By Mathieu Wood
It seems fitting that Antoine Rozner should finish his career-best year, in which he has achieved a long-held dream, in Mauritius. Six years on from his DP World Tour debut at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, the Frenchman returns to a place which he fondly calls paradise on the cusp of embarking on a new and exciting chapter.
With a sequence of three consecutive top tens, culminating at last season’s DP World Tour Championship, Rozner claimed a PGA TOUR card as one of ten players to earn dual membership status through the Race to Dubai Rankings.
In the immediate aftermath, when reflecting on the prospect at expanding his horizons by playing on golf’s two biggest tours, the 31-year-old was overcome with emotions as he struggled to hold back the tears.
A few weeks on, he returns to Mont Choisy Le Golf – scene of his third and most recent DP World Tour title in 2022 – looking to improve on his already enviable record in this event which includes a runner-up finish to Rasmus Højgaard in 2019.
“It’s a course I really like, so I’m very motivated for it and I want to play some really good golf and hopefully I can lift that trophy again,” Rozner told the DP World Tour from Mauritius while on holiday ahead of the final event of the calendar year.
“The atmosphere is really fun here. It’s a good week.”
The positive vibes Rozner is experiencing comes at a time when the men’s professional game in France is thriving.
At last month’s season finale on the DP World Tour in Dubai, Rozner was one of six Frenchman in the 50-strong field, with three first-time winners during the campaign among that contingent.
In securing his PGA TOUR card for next year, he became the third Frenchman after Victor Perez and Matthieu Pavon to capitalise on the formalised pathway since the DP World Tour signed a Strategic Alliance with its US-based counterpart.
Rozner spoke with Pavon, who won in his rookie season Stateside, over the phone a few weeks ago, primarily about the logistical implications that come with a new challenge such as this one.
So, with that in mind, what are Rozner’s plans when it comes to the move?
“As of now, I’m not going to base myself anywhere I think,” replied the Parisian, who intends to make his first appearance of the 2025 PGA TOUR season at The American Express in January.
“For the first part of the PGA TOUR season I’m just going to go wherever I can play and if I have a couple of weeks off I’ll probably fly back home [to France].
“If I have one week off, I’ll probably base myself in Florida and try to get some practice there.”
And yet, it could have been so different.
As Rozner reveals, he didn’t intend to play at the Genesis Championship in South Korea – the final event of the regular season – towards the end of October.
While secure in the knowledge he would feature at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship for the start of the inaugural DP World Tour Play-Offs, there was no such certainty he would be among the top 50 at the DP World Tour Championship.
“I was playing really well but I couldn’t find a way to score really well,” recalls Rozner of his form over the final weeks of the regular season.
“In my original plan, I wasn’t going to go to Korea, but I needed points, so I didn't really have a choice and my coach (Mathieu Santerre) was like, ‘listen, you're playing really good golf, there is no reason for you to not go and I think you are going to win it'.
“My coach is the person who pushed me to go to Korea. It was the decision of the season to go there, and my confidence just clicked out there.”
A fourth-place finish was quickly followed by back-to-back top tens on the Rolex Series in the United Arab Emirates and the result was a ticket to the States.
While he may have gone to the University of Missouri-Kansas City from 2012 to 2016, Rozner is most likely best remembered by golf fans in America for beating Major champion Bryson DeChambeau at the WGC-Dell Match Play in 2021.
But now his profile is likely to grow as he gets ready to showcase his game to a wider audience.
“The vibe in America is very different,” he said. “It’s a different atmosphere than in Europe but I like that.
“I like the show side of golf in America. I have a lot of good memories in America and I'm really excited to go out there again.
"It's a no-loss situation, because whatever happens it's only going to be good things.
"You know, worst case scenario I'm back in Europe and I'll still be a very happy man."
Before then, Rozner will kick off his year at the Team Cup when he will represent Continental Europe against a Great Britain & Ireland side in Abu Dhabi.
The three-day tournament is set to feature an exciting mix of Ryder Cup stars and some of the DP World Tour’s brightest talent, with Francesco Molinari leading Continental Europe in their defence of the title.
And having featured at the inaugural edition at Abu Dhabi Golf Resort, Rozner is thrilled to be back in a team environment once again as European Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald takes a keen eye over both sides.
“The 2023 Team Cup was a very good experience for me to discover the Ryder Cup mentality,” said Rozner, who is joined by countrymen Pavon and Romain Langasque in the Continental Europe side.
“Some guys have played their way into the Ryder Cup because they played well in the Team Cup.
“You want to show the best version of yourself. Maybe when it comes to a Ryder Cup selection, they'll look back at the Team Cup and think this guy really showed some good stuff at the Team Cup.
“It could make a difference at the end of the day, so it's very important.”
It’s for that reason Rozner is determined to make a strong start to his DP World Tour season and claim some valuable Ryder Cup ranking points in Mauritius.
So, while he may be coming into the week on a high, there is always more to aim for as he like everyone searches to add more silverware to his mantelpiece.
“Lifting trophies is a special feeling so hopefully I can experience this again very soon, whether it’s America or somewhere else,” he explained.
“I’m working every day to lift trophies and to put myself in contention every week. So, it’s just a matter of time.”
