest winner in European Tour history.
All the hard work is paying off. It’s a very good result and I’m very happy
"Everything comes down to one play-off hole," said Rozner. "I made some amazing birdies on the first two play-off holes.
"I have nothing to regret. I gave my best.
"Congratulations to Rasmus. He hit some amazing shots down the stretch.
"That bunker shot, I told my caddie right before that this can go in the stand or stay in the trap because I was trying to catch it so clean. It was probably one of the best bunker shots I’ve ever hit.
"All the hard work is paying off. It’s a very good result and I’m very happy."
Paratore's chances ended as he put his second shot on the first play-off hole in the water but he was pleased with his week's work.
"I pulled my second shot too much to the left," he said. "It was not the best shot I made and it landed off the green and I knew I had no chance. I could have aimed more to the right.
"I played really solid all week and even though I didn’t win in the play-off, overall it has been a good week."
