MCB Open 2009 - The story so far . . .

When the first ball is struck at The Mauritius Commercial Bank Open, it will mark the culmination of seven months of intense planning, organising and preparation.
Although the announcement that the Constance Belle Mare Plage was to host the tournament came in early May, a great deal of work had already been carried out and much more lay ahead.

Before agreeing to introduce a new venue to the schedule, the European Senior Tour has to consider numerous factors, among them the location, the layout and the length of the course, and the practice facilities.
They also have to take into account the accommodation available, ease of access to the course, the proximity of the airport and the general infrastructure surrounding the venue.
Needless to say, the Legend golf course and the neighbouring Constance Belle Mare Plage comfortably met all requirements and the fact that the resort could boast a proven record of hosting major tournaments strengthened their bid to stage a Tour event.
After running the Mauritius Open for 15 years, there was no question about the host venue’s ability to handle the needs and demands of the huge number of players, guests and visitors expected to descend upon the resort.
Equally importantly, a main sponsor The Mauritius Commercial Bank had been secured, along with supporting sponsors, many of whom had been associated with the Mauritius Open in its previous format and were delighted to continue their relationship.
Next came the initial planning meeting, chaired by the tournament director, at which all relevant parties agreed what needed to be done, by whom and by when.
Tournament director for the MCB Open is 37-year-old Englishman Michael Petch, a six-handicap golfer who is married to a former Ladies’ European Tour winner, Mandy Sutton, the 1997 Estoril Ladies’ Open champion.

“I can’t even claim to be the best golfer in my own house,” he jokes.

After a brief spell working in a pro shop as a 16-year-old, Petch returned to his studies and graduated in chemistry. Since then, he has seen his handicap gradually increase, as a result, he says, of a dodgy short game and back surgery.

Yorkshireman Petch has been with the European Senior Tour for 11 years, so he should know what he is doing. An inspection of the Legend course by Tour officials and Constance Belle Mare Plage golf director Dieter Praun, former European Tour winner Marc Farry, who has an academy at the Legend course, and Ram Joorawon, who is responsible for all the courses owned by the Constance Group, identified a number of modifications and improvements that were needed.

“The Links and the Legend courses are maintained to the highest standards,” says Petch, “so a general review of the courses was all that was required, rather than wholesale changes.” As a result, several tees at the Legend, where the main event will take place, have been raised, extended and returfed. The major changes, though, have been to the 14th and 18th holes.

“Hole 14 has seen the tees significantly raised,” said Petch, “and huge amounts of rock have been removed from the fairway entrance to make for a much more inviting hole.”

The 18th fairway has been extended into the lake, which will undoubtedly make for an exciting finish to the tournament.

“Although the closing par five is reachable in two, the errant shot will find the lake that extends along the right-hand side of the hole and behind the green.” Petch explained that all the work was being carried out in-house and overseen by Marc Farry. “This is testament to the knowledge of Ram, his two course managers, Elvis and Sanjay, and their staff and colleagues,” he says. South African Hugh Baiocchi, who designed the Legend course and winner of numerous titles in Europe, the US and South Africa, is making a welcome return to the Tour to play in the Mauritius Commercial Bank Open. Eighty players will be competing in the MCB Open but first they will take part in the traditional pre-tournament pro-am played on both the Links and the Legend courses. .

Each day, when the players, their caddies and the spectators have left the scene, the Java deer, long-term residents of the course, will emerge from their hiding place to watch the greenstaff spring into action, trimming the fairways, the tees and the greens, filling the divots, raking the bunkers and cutting new holes.

The same staff will return to the course at 4am to give the greens a final cut – the grass grows significantly in the climate – tidy up any hoof prints in the bunkers and remove the morning dew from the fairways.

The daily pin placements will be the responsibility of course designer and former Ryder Cup player Guy Hunt, who will take into account the green speed, contouring, the strength and direction of the wind, the bunkers and, of course, how difficult he wishes to make the hole position. Next day, the whole process will be repeated. Before anyone realises it, Sunday has arrived and the drama of the final round unfolds, culminating in the presentation of the winner’s prizes.

And, as the sun goes down on another memorable Mauritian day, the Constance Belle Mare Plage erupts into an extravaganza of energy, colour and music as the hotel lays on a spectacular gala cocktail reception for everyone involved in the week’s activities. Now that’s another thing they do particularly well.

Neil webber