South Africa’s Dylan Frittelli will make the first title defense of his career when he returns to the island of Mauritius for November’s AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open at the Four Seasons Golf Club Mauritius at Anahita.
Frittelli has confirmed his participation in the tournament, which is tri-sanctioned by the European Tour, Sunshine Tour and Asian Tour, on November 29 - December 2.
His victory in this event when it was played at the Heritage Golf Club at the beginning of the 2018 season was his second European Tour title, following the LYONESS OPEN powered by ORGANIC+ in June 2017, and one which resulted in a breakthrough year which saw the 28 year old compete at the highest level of the game, including in all four Major Tournaments.
“My victory in Mauritius came at such a key time in my career. It helped me break into the top 50 on the Official World Golf Rankings, setting up a great 2018 in which I played in all four Majors for the first time. So it will be special to return to Mauritius with all of those good memories,” said Frittelli, who is currently ranked 68th on the Official World Golf Ranking and 32nd on the European Tour’s Race to Dubai.
This season Frittelli has had nine top-20 finishes on the European Tour, two of which have come in tournaments on the Rolex Series, the premium category of events on the Race to Dubai.
Frittelli is also looking forward to the challenge of the Ernie Els-designed Four Seasons Golf Club Mauritius at Anahita, which is hosting the event for the second time in three years.
He said: “The beauty of the island, the resort and golf course at Anahita makes it one of the most memorable weeks on the tour for all of us playing there.”
Dave Usendorff, Director of Golf at the Four Seasons Golf Club Mauritius at Anahita, confirmed that the course will be a strong test for the field. “The design of this golf course is unique for the island because it is big with wide fairways. Make no mistake, this is a big golf course and off the tips, it’s incredibly long.”
Since its debut as a tri-sanctioned tournament in 2015, the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open has fast risen to attract the participation of some of the world’s leading professionals, including 2010 Open champion Louis Oosthuizen, 2011 Open champion and 2016 European Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke, 2018 European Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjørn, and a myriad of former Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup players as well as multiple European Tour, Sunshine Tour and Asian Tour winners.
