Marcel Siem admits expectations are sky-high as he makes his first appearance of the DP World Tour season in his second home at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open.
The charismatic German is an ambassador for Heritage Golf Club, with the La Réserve Golf Links playing host as it makes its professional tournament debut for the first time this week.
Siem relocated to Mauritius with his family at the start of the year and has seen the brand-new layout take shape over recent months, heightening his anticipation for the co-sanctioned DP World Tour and Sunshine Tour event.
With the five-time DP World Tour winner a star draw in the international field, Siem is relishing the opportunity to close out the calendar year with silverware after receiving words of encouragements from friends and family.
“The expectations are massive, everybody wants me to win,” he said.
“I have never heard anything like that before in my life. There is a WhatsApp group, it is amazing. I love it. I just try to keep as calm as possible.
“My girls are arriving tomorrow; they are in Germany at the moment, so they arrive just in time to follow daddy.
“I can’t wait to get it started to be honest, it is going to be super exciting."
La Réserve Golf Links adds significantly to the already world-class golf offering on the renowned Bel Ombre estate, with Heritage Golf Club having hosted the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open on three previous occasions over the Château Golf Course.
Co-designed by Major champion Louis Oosthuizen and Peter Matkovich, La Réserve Golf Links is the fourth new host venue of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open which is celebrating its seventh edition.
“This thing has been building for 2-3 months," he added. "I have seen how they built the clubhouse, there was no grass on the course. It is cool.
“It’s amazing. I have never played a golf course like this before.”
Siem returned to the winner’s circle on the DP World Tour earlier this year in India after an eight-year wait as he went on to finish 24th on the season-long Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex.
After taking a few weeks off to rest and recover after a long campaign, the 43-year-old is excited for the challenge that awaits him.
“We can’t call it a links golf course because it is not on the links,” he said. “You see a lot of humps and it is definitely a links design.
“It is really cool, you need to get to know it a little but that is typical for a links course. There are different ways to play it.
“I know my way around it a little bit which helps. The views that you will see on TV are like nothing you will ever have seen before. Proper shot making is required here as well."
