England's Peter Baker successfully defended his title at the MCB Tour Championship in Mauritius, marking a thrilling end to the 2024 Legends Tour season.

Peter Baker showcased his prowess on the Legends Course at Constance Belle Mare Plage, securing his MCB Tour Championship title in dramatic fashion. The defending champion birdied the final two holes to finish with a 68, forcing a playoff against fellow Englishman and Barry Lane Rookie of the Year Simon Griffiths. Baker's resilience paid off as he birdied the par-5 18th three times in extra holes to outlast Griffiths, capping an unforgettable season-ending tournament.

"It's just fantastic, I didn't expect any of that really, during the week," said Baker, who also won the season's first event in Barbados. "Today was a tough day. I didn't really get it going early on. It was tough around the turn, but I played some really good shots on the way in and was just hanging in there all day. We played some great shots on the play-off holes, and fortunately it went my way. I'm absolutely delighted to do it here in this great place."

Baker started the day with a one-shot lead after a scintillating 62 in round two. He made it to the turn in 35 strokes with birdies at the 4th and 6th, sandwiching a dropped shot at the 5th. Griffiths, who earned his Legends Tour card at Qualifying School in January, shot 65 to set the clubhouse target at -16, but Baker matched his birdies on the 17th and 18th to force extra holes.

In the playoff, Griffiths stayed in contention with a 15-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole but missed a 10-footer for an eagle on the second. Baker converted short birdie putts on both occasions. On the third extra hole, both players found the greenside bunker, but Baker holed out from a couple of feet for the birdie and victory.

Adilson da Silva clinched the MCB Road to Mauritius title by finishing in tied seventh, alongside Emanuele Canonica and Robert Coles. The trio signed for closing rounds of 69, 68, and 69 respectively to end the week on 12 under. Da Silva claimed the John Jacobs Trophy as the MCB Road to Mauritius number one after finishing second on the season-long points list the last two years.

"It's difficult to describe it. This is really the cherry on top," said Da Silva. "It's such a prestigious trophy to win. It's just been such an experience, you know, to finish runner-up twice. Sometimes you start to think it's not going to happen."

Baker finished second on the Order of Merit, with Scott Hend third, Griffiths fourth, and former Ryder Cup player Joakim Haeggman rounding out the top five. All five have earned a slice of the MCB Road to Mauritius Bonus Pool and the top four have qualified for the Champions Tour's Trophy Hassan II in Morocco in February.

The top 10 this season have guaranteed their entry into three Senior Major Championships next year – the Senior Open, the US Senior Open, and the Senior PGA Championship. Griffiths can be incredibly proud of finishing fourth on the MCB Road to Mauritius and claiming the prestigious Barry Lane Rookie of the Year Award after struggling with injury in the first half of the season.

"It's a great honour," said Griffiths. "It's amazing to come out as one of the youngsters and play well and be the Rookie of the Year. I think getting a run of tournaments was important. Just getting in certain positions, and when you're playing, you can learn from the previous weeks. So that helped me a lot."

Dubai Golden Visa recipient Jeev Milkha Singh reflected on his performance at the MCB Tour Championship in Mauritius, where he finished tied for 22nd with rounds of 68, 71, and 72, ending on 211, five under par. He also secured 26th place in the season-long MCB Road to Mauritius standings.

"I played well except for my putting," he acknowledged. "I am taking six weeks off to fix my foot. It is now family time to work with my son on his golf. I will now be going to Chandigarh, back home in India, to work on my mental side as well as my health and wellness. I am already looking forward to next year – to come back better and stronger."

Source link:   https://www.khaleejtimes.com