Antoine Rozner is hoping he can make the most of “good memories” as he defends his AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open title.
The Frenchman returns to the island of Mauritius 12 months on from claiming his third DP World Tour title with a resounding five-shot victory at Mont Choisy Le Golf.
Rozner boasts an excellent record in the event, having made his first ever start on the DP World Tour in this event in 2018 before he lost out to Rasmus Højgaard in play-off two years later after graduating from the European Challenge Tour.
Victory this week would see him become the first player to successfully defend the title as the event celebrates its seventh edition and make it four Tour titles in as many years.
“I am super happy to be back here as a defending champion," he said.
"I have a lot of good memories and hopefully I can use those good vibes to do really well again this year.
"I am really excited for the challenge this week."
Rozner was rewarded for his fine display in Mauritius with inclusion into the Continental Europe side at the inaugural Hero Cup at the start of the year and went on to record a further four top tens on the 2023 Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex.
That saw him make the grade to qualify for last month's season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai and he is now aiming to enjoy another fine finish to the calendar year.
“Last year I had a really good season, especially the first half,” he said. "The win in December definitely helped me start the season in the right way.
“That gave a really good momentum to the season and gave me good confidence as well. I played the Hero Cup at the start of January as well. The momentum was still going.
“Overall, I had a really good season. I missed a few opportunities here and there to maybe get another win but overall I am super happy. I had an amazing [week] at The Open.
“Lots of good memories, everything started here so I can’t be thankful enough for this.”
This will be his fourth appearance at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open and on each occasion he has played at a different course, with the brand-new La Réserve Golf Links playing host this time around.
After finishing in a tie for 15th in his first start of the new campaign at the Alfred Dunhill Championship last week, Rozner is excited to once again round off his year in Mauritius.
"We all know what the weather is like in Europe at the moment so there is no question that we are very lucky to be here this week," he added.
"The weather is amazing, all the players are having a great time with their families. It is just great to be here. It is a fantastic venue. The course looks spectacular so I am really excited.
"I heard it is going to be very difficult this week. I heard the fairways are tight, it is going to be windy so I think putting it in play is going to be tough. I think it is going to be a tough challenge.
"Louis [Oosthuizen] designed it so we can only expect a tough course. I am really excited for the challenge and I am going to try and get as ready as I can for Thursday."
