Defending champion Jayden Schaper, rising star Casey Jarvis, former champion Antoine Rozner, and Dean Burmester have all confirmed they will compete in this year’s 10th anniversary edition of the US$ 1.5 million AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open at Mont Choisy Le Golf.
“The Most Beautiful Week in Golf” has drawn another stellar Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour field for the 10-13 December 2026 showpiece, which remains one of the largest tournaments linked to the African continent.
Through the Strategic Alliance between the Sunshine Tour, DP World Tour and PGA TOUR, both Schaper and Jarvis are on track to earning their PGA TOUR cards for next season, and will arrive in Mauritius as the next wave of young international stars.
Schaper is back to defend the title he won in a playoff with American Ryan Gerard last year, making him one of only four multiple winners on the DP World Tour this season.
Jarvis heads to Mauritius as the other multiple winner on the DP World Tour this season and also the joint youngest winner at the age of 22. He returns with the experience of being a Major championship contender this year, having made his debut in The Masters and The Open, including a career-best tied sixth in The Open.
Frenchman Rozner is set to return to the golf course where he won the 2022 AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open with what is still a tournament record margin of victory of five strokes, while Burmester is looking to improve on his best finish of tied 20th in the inaugural tournament in 2015.
“As we look ahead to the 10th edition of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, it is a time to reflect on the synergy between AfrAsia Bank and this world-class sporting event. The economic impact of this co-sanctioned competition by the DP World Tour and Sunshine Tour is testament to our humble contribution towards the economy of Mauritius. Besides the international magnitude of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open tournament, it also has the power to inspire our youth to dream big,” said Vishal Joyram, CEO of AfrAsia Bank.
The tournament has been a powerful catalyst in the careers of its champions, all within the framework of the partnership between the Sunshine Tour, DP World Tour and PGA TOUR and the greater opportunities this creates. Every single one of its champions has gone on to shine on either the DP World Tour or PGA TOUR.
“I’d like to congratulate all involved with the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open on reaching such a significant milestone in the history of this tournament. For 10 editions, this tournament has been a perfect example of the strength of our Strategic Alliance and the incredible opportunities this creates for our members. Jayden Schaper, who won the tournament in 2025, is now on track to earning a PGA TOUR card for next season. Casey Jarvis has had a standout year, and his presence in The Masters and The Open is a direct result of the partnership we have with the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR. The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open plays an important role in this partnership. It has helped to build a stronger Mauritius golf economy while at the same time helping to build a stronger global golf economy,” said Thomas Abt, Commissioner of the Sunshine Tour.
Ben Cowen, Chief Tournament and Operations Officer of the DP World Tour, said: “On behalf of the DP World Tour, I would like to congratulate everyone involved with the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open on the 10th anniversary of the event. It’s been fantastic to be part of the journey of this wonderful tournament over the years, alongside our partners at the Sunshine Tour. The event boasts some great past champions – from Ryder Cup players to Major champions – but it was equally pleasing to see a rising star in Jayden Schaper announce himself to the world with his second win in as many weeks at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open last December. We are excited to return to Mont Choisy Le Golf for this landmark edition of the tournament in December.”
The greater significance of this milestone anniversary for the tournament is the impact it has had on the growth of golf in Mauritius. The 2025 AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open alone generated US$ 5.9 million in total net economic impact for the Mauritian economy – the highest in the history of a tournament that was launched in 2015. The tournament also saw a significant increase in international visitors last year, enhancing its growing global appeal.
The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open is proudly supported by leading brands such as AfrAsia Bank, Miko Coffee, Beachcomber, Mont Choisy, ER Hospitality (Heritage), ER Group, Air Mauritius, Phoenix Beverage, C-Care, Emtel, Mautourco, Ernie Els Wines, DSTV, ticketbox.mu and MobiMEA.
The milestone anniversary edition was announced at a press conference that brought together the tournament’s key partners and sponsors, underscoring the depth of public and private commitment that has sustained the event across a decade. The occasion was not simply a sporting announcement. It was a moment to take stock of what ten years of international golf has meant for Mauritius, its economy, its tourism positioning, and an emerging generation of young Mauritian golfers who have grown up watching the world’s best compete on home soil.
Vishal Joyram, CEO of AfrAsia Bank, situated the tournament within the bank’s broader strategic identity, describing it as far more than a sponsorship. AfrAsia’s clients operate across more than 160 countries, and the Mauritius Open provides a platform to connect with them in a way that few other vehicles can. “Some of them during this event will be travelling to Mauritius to attend,” he said, “and so the impact is quite far-reaching.” He was equally attentive to the domestic dimension, pointing to the tournament’s growing role in inspiring a younger generation. “An event like the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open really provides them, our younger generation, with a platform to come and watch some of the finest players in the world,” he said, noting that some young Mauritians would have the opportunity to play alongside the professionals, follow them on the course, and attend as a family. He also paid tribute to the organisational committee led by Ryan Dodds, describing the team’s work in raising standards year on year and continuing to attract top talent as a cornerstone of the tournament’s success.
Stéphane Poupinel de Valencé, Group Chief Executive Officer of Beachcomber Resorts & Hotels, spoke to the deep alignment between his group’s positioning and what the tournament represents for Mauritius. Beachcomber, which celebrates 75 years in 2027, has been committed to golf tourism since opening the first resort course at Le Paradis in the late 1980s, and has maintained a preferred partnership with Mont Choisy Le Golf since the course’s opening. This year, as accommodation partner, Beachcomber will host the players primarily at Trou aux Biches Beachcomber, a property currently completing a major renovation of more than one billion rupees, including a beach restoration project using new reversible technology from France in response to the island’s coastal erosion challenges. “We are really looking forward to having the players of golf in our hotel showcasing what we know how to do to more than 400 million people that view this tournament on television,” he said. He framed the coverage as a window into the full breadth of what Mauritius offers, extending well beyond hospitality to the property sector, the financial sector, and above all, the warmth and distinctiveness of Mauritian culture.
Vincent Hardy, CEO of Mont Choisy Group, described the honour of hosting the tournament every two years as fully aligned with the group’s long-term vision of creating remarkable places and events that allow visitors to experience the culture of Mauritius. His group has been associated with the island for over 200 years and sees the tournament as a vehicle for repositioning and reinvigorating the north of the island. “The tournament itself aligns perfectly with our vision, which is about creating events that people want to come to and through those events really get to live the culture of Mauritius,” he said. He cited the figure of 540 million viewerships reached during the previous edition at Mont Choisy as testament to what a small island can achieve when its partners come together with shared ambition. He also highlighted the group’s investment in young talent, including sponsoring a young Mauritian golfer named Oliver, who he expressed hope might one day compete on the tour. “Cet événement offre à Maurice une visibilité exceptionnelle à l’international et représente une formidable opportunité de faire découvrir la qualité de notre destination, bien au-delà du golf,” he noted, a sentiment echoed by every partner around the table.
Thierry Montocchio, Chief Executive Officer of ER Hospitality, drew attention to two achievements he described as added value for the destination. The first is the milestone itself: ten consecutive editions of an international professional golf tournament demonstrate a credibility and organisational consistency that few small island economies can claim. The second is the recent global recognition of La Réserve, the course that hosted last year’s edition, which was officially ranked the 28th best golf course in the world, outside the United States, and the best in Africa and the Indian Ocean. “That gives a lot of credibility to the destination,” he said. He also spoke to sustainability, noting that La Réserve, which opened in 2022 and is geo-certified, has an environmental footprint nearly ten times lower than the sugar cane cultivation that previously occupied the land. He positioned the tournament’s reach of over 500 million households as the single most powerful promotional vehicle available to Mauritius, one that drives not only tourist arrivals but property investment and long-term residency interest. “When people see the lifestyle, when Mauritius is showcased like that, you don’t want just to come as a tourist, you want to come to live, to make a career, make a living in Mauritius,” he said.
Rana Ramdaursingh, the acting Head Sales and Marketing of Air Mauritius, the tournament’s official airline partner, described the decision to return to the event as deliberate and strategic. “We took a deliberate decision to be back,” Rana said, “because we are committed to support initiatives that elevate the Mauritius brand on the international stage.” Air Mauritius will operate non-stop flights connecting the professionals, officials, and media travelling from South Africa, the United Kingdom, and France. Beyond the logistics, the airline sees the tournament as a vehicle for demonstrating Mauritius’s capacity to host major international events and for converting global visibility into increased tourist arrivals, employment, and economic benefit. Rana Ramdaursingh closed with the airline’s newly adopted tagline, which captures the spirit of the partnership neatly: “We are Mauritius. When Mauritius shines, Air Mauritius flies higher.”
Yannick Merven, President of Mauritius Golf Federation in Mauritius, pointed to the measurable improvement in local talent over the past decade and expressed a clear ambition for the future: more Mauritian players, and particularly junior golfers, competing in the tournament itself. “I hope for the future, because our youngsters have improved a lot in terms of golf, to have more Mauritian players play the competition,” he said. The representative of the Sunshine Tour, part of the PGA Tour family, echoed that sense of legacy, describing the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open as a proven launchpad for professional careers. It was at this tournament that Jayden Schaper, who returns as defending champion, first made his mark, as did Casey Jarvis, who has since won twice on the DP World Tour. “These players are coming back to see what they can do at this tournament,” he said. “It’s a launchpad for so many wonderful players on the Sunshine Tour and the DP World Tour.” He also welcomed AfrAsia Bank’s publicly stated long-term strategic commitment to the partnership, expressing confidence in the tournament’s continued growth.
Ryan Dodds, Project Director of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, brought fourteen years of perspective to the press conference. The conversation that eventually became this tournament began long before the first ball was struck, and Dodds was candid about the ambition that drove it. “We believed that the best way to put Mauritius on the map was through a professional golf tournament of this scale,” he said, “and it’s not easy putting it on in an economy the size of Mauritius.” The results, however, speak for themselves. The most recent edition generated over 220 million US dollars in media value, and an independent economic impact assessment commissioned for that edition found that the week of the tournament alone generates just under 280 million rupees in direct economic benefit to the island. “The world knows that Mauritius exists,” he said. “It exists as a golf destination. We need to keep reminding the world of that and make sure that it’s put on the bucket list of every discerning golfer globally.” He closed by setting expectations for the tenth edition: momentum is not being lost, it is being gained, and a strong field of notable players is already confirmed for December.
More Than a Tournament
What the press conference made clear is that the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open has long since outgrown its description as a sporting event. It is a platform for economic visibility, a vehicle for tourism positioning, a catalyst for property and financial services interest, a mirror for Mauritian hospitality, and an aspiration for a generation of young golfers who have grown up watching it. As Vincent Hardy put it, the measure of success is not what happens during tournament week. It is what people carry with them when they leave. “If the players and visitors leave wanting to come back, to invest, to spend their holidays in Mauritius or simply to share their experience, then we will have fully achieved our objective: creating lasting value that endures well beyond the last putt.” The 10th edition, set against the backdrop of Mont Choisy Le Golf in full December bloom, promises to be the most significant chapter yet.
The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open takes place from 10 to 13 December 2026 at Mont Choisy Le Golf, Port Louis, Mauritius.
