Golf: Parry returns to defend title in Mauritius as he journeys from a win in India to the PGA Tour

Port Louis (Mauritius), Dec 17: Mauritius has a special place in John Parry's life and career. Coming in as the defending champion of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, Parry's 2024 win on the island ended a 14-year long title drought on the DP World Tour. It also put him on the road to the PGA Tour, where he will play in 2026.

Here in Mauritius with his wife, Parry will defend a title for the first time and try to become the first man to become a multiple winner of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open. He said, "I'm really excited. Defending a title is not something I've had the opportunity to do before so it's a new experience which I'm really looking forward to. I absolutely love it in Mauritius. I have my wife with me as well.

"The La Reserve golf

course looks fantastic. I can see the rough is heavy and I'm guessing it blows a lot here. It looks like a very second-shot golf course and it's all about hitting it in the right areas and the right levels on the greens. There's a feeling that if you're playing well and it's a windy course like this it might play into your hands a little bit. And being from England I'm fairly used to a bit of wind as well. So I'm excited. "

About 21 months ago, Parry was on the Hotel Planner circuit, the second rung of the DP World Tour, and came to India for what was going to be a life-changing three week trip.

He won the Delhi Challenger and played in Kolkata the following week and qualified for the Hero Indian Open, where he made the cut. As a season progressed he won two more Challenge Tour titles - the Blot Open de Bretagne and the Italian Challenge, which gave him a 'Battlefield Promotion' into the main DP World Tour.

Before 2024 was done, Parry played a few DPWT events. He was Top-10 in Australian Open, finished second in Alfred Dunhill Championships in South Africa and a week later he won the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open for his first DPWT win since 2010.

Consistent results through the year yielded five Top-7 finishes, four of them in Top-4 and finished the year in the Top-10 of the Race to Dubai and earned himself a passage to the PGA Tour.

"It was amazing. When I came to India early last year, I was working on some things in my golf and then it began clicking," he put it very modestly. "It is great to be defending a title and my wife is loving it. It should be a great week," said Parry, who completed 39 a month ago.

When told he was an inspiration of sorts for Marco Penge, who was second to Rory McIlroy on the Race to Dubai rankings, and Rasmus Neergard-Petersen, who won the Challenge Tour event in India, the week after Parry did, the defending champion said, "I am glad they feel that way. They are very good players and I am sure they will do well. "

All three will be on the PGA Tour next year. But for now Parry is focussed on the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open at the La Reserve Golf Links course. No player has won the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open more than once and Parry now has a chance to enter the history books.

Two years ago, when the event was last held at the La Reserve, the winner was Louis Oosthuizen, who co-designed the course with Peter Matkovich.

Another star to watch out for will be Jayden Schaper, who last week won the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa. Schaper won with an eagle on the first play-off hole and back in South Africa his home course was also designed by Pete Matkovich who has designed this course, too.