Rasmus Højgaard won a play-off at the third extra hole to claim the AfrAsia Bank Open and become the third youngest winner on the European Tour. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

RASMUS Højgaard became the third-youngest winner in European Tour history with a dramatic play-off triumph at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open.

The 18-year-old Dane birdied the 72nd hole to get to 19-under alongside Italian Renato Paratore and Frenchman Antoine Rozner as the event went to a play-off for the third time in as many stagings at Heritage Golf Club.

Højgaard missed a 12-foot eagle putt for the title on the first trip back up the par five 18^th hole but – after halving the hole in birdies with Rozner at the second attempt – made a three from similar range at the third time of asking to take the title.

Rasmus Højgaard, who was showered with Champagne on the 18th green, said: “I’m lost for words. It’s amazing and I’m over the moon. This is a dream come true for me.

“I just kept telling myself to believe in yourself and trust the number. I did what I could and it was enough for me to win.

“I was obviously nervous, playing in my first play-off, but I was in a situation where I had nothing to lose.

“So, I was confident especially with my shots coming in. It was pretty cool to close out the 18^th hole.

“My approach shots were all very good there and I just managed to do what I had to do.

“It’s cool to win so early in my career and it’s something just very amazing and I’m looking forward to the next challenge.”

At 18 years and 271 days old, only Italian Matteo Manassero – who won twice as a 17-year-old – and New Zealander Danny Lee have won on the European Tour at a younger age.

Højgaard came to prominence in 2018 when Denmark won the Eisenhower Trophy at the World Amateur Team Championship, playing alongside identical twin Nicolai and John Axelsen.

The Rasmus brothers were also in the European team at the 2018 Junior Ryder Cup.

Nicolai finished second to Sergio Garcia at last season’s KLM Open but after becoming the first player born in the 21st century to graduate from the Qualifying School, Rasmus is now a European Tour winner in just his fifth event.

That makes him the fastest Dane to a European Tour win, beating 15-time winner Thomas Bjorn – the winning 2018 Ryder Cup captain, whose maiden victory came after 24 events.

Renato Paratore – whose sole win came in the 2017 Nordea Masters having won his card at European Tour Qualifying School as a 17-year-old – said: “I pulled my second shot too much to the left.

“It was not the best shot I made and it landed off the green and I knew I had no chance,” added 22-year-old Paratore.

“I could have aimed more to the right. I played really solid all week and even though I didn’t win in the play-off, overall it has been a good week.”

Belgium’s Thomas Detry, Scotland’s Grant Forrest, Benjamin Hebert, from France and South African Louis de Jager finished one shot behind the leading trio on 18-under.

Another Frenchman – Robin Sciot-Siegrest – who graduated via the top 15 on the Challenge Tour’s Road to Mallorca rankings was one shot further back in solo eighth position.

Julien Guerrier was the fourth Frenchmen inside the top 10 at 16-under, alongside South African Oliver Bekker, American Sihwan Kim, and Scotland’s Connor Syme.

Antoine Rozner, who had back-to-back wins on the Challenge Tour in May, and was looking good for his own breakthrough victory on the back nine, said: “Everything comes down to one play-off hole.”

“I made some amazing birdies on the first two play-off holes. I have nothing to regret. I gave my best.

“Congratulations to Rasmus. He hit some amazing shots down the stretch.”

•For final scores from the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, click here.

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Essex’s Oliver Fisher carded a 59 in the second round of the Portugal Masters to lead on 12-under… this year he shot two 65s to get to the top of the leaderboard. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

OLIVER Fisher holds the second round lead at the Portugal Masters for the second-consecutive year after moving to 12-under par at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course, in Vilamoura.

The 31-year-old Essex pro shared the 36-hole lead in 2018, but holds it outright 12 months on after a second round of 65, which included two eagles and four birdies.

The Englishman made history after carding the European Tour’s first 59 on the same course during last year’s second round and, coincidentally, has reached the score of 12-under again at the same stage in the Algarve.

Fisher, whose sole win came in the Czech Open back in 2011, said: “I played really well the first two rounds last week, the driving was better in France.

“I just got on some bad runs around that course, which can happen. The first two rounds I hit the ball well.

“I didn’t quite hit it as well today, but it was windy,” said Fisher who first came to prominence as an amateur by winning England Golf’s Gold Medal, as a 12-year-old.

“The south-easterly wind makes a few drives tricky. I’m pleased to hit 65, I’m looking forward to the weekend,” added Fisher, who played in the Walker Cup in 2005, in Chicago, breaking Justin Rose’s record as the youngest ever Great Britain and Ireland player in some 80 years.

Fisher, who became the youngest pro to win a card at the European Tour Qualifying School in 2006, is one stroke ahead of South African Justin Walters and South Korea’s Jeunghun Wang, who are both fighting to secure their playing rights for 2020 and avoiding a trip to Q-School next month.

Walters, who famously holed a long putt on the 18th in 2013 to save his card, has sufferred an emotional year after losing his dad.

“It’s hard, but I’m staying in the present,” said Walters, who is coached by West Hove’s Ryan Fenwick. “Hitting the best shot I can and if I don’t pull it off, there’s not much I can do.

“If it works then great, if not it’ll be disappointing. There’s not much more I can do but if by the end of the week I can hold my head up high if I’ve thrown everything I have at it.

“It should be enough, if it’s not we’ll find another place to win a tournament.”

Walters’s compatriots took over the leaderboard during the second round, with seven South Africans sitting inside the top 10.

Brandon Stone holds fourth place on 10-under, while Darren Fichardt and Haydn Porteous share fifth with last year’s runner-up Eddie Pepperell, from Frilford Heath GC.

Stone, who won twice in 2016 and whose last win came in last year’s Scottish Open at Gullane, said: “I’ve been great off the tee all week, and the last few months.

“I felt comfortable with the putter, which has been the missing link for a long time now. I enjoy quick greens and bent greens.

“When we arrived I felt really comfortable. The stroke feels fantastic and I’ve given myself a lot of opportunities – especially early in the round.

“It’s easier when you get birdies to start your round, you give yourself something to fall back on,” added Stone.

“Overall, I’m very happy with where the game is.”

George Coetzee – who had a chance to win in France a week ago, is eighth, while Dean Burmester and first round leader Louis De Jager joined defending champion Tom Lewis, from Hertfordshire’s Welwyn GC, on seven-under in a share of ninth with four others.

The predicted cut-off on the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex has moved to 116 after the cut fell at minus one.

•You can follow live scoring in teh third round of the Portugal Masters by clicking here.

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Thirty-two-year-old Louis De Jager fired an excellent 63 to lead the Portugal Masters as the South African bids to keep his European Tour card. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

LOUIS De Jager made a strong start to his quest to keep his European Tour card at the Portugal Masters after an eight-under par first round at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course.

The South African, who started the week in 123^rd place on the Race to Dubai rankings, went bogey-free in the Algarve with a round of 63.

That left him two strokes ahead of compatriot Justin Walters, Essex’s Oliver Fisher and Australian Jake McLeod.

Thirty-two-year-old De Jager, who has six wins on the Sunshine Tour, said: “I made a few nice putts in the beginning and then really hit it well towards the end and kept the momentum going.

“The greens are very good. They are really fast. I felt comfortable. I left myself in the right spots on the greens, on the right plateaus, which made it much easier.

“There are some tricky putts on those greens, but I kept it easy for myself. I think everyone is more conscious of where they are (on the Race to Dubai Rankings),” said De Jager, who has yet to break his duck in Europe in 75 starts.

“My back is against the wall a little bit, for me I can only go forward,” added De Jager who is in his rookie year having come through the Qualifying School last year, despite having played in European Tour events for the past decade as a member of the Sunshine Tour.

“I’m using that as extra motivation and encouragement – not that you need it, but that did help a little bit,” said Louis.

Fisher, who carded the first 59 in European Tour history at the Vilamoura venue last year, and Walters are also fighting to secure their playing rights for next season.

Fisher, the youngest player to have have appeared in the Walker Cup back in 2005, started the week in 112^th place while Walters, who saved his card with a gutsy final round display at the Victoria Course in 2013, is nine spots further down the European Tour’s Order of Merit.

Fisher, whose only win came in the Czech Masters in 2011, said: “I’m really pleased.

“I played very solid. It was nice to go around and have a lot of chances and feel as though I was in control of what I was doing.

“Last week was a tough week in France. It’s nice to get rid of the clouds which were here on Tuesday and Wednesday,” said the 31-year-old from Chingford, whose biggest win as an amateur came in the 2006 St Andrews Links Trophy.

“We have blue skies and we’re on a course we’re all familiar with and it’s a nice start to the week.”

McLeod must win or finish in solo second to move above the cut-off point, which, as things stand after the first round in Vilamoura, is the top 115 players on the Race to Dubai rankings, who, at the conclusion of the Portugal Masters, will secure their cards for 2020.

Jake McLeod said: “It’s quite wide off the tee, so you can get up there and really give it a rip.

“But it can be quite penalising around the greens if you miss in the wrong spots – they’re running quite fast this week.

“I found myself on a lot of the good sides today – hopefully I can keep doing that. This season has been pretty average, so I’ve come out here and I’ll have a bit of fun and probably go to Q-School unless I get the win.”

Walters, who is coached by West Hove’s Ryan Fenwick, said: “The kind of round I needed, given where I am. I was really calm today – that’s my manta all week.

“I love coming back to Portugal, I love this golf course and love being here. To play well on top of that is a bonus, but it’s required.

“The hardest part about today was not trying too hard – I’ve been doing that regularly this year,” added Walters, who was also among the early leaders at the Alfred Dunhill Links, in Scotland, last month.

“I just stayed in every shot and stayed in the present, it was lovely to do that,” said Walters.

Benign conditions led to a day of low scoring in the Algarve, with 75 of the 126-man field beating par.

•For live scoring in the Portugal Masters, click here.

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South Africa’s Louis de Jager opened up a four-shot lead in the Magical Kenya Open at Karen Country Club, in Nairobi. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

LOUIS de Jager opened up a commanding four-shot lead at the halfway stage of the Magical Kenya Open after carding a second round of 66 in Nairobi.

The South African shared the overnight lead with England’s Jack Singh Brar going into day two at Karen Country Club, but after bagging seven birdies today he put daylight between himself and the rest of the field.

De Jager, who triumphed on the Sunshine Tour earlier this year, will have history on his side going into the weekend because over the last five seasons a player has led by four or more shots after 36 holes on ten occasions on the European Tour – with seven going on to win.

A delighted de Jager said: “I had to find my feet a bit at the start of the season but I’m feeling comfortable out here now.

“I told the guys when we played a practice round on Tuesday, after the desert, you could feel you were in Africa, back in our continent.

“You get used to the feel of the Kikuyu grass, and the ball travels the same as back home in Pretoria, distance wise, so it really feels like we’re back home.

“My game plan over the weekend is not to be too aggressive. The most important thing is hitting the fairways and hitting the greens because the greens are quite small.  If you hit the greens you’ve always got a good birdie chance here.”

Four shots off the pace in a share of second place are Singh Brar and Spaniard Adri Arnaus. Both European Challenge Tour graduates, the pair are well poised to make a charge for a maiden European Tour title after rounds of 70 and 68 respectively today.

Hampshire-based Challenge Tour gradute Singh Brar said: “It has been a fun two days. Yesterday I played really solid and today I kept it in there again today.

“It was a bit of an up and down round today – a bit of a mixed bag. I had a couple of good opportunities early doors and then missed a good birdie chance on nine which stunted my movement a little bit – then I was a bit scruffy on the back nine.

“I’m still in a good position and I’m looking forward to the weekend.”

In contention again is South African Justin Harding, who is five behind his countryman de Jager.

The World No. 52, who triumphed in Qatar last week, is looking to become the first player to win back-to-back European Tour events since Justin Rose, who achieved the feat in 2017.

Harding said: “I was a little bit more aggressive today as you have to get it in close here as it can be awkward in places.

“You have to pick and choose your moments here and I did that well out there. I have been trying to make less mistakes recently and I went over the green just once today – that wasn’t the case yesterday – so I am really happy with my performance.”

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Former Hampshire Boys Champion Jack Singh Brar who led the Magical Kenya Open after round one thanks to a superb seven-under 64 at Karen Country Club, in Nairobi. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

FORMER Hampshire Boys Champion Jack Singh Brar soared up the leaderboard with a late birdie blitz to take a share of the first-round lead alongside Louis de Jager at the Magical Kenya Open.

The Englishman, who is a European Tour rookie after graduating from the Challenge Tour in 2018, produced a stunning eagle-birdie-birdie-birdie finish to sign for a bogey-free seven under par round of 64 in Nairobi.

Singh Brar, who is a member at Dorset’s Remedy Oak, grew up playing for Hampshire as a member at Bramshaw, winning its Boys Championship in 2011, before playing in the 2017 Walker Cup alongside Hampshire team-mates Harry Ellis and Scott Gregory, who both claimed the Amateur Championship before turning pro that year.

“Through the round I got up and down when I needed to and then I was five-under through my last four – a great way to finish the round.”

Jack – who first played on the European Tour as an amateur in the Russian Open, in 2013, having won the Faldo Series Grand Final in Brazil – added: “It was my first time at this course, and I like it here.

“The course is quite fiery, and you can hit a lot of low run shots, which is my stock shot, and that worked out perfectly as it can go miles with the altitude.

“It is very different to a lot of the courses that we play, it’s quite quirky, and that is something which has suited me in the past – I won at a course on the Challenge Tour in France which is similar to here.

“I have to just keep pushing on now as you can’t defend on this tour,” added the New Forest-based golfer, who represented Great Britain at the Youth Olympics, in Australia, in 2013.

Despite windy conditions at Karen Country Club, South Africa’s de Jager also shined in the Kenyan sun, bagging seven birdies and an eagle to join Singh Brar at the top of the leaderboard.

A happy de Jager said: “I have been hitting it really well over the past two weeks and I did that again today, but just managed to hole a few putts too.

“It is always nice to be back in Africa, and when we came here on Tuesday, I felt right at home on my home continent and it felt very similar with the altitude to Pretoria which is home for me.

“I also played here last year on the Sunshine Tour, so I feel that I know the course quite well.

“It was a lot windier today than I am used to here, so to come away with the score that I did was really satisfying.”

One shot off the lead is India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar. The European Tour winner is well-placed to contend again after 18 holes thanks to a blemish-free 65 on his first start in the Kenyan capital.

Bhullar said: “The golf course is really interesting – very similar to what we have back in India. Anything from a two iron to a driver works well off the tee.

“I gave myself a lot of good opportunities and I kept the ball in play the whole day and putted well.

“To make six birdies and remain bogey-free in testing conditions felt great, even though I felt I left a couple out there.”

Two off the top are Spanish rookie Adri Arnaus and five-time European Tour champion Michael Hoey, while in-form Christian Bezuidenhout – who finished as a runner-up in Qatar last week – leads a pack of seven players who sit three shots off the pace.

Hoey, who won the British Amateur Championship back in 2001 at Prestwick, said: “I was five-under after the first round in Kenya last year too – I’m not sure what it is about is about Nairobi!

“I am staying with a great Irish family this week who have been here for 27 years and they have been really good hosts, telling me a lot about Kenya.

“I stayed with them 10 years ago so to catch up with them has been great – great food and great hospitality.

“I have played a lot in Africa so I am really used to the altitude here, I know how far the ball is going and my caddy was really good today.

“I judged the wind really well as it was quite tricky today. It is very similar to Joburg and I think having that experience will work to my advantage this week.”

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