Thursday, May 14, 2009

Pride of place for Senior Tour in Mauritius

The 2010 European Senior Tour season will begin with an inaugural trip to the beautiful island of Mauritius when the Mauritius Commercial Bank Open, hosted by Constance Belle Mare Plage, takes place from December 11-13, 2009. Lying along two kilometres of white sandy beach on the eastern coast of Mauritius, Constance Belle Mare Plage is set in a 15 hectares tropical garden and will provide a spectacular backdrop for some of the leading Senior players. The €230,000 tournament succeeds the Mauritius Open which has been played at the spectacular resort since 1994 and which was won in 2008 by European Tour player Jamie Donaldson. Constance Belle Mare Plage, which founded the Mauritius Open 15 years ago, will promote the tournament, with the support of title sponsor Mauritius Commercial Bank, and it will be the first event to count towards the 2010 European Senior Tour Order of Merit. The 54 hole event will be played over Constance Belle Mare Plage’s Legend Course. Preceding the professional tournament, a field of international amateurs will contest a Pro-Am over the Legend and Links courses on December 8 and 9 and then move on to the Links course on December 10 and 11. Patrice Binet Décamps, Managing Director, Constance Hotels Experience, said: “Constance Belle Mare Plage is proud to welcome the European Senior Tour for the first time to Mauritius and we hope this is the start of a long relationship. “After 15 years promoting golf through the Mauritius Open, this is the recognition that our country is now a real golf destination and that Constance Belle Mare Plage is the home of golf on the island.” European Senior Tour professional Marc Farry, an ambassador for Constance, helped to bring the tournament to the island. He said: “I’ve been a consultant for Constance for the past ten years and I am very excited that my idea to have a Senior Tour event in Mauritius has now become reality.” The Mauritius Commercial Bank Open also represents a new association for the Senior Tour with sponsors Mauritius Commercial Bank, the 88th largest bank in the world and the largest in terms of customer base on Mauritius. Antony R. Withers, Chief Executive, Banking, The Mauritius Commercial Bank Limited, said: “The MCB Group, together with the European Senior Tour and Constance Hotels, is delighted to be associated with the inaugural European Senior Tour golf tournament to be held in Mauritius. “The Mauritius Commercial Bank Open will be an exceptional event and will place Mauritius firmly on the international golf calendar as regards the hosting of such a prestigious golf tournament. “As well as supporting the first Senior Tour golf tournament to be held in Mauritius, The MCB Group’s sponsorship will help boost tourism and foreign investment and contribute to the promotion of golf in Mauritius. This event will also allow the MCB Group to demonstrate its international credentials to a wide audience.”Charles Perring, Deputy Managing Director of the European Senior Tour, said: “The Mauritius Commercial Bank Open is a wonderful initiative for the island and we are delighted to be hosted by the Constance Belle Mare Plage where so many of our Members have played in the Mauritius Open over the last 15 years. “With the extensive television coverage the European Senior Tour has around the world, this tournament will reinforce both the island of Mauritius and Constance Belle Mare Plage as a golfing tourist destination and I’m sure all of our Members are looking forward to experiencing a little “slice of paradise”. “I’d like to personally thank Patrice Binet Décamps and Marc Farry for their foresight in bringing the Senior Tour to Mauritius, for what I’m sure will be a highlight of our golfing year.”

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