On a blustery island afternoon that felt tailor made for drama, Jayden Schaper turned La Réserve Golf Links into his personal stage, winning the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open with a playoff chip-in for eagle that sent a jolt through a tournament already brimming with storylines.
The 24-year-old South African closed with a flawless 64 to post 22 under par, then watched as American Ryan Gerard matched him with a birdie up the last. Two playoff visits to the par five 18th followed, and on the second go Schaper delivered a moment he said he had imagined since he was a kid rolling putts on a practice green.
“Those are the shots you’re dreaming about when you’re on the practice green as a youngster. To pull it off in a tournament and in a playoff, I don’t know. I just can’t wait to get back and look at the footage of that shot,” Schaper said, the adrenaline still evident as he tried to process what had just unfolded.
The playoff that sealed a season
With the wind up and the stakes higher still, Schaper set the clubhouse target on 22 under with three birdies in his final four holes. Gerard, playing behind, faced his own test on the fairway at 18 when he feared his ball had moved as he addressed it. A rules official cleared him, and the Floridian responded with a brilliant birdie from a greenside bunker to card 66 and force extra holes.
Both contenders made par at the first playoff try. Then came the shot. From off the green at the second extra hole, Schaper clipped a precise chip that tracked and tumbled into the cup for eagle, a strike that ended a career-defining fortnight and a three-week run that has South African golf talking. “It’s been such a great week, such an awesome place, the support, the golf course. From start to finish,” he said, adding, “It’s just unreal.”
A surge that began at Sun City
Schaper’s winning putt in Mauritius might be the visual that endures, yet the foundation was laid across three standout events. He tied second at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in honour of Gary Player three Sundays ago, won the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Royal Johannesburg last week, and now has captured back to back victories on the Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour. For a player who waited five years for a first title, the rhythm of December has been transformative.
“I wait five years for the first and then the following week to get the second is so cool,” he said. The back to back trophies are also his first two DP World Tour titles, a burst that underlines how confidence and opportunity can align late in the year. For Schaper, the island finish was a statement that the next season can be even bigger.
Gerard’s audacious chase of the Masters
Gerard departed Florida with a singular purpose, to find one more start that could push him into the all important top 50 on the Official World Golf Ranking by year end and lock up a Masters invite. He arrived in Mauritius with a low profile and a high bar, and by the weekend he had placed himself within touching distance of the ultimate reward.
“The kind people at the OWGR sent me some end of year projections. I’m just outside the top 50. I figured I’d have one more crack at that and give it my best shot,” he said. “It wasn’t on the Bingo card at the start of the season for sure, but I’m excited to be here.” For Gerard, a PGA TOUR winner this year at the Barracuda Championship who also finished tied eighth at the PGA Championship, the math was clear. He most likely needed a win, and at La Réserve he very nearly found it.
Gerard had spelled out the mission as the weekend loomed. “That’s the reason I flew a long way to come here and hopefully punch a ticket to The Masters. That’s the goal,” he said. Even in defeat, his closing birdie in regulation and steely playoff performance reinforced the quality of his bid, and his presence added a compelling international chapter to the week.
Jarvis leads the charge then takes third
Casey Jarvis was the tone setter for much of the week. The young South African led or shared the lead from the start, shot 68 on Saturday to keep his grip, and then battled through Sunday to finish alone in third on 17 under after a 71. It was another signpost for a player who has been collecting momentum on the Sunshine Tour.
“I love it,” Jarvis said ahead of the final round. “I’ve won two events on the Sunshine Tour, and that gives me confidence for this final round. I’m really looking forward to it, and to being in the final group on the DP World Tour for a change.” Jarvis did not get the fairytale, but he did validate his trajectory with a performance that kept the crowd leaning in.
The setting that elevates the story
The stage matters, and in Mauritius the stage is La Réserve Golf Links. The course greeted the field with wind and squalls early in the week and then flashed both its beauty and its bite on Sunday. Tournament staff and players have watched it mature since its debut two years ago, and the verdict during this event was emphatic.
“It is an incredible golf course. When we played it for the first time in 2023 it had only been open for a couple of months and it was a bit young. But two years later it has matured incredibly well and the playing surfaces are as good as I’ve seen anywhere. It has to be perhaps the most stunning golf course I’ve ever seen in my 32 year tenure on the DP World Tour,” said Miguel Vidaor, Tournament Director for the DP World Tour.
That endorsement frames why players crave this stop and why the island audience embraces it. Trophy photographs from the clifftops and fairways, with the Indian Ocean as a backdrop, tell their own story. The course did not just host a playoff, it amplified it.
Mauritius golf finds its voice
The significance of this week went beyond the top of the leaderboard. Julien Sale, born and raised on nearby Réunion and playing under the French flag, made the cut on his tournament debut. On the same Saturday, a host of juniors attended the event’s golf clinic at La Réserve, a scene that captured how the island’s flagship week is feeding the dreams of the region’s next wave.
“This tournament is a big source of inspiration for our junior golfers,” said Yannick Mervan, President of the Mauritius Golf Federation. “We have seen a good increase in terms of participation of junior in our federation. They watch these golfers on TV and there are able to see them here in real life.” That connection is already producing results, with two Mauritian juniors joining the World Amateur Golf Ranking this year.
Sale’s journey, which this year included a victory in his first Asian Tour start at the Smart Infinity Philippine Open and a top 40 finish on the Road to Mallorca standings, brings the narrative full circle. It shows how a player from the region can step onto a global path, and how this tournament offers a tangible link between aspiration and achievement.
Pierre Pellegrin, a Mauritian who has progressed from amateur invites in this championship to professional starts and now a spot on the Sunshine Tour, put it simply. “Playing my home Open is very important. I hope the young golfers of Mauritius are inspired by it because competing against some of the best golfers in this event is a privilege.”
For those who teach, set pins, and welcome visitors every day, the week is a badge of pride. “For us, this is the biggest tournament in the Indian Ocean. It’s a celebration of golf in Mauritius, and that’s the goal for us,” said Lewis Wallace, Heritage Golf ambassador and PGA Professional.
Why this win felt bigger than a trophy
Schaper’s celebrations will reverberate because of timing and texture. He won in a place that prizes beauty and resilience, he did it on a course cherished by players, and he did it with a shot that golfers everywhere practice under fading light. When that ball toppled into the cup, it validated a month of work that included two wins in two weeks and a surge that has reshaped his outlook.
For Gerard, the near miss came with assurance that the journey was worth it. He said it himself before the final round, he came with intent, and he played with it. He had framed the week as a chance to punch a ticket to Augusta, and he played right to that edge.
Numbers that tell the story
The final board was a study in contrasts, steady climbs and sudden surges. Schaper signed for 69 69 64 64 to reach 266, Gerard posted 68 69 63 66 for the same total, and Jarvis compiled 67 65 68 71 to finish five back in solo third. Behind them, Norway’s Andreas Halvorsen closed 65 66 to reach 272, while Zander Lombard fired a sparkling 62 to finish at 273 alongside John Parry at the same number.
Alexander Levy, so prominent through 54 holes, settled on 274, and Manuel Elvira matched that mark. A cluster at 276 included Scott Jamieson’s final round 64 and a strong finish from JC Ritchie. The depth of scoring underlined how La Réserve rewarded precision and patience, especially across a weather affected start to the week.
Co sanctioned shine and a growing ecosystem
The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open is a joint effort between the Sunshine Tour and the DP World Tour, and its footprint keeps expanding. It is supported by leading brands, among them AfrAsia Bank, Heritage Resorts, Range Rover, Mastercard and more, a network that reflects the stature the event has achieved in a short span.
This is not only a stop on a schedule, it is a catalyst for participation and pathways. From junior clinics to regional role models like Sale and Pellegrin, the event carries weight in clubhouses and on practice tees across the island. That is why a playoff chip can ripple far beyond a Sunday evening.
Three takeaways from Mauritius
- Schaper turned a flawless 64 and an inspired chip into consecutive DP World Tour wins,
- Gerard’s long haul from Florida underscored the lure of a Masters invite and how one start can change a season,
- La Réserve Golf Links and the island’s golf community showed why this tournament is becoming a beacon for the region.
What it means for the year ahead
“So far it’s been two of the best weeks of my career, but hopefully there is more to come,” Schaper said. That is the sentiment Mauritius will carry forward. The island loves a finish with flourish, and it got one, but it also loves the idea of growth, and this week provided that too.
The champion leaves with confidence stacked on confidence, the runner up leaves with validation that the plan was sound, and the home game leaves with fresh proof that its showcase week can lift players and dreams alike. In the end, a single chip settled the trophy, and a single week lifted an entire story.
Christmas will indeed be good, as Schaper smiled, and New Year as well. For the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, the feeling is mutual, because the echoes of this finish will carry well into the season to come.
