Sweden’s Jarmo Sandelin won his first Staysure Tour title at the MCB Tour Championship at Mauritius’ Constance Belle Mare Plage. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

JARMO Sandelin recorded a final round of 65 to win his first Staysure Tour title at the MCB Tour Championship – Mauritius… the final event of the 2019 season.

The Swede came from four strokes behind at the beginning of play to clinch his maiden over 50s title, at Constance Belle Mare Plage, where Kent’s Roger Chapman, Colin Montgomerie and Tom Lehman – all Senior Majors winners – have been crowned winners in the past.

It was Sandelin’s first victory since the 2001 BMW Asian Open, thanks to a brilliant seven-under par final round to overhaul overnight leader James Kingston and claim a three-shot victory.

And it meant Sandelin had become the 12th player to win on the European Tour, the European Challenge Tour and the Staysure Tour.

Sandelin started his final 18 holes of the season with four birdies in his opening six holes, including back-to-back gains at the third and fourth.

He reached the turn at two-under after a double bogey at the par-four ninth but responded in stunning style on the back nine.

The 1999 Ryder Cup player made five consecutive birdies from the 11th to the 15th, racing up the leaderboard and passing 36-hole leader Kingston.

Even when Jarmo dropped a shot at the par-three 17th, he responded with a birdie at the 54th hole to set the clubhouse target at 12-under.

With the South African unable to reach the score, Sandelin was crowned the winner of the MCB Tour Championship – Mauritius.

“It’s been a long time since I last won,” said Sandelin. “There has been a lot of practise balls, a lot of tears, and a lot of hard work in the gym.

“It’s nice to final come through and win, especially in Mauritius as it’s the final tournament of the year.

“It was the start I wanted to have. I dropped two shots on the ninth after hitting it into the water, but I bounced back with five straight birdies from 11 to 15, so that was the key.

“I felt after my fifth birdie in a row that I might have a good chance to win,” said the 52-year-old, from Stockholm, who was born in Finland, but grew up in Sweden.

“I then knew that if I made a final birdie at the last then I had a good chance of winning the title.

“All the players on the Staysure Tour are so good and I had a fantastic feeling this week and now I know that my game is good enough to win tournaments.

“I also had my son, Lukas, on the bag, which makes it an even better feeling,” said Sandelin.

Kingston carded a level par round to finish second, but the result was enough to see him crowned King of the Swing as the top-performer in the Indian Ocean – following a share of seventh place in Madagascar and a runner-up finish in the Seychelles.

A stroke behind Kingston in a tie for third was a group of three players, including Frenchman, Jean-François Remesy, who led after the first round, defending champion Clark Dennis and Wales’ Phillip Price.

The latter was crowned Staysure Tour No. 1 and awarded the 2019 John Jacobs Trophy at the conclusion of play after heading the Staysure Tour Order of Merit.

Spaniard Carl Suneson finished in sixth place while fellow countryman Miguel Angel Martin, Lancashire’s David Shacklady, Denmark’s Steen Tinning and Scot Paul Lawrie, were a shot back in a share of seventh.

Former Open Champion Lawrie, who made four birdies in his closing five holes, finished 11th on the Order of Merit, and in doing so, won the 2019 Rookie of the Year award.

•For the final results in the MCB Tour Championship – Mauritius click here.

Jarmo Sandelin after his win at the British Par 3 Championship at Nailcote Hall

Sandelin’s Champions Tour Q-School success

SANDELIN also arrived on the Indian Ocean island in good form, having won the PGA Champions Tour Qualifying School First Stage Qualifier, at Tampa Bay Golf Club, in Florida, in November.

At the final stage just over a week ago, he finished in a share of 15th – only the top five, including Sweden’s former European No. 1 Robert Karlsson – earned a card for the 2020 Champions Tour.

But Sandelin can enter open qualifying events automatically on the USA’s over 50s tour by finishing inside the top 30 at TPC Scottsdale, where Surrey’s Andrew Raitt, finished tied 27th alongside former US Open winner Michael Campbell, who failed to earn a card in his rookie season.

Sandelin also won the Farmfoods British Par 3 Championship at Warwickshire’s Nailcote Hall, in August – which is played over 36 holes against a field of European Challenge Tour and Staysure players – plus some with recent European Tour experience.

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JEAN-François Remesy carded a bogey-free six-under par first round of 66 to lead the MCB Tour Championship – Mauritius by two strokes.

The Frenchman, who won the inaugural the Farmfoods European Legends Links Championship at Trevose, in June, put himself in pole position to claim another Staysure Tour title after a blemish-free round.

The two-time French Open winner’s opening round included six birdies, to lead the season-finale at Constance Belle Mare Plage.

Remesy ended last week’s MCB Tour Championship – Seychelles with a round of 66.

And he began the ninth edition of the MCB Tour Championship – Mauritius, the last event of the three-event final series MCB Tour Championship, with another 66.

The three-time European Tour winner showed no sign of struggling in the Mauritius heat as he birdied three of his opening six holes.

That included back-to-back gains at the third and fourth. His putter, like the weather, remained hot as he began the back nine with another birdie to move to four-under.

With four holes left to play, he extended his advantage with a gain at the par five 15th before a final birdie of the day at the last to sign for a bogey-free round and take the lead at the European Tour Destinations venue.

“I’m happy to be in Mauritius and happy to play on a golf course that I’ve known for many years,” said Remesy.

“I’ve been playing decent for a couple of weeks and I’ve continued my goal of hitting the fairways and greens, and finally I made a few birdies today which made for a good score.

“I’m playing really well, which is great. I can now focus on the next two days. Hopefully I have a bit more luck on the greens.

“I’ve been changing all my grips on my clubs because it’s hot, trying to find a solution to playing in the heat, and it was good today. Those changes make a big difference to recorded a round of 66, 69 or even a 70.

“We know the par fives are reachable, but they are tricky, really tricky, so you need to hit the fairway.

“You have to hit very good shots around this course. If you are missing shots then you’re going to be in trouble,” added Remesy, who was a regular visitor to the Mauritius Open, before the venue began hosting European Seniors Tour events.

“It’s better to be leading than to be 10 shots behind, so I’ll take that,” said Remesy. I know the story about how to win tournaments but a lot of the guys behind me know that story as well.

“I’m expecting the guys behind to make a charge and it should make for a fun weekend.”

Two strokes behind Remesy is a chasing pack of four players, including Miguel Angel Martin and James Kingston, who are both searching for their maiden Staysure Tour title.

Defending champion Clark Dennis and the 1999 Open Champion Paul Lawrie. mtached Martin and Kingston’s 68s, to sit on four-under, with South African, Kingston chipping in for eagle at the 18th hole as he looks to secure a first John Jacobs Trophy, having lost the overnight lead last weekend in the Seychelles.

Lawrie still has a chance to land the John Jacobs Trophy and being crowned Staysure Tour No. 1 by winning the Order of Merit with a victory in Mauritius – but if Phillip Price can finish inside the top 10 the Welsh Ryder Cup winner will take the title for the first time.

Price currently lies in 19th place having carded a first round 71 with three birdies and two bogeys.

The second round at Constance Belle Mare Plage gets under way at 8.30am local time with Remesy teeing it up at 11.15am local time. Mauritius is four hours ahead of GMT.

•For second round scores click here.

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Welshman Phillip Price leads the Staysure Tour Order of Merit in the race for the John Jacobs Trophy at the MCB Tour Championship in Mauritius, the final event of 2019. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

PHILLIP Price will go in search of a career-first John Jacobs Trophy when he tees it up at the 2019 Staysure Tour season-finale, the MCB Tour Championship – Mauritius.

The 2002 Ryder Cup hero leads the Staysure Order of Merit by 556.2 points and knows that a 12th top 10 – ninth place or better – of the season would see him crowned Staysure Tour No. 1 for the first time.

Price, who lifted the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship trophy in August, has recorded 10 other top 10 in a very consistent 2019 campaign, which included a share of third place at last week’s MCB Tour Championship – Seychelles.

There are five players hoping to knock 53-year-old Price off the top spot in the year’s final event, held at Constance Belle Mare Plage.

James Kingston, who failed to convert his overnight lead in the Seychelles, Madagascar winner Barry Lane, Lancashire’s David Shacklady, last week’s winner Peter Fowler and Argentinian rookie José Coceres, are pushing Price for the honour of holding the John Jacobs Trophy come Sunday.

But to become the Staysure Tour Order of Merit winner they must triumph in Mauritius and hope Price finishes down the leaderboard.

The Welshman has finished tied fourth on two occasions at the European Tour Destinations venue. But Price is aware of the challenge that lies ahead of him should he wish to end a memorable season with more silverware.

“I think another top 10 would do the trick to win the Order of Merit but I’m trying to think better than that,” Price said. “I like this course and I like this week at Constance Belle Mare Plage.

“If I have a good week, then everything else will take care of itself.

“There is pressure on me because I’m out in front on the Order of Merit and there are a lot of guys who could pass me because there are a lot of points to play for.

“I have to focus on what I need to do and not be worried about everybody else,” added Price, who recorded three victories on the European Tour, having joined via the Qualifying School, in 1991.

“It would be nice to get off to a good start tomorrow because it would settle me down,” said Price.

“I want to have a good week and I want to have a high finish and I want to get involved in the tournament.

“I’d like to win the MCB Tour Championship – Mauritius after coming close a couple of times. I want my mind to be thinking about the top of the leaderboard and not what everybody else is doing.”

After 18 events, the MCB Tour Championship – Mauritius will bring the 2019 Staysure Tour season, and the three event final series MCB Tour Championship, to a close.

Australian Fowler currently leads the race to become King of the Swing, awarded to the top-performing player in the Indian Ocean events – following his share of 20th in Madagascar and his victory in the Seychelles last week.

The Rookie of the Year, meanwhile, will be fought for by three players – 1999 Open winner Paul Lawrie, who currently leads the battle for the award, Sussex’s Gary Evans and American Dan Olsen, who has produced some eye-catching rounds without quite converting his fine form into a win.

The final action of the season at the MCB Tour Championship – Mauritius gets under way at 8.30am local time with Price teeing off at 11.15am – Mauritius is four hours ahead of GMT.

•For live scoring click here.

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