Villas Valriche, one of the tournament’s sponsors of the > upcoming AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, has announced a special prize of a villa to the value of US$1 million for the first professional golfer who shoots an eagle on the par 4, 423m, 17th hole on the final day of the tournament at Heritage Resorts in Mauritius from May 7-10.
Anton de Waal, CEO of Villas Valriche, said: “The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open is the first tri-sanctioned tournament of its kind to be endorsed by the Sunshine, European and Asian Tours. As such we believe that this special prize, which holds the highest monetary prize value ever awarded for an eagle across all three Tours, is testament the marquee status of the tournament, of which we are proud to be a sponsor. It will be our absolute pleasure to give away this prize to the first professional golfer who achieves this extraordinary feat during the tournament.”
Villas Valriche was confirmed as Mauritius’ leading golf and beach residential resort after winning two top honours at the International Property Awards 2013-14 (voted Africa’s Best Golf Development and Africa’s Best Safe Home). Set in 525 acres of lush, tropical landscaped grounds on a rolling hillside overlooking the Indian Ocean, this pristine villa-only estate forms part of the Domaine de Bel Ombre and is situated in the Savanne region, the most naturally beautiful part of the island.
Commenting on the special prize Selwyn Nathan, Executive Director of the Sunshine Tour said, “This is a very exciting development for the inaugural AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open. I believe this will inspire the golfers to perform at their very best to clinch this prize.”
Keith Waters, The European Tour’s Chief Operating Officer and Director of International Policy, said: “We are very grateful to all of the sponsors for their continued support of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open and this special prize will be a fantastic incentive for the players competing in the inaugural tournament.”
Mike Kerr, the CEO of the Asian Tour said, “It is fantastic that Villas Valriche has come up with such an attractive reward for the first golfer shooting an eagle on the 17th hole during the final round of the inaugural AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open in May.
With a princely value of US$1 million, I believe that this will be the most lucrative special award that we have on offer on the Asian Tour and I would like to thank Villas Valriche for supporting this new tournament through such a unique and exciting way.”
The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open is the first ever tri-sanctioned golf tournament endorsed by the Sunshine, European and Asian Tours, all of whom are founding members of the International Federation of PGA Tours. It is expected to draw top performing golfers from each of the three Tours.
The tournament will be played at the Heritage Golf Cub on Domaine de Bel Ombre, voted one of the Top 10 golf courses in Africa, according to global news broadcaster CNN. The course was designed by Peter Matkovich, who has also presided over the construction of 20 top-ranked golf courses on the continent, such as Arabella Golf Club in South Africa, and Borrowdale Brooke Golf Club in Zimbabwe.
This 27-hole facility which includes an 18-hole par-72 championship layout and a nine hole short course, is not only set in the middle of stunning natural scenery and dotted with small lakes and streams, but also possesses exceptional infrastructure and services.
