Justin Rose produced a late fightback to share the lead with Antoine Rozner heading into the weekend at the Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo.

The Major Champion entered day two at The Belfry with a one-shot lead and still held that when he teed off in the afternoon, with Frenchman Rozner having set the target at six under with a 68.

But he would soon find himself three off the lead after four bogeys in his first ten holes before he picked up three shots in his last seven in a 73 to rejoin Rozner at the summit.

English amateur John Gough was then at five under alongside countrymen James Morrison, Andy Sullivan and Oliver Wilson, defending champion Thorbjørn Olesen, another Dane in Niklas Nørgaard and German Yannik Paul.

Rose claimed the second of his 11 DP World Tour wins at this event back in 2002 and since then has achieved almost everything there is to in the game, winning the 2013 U.S. Open along with Olympic Gold, World Golf Championships, Rolex Series events and topping the Rankings on both sides of the Atlantic en route to being a World Number One.

On a wet and windy day, however, The Belfry can be a test for anyone and Rose was delighted to use all his experience after his poor start on day two.

“If I had gone and shot 76 today, I’d have walked off and been quite bewildered because I did not play that badly but the score had slipped away from me after ten holes and that is what it is,” he said. “The scorecard doesn’t lie at the end of the day.

“You count on those par-fives on the back nine a little bit, 15 and 17, to try to give you some opportunities. But they are certainly no gimmie birdies, either.

“So I’m sticking with it and readjusted my goals. Actually set myself a goal for the last seven holes to be three under par and that’s what it turned out to be.

“Didn’t appreciate that I would still be leading the golf tournament but through 36 holes I’m in a great spot.”

Rozner is enjoying yet another impressive season on the DP World Tour since his 2019 graduation from the European Challenge Tour which was achieved with the help of two wins in as many weeks in Spain and the Czech Republic.

Since then he has finished in the top 50 on the Rankings every season, claiming three wins – including the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open in December – and he has three other top tens and just two missed cuts from 15 starts this campaign.

“I’ve been hitting the ball pretty solid for the most part,” he said. “Putting has been good even though the last few weeks were a bit not as good.

“But I think my whole game is good. I don’t have any weakness in my game, so I think that helps me just be very consistent week after week.

“It’s a course where I’ve never really played well. So just to be able to get out and produce some solid golf, I was really happy with that in the first place. Today, I caught a few putt drops, so that’s good. I’m right where I need to be, so really happy with my game so far.”

Rozner was among the early starters and he put a tee shot to four feet on the tenth and then holed a long putt at the next before surrendering a bogey on the 15th.

Antoine Rozner. Image supplied

A two-putt birdie on the par-five 17th, another long putt on the 18th and a smart approach to 14 feet on the second had him just one back but he bogeyed the fourth before picking the shot back up on the eighth from seven feet.

He was in a share as Rose three-putted from the fringe on the first and soon had top spot to himself as the overnight leader hit a poor tee shot on the fifth.

The home hero was tumbling down the leaderboard as he three-putted the seventh and missed the green at the tenth, with Gough taking over the English charge.

He holed from off the green at the 12th and while he gave the shot back at the 14th, he took advantage of the 17th and holed from 18 feet at the next to share the lead.

A dropped shot at the fourth was followed by an approach to tap-in range at the next which got him back to six under, where he was soon joined by a resurgent Rose.

The 42-year-old put a tee shot to eight feet at the 12th and took advantage of a big drive at the next before making a fifth bogey of the day with a three-putt at the 14th.

But he got up and down from the sand with the help of a 34-footer at the par-five 15th and then made a two-putt birdie on his penultimate hole to get back in a share.

Gough had a chance to take the solo lead after an impressive tee shot at the seventh but missed from 12 feet before finding the water at the next to sign for a 71.

Paul had briefly been at the summit as he recovered from bogeys on the fourth and sixth with birdies on the tenth, 13th, 15th and 17th but a poor chip on the last dropped him back to five under after a 71.

Olesen made five birdies and two bogeys in his 69, a tally shared by Nørgaard, while Sullivan birdied five of his last seven holes in a 68.

Wilson carded a 70 and Morrison signed for a 71 to sit a shot ahead of Scottish pair Ewen Ferguson and Robert MacIntyre and Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune.

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The Frenchman started from the 10th tee in the morning and fired six birdies on his front nine before picking up three more shots after the turn to get to nine-under.

None of the afternoon starters were able to get close to three-time DP World Tour winner Rozner at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea, with home favourite Park Sanghyun and England’s Andy Sullivan his nearest challengers on five-under.

South Korean Lee Hyungjoon was among those another shot further back in a tie for fourth, alongside Yannik Paul, Alexander Knappe, Pablo Larrazábal and Alexander Björk.

Stunning start!@AntoineRozner ties his lowest career 18-hole score to set the pace #KoreaChampionship pic.twitter.com/z8PdL4s8F1

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) April 27, 2023

“A lot of things went my way today,” said Rozner, who has one victory and three other top-10 finishes so far in the 2023 season.

“I obviously played well but you need a bit of luck to shoot 63, especially on a hard golf course like this one. I holed a really good one on the 11th hole, my second hole of the day. It went straight in the centre of the hole and I thought ‘maybe it could be a good day’, and it was.

“I’m really pleased, I hit some superb shots. Really great start. It’s a tough course, you have to keep grinding and you have to focus on the shots. I did that well. I didn’t have so many chances on my back nine, but when I had a chance I made it. It was a pure day of golf, one of those days when you wish you could play like this all the time.”

Park made six birdies and one bogey to sign for a first-round 67 and he was pleased with his performance.

He said: “I’m satisfied with my play. The course was quite challenging, but I did well. It has been a long time since I have played on the DP World Tour and especially in Korea, so I am very happy.”

Sullivan got off to a sensational start on Thursday afternoon, reeling off four birdies in a row from the second hole, with his enormous putt at the fifth one of the shots of the day. He then made three birdies and two bogeys in his remaining 13 holes to move to five under.

“I played really solid again. I feel like my game’s trending in the right direction so I’ve just got to keep persevering with it.” he said.

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It may only be Tuesday, but the Hero Dubai Desert Classic has already witnessed a little bit of history as Dubai Golf’s Communications & Marketing Manager Will Tickell landed his first-ever hole-in-one, upstaging playing partner and Hero Cup star Antoine Rozner at Emirates Golf Club.

Playing in the Motivate Media Group team in the Tuesday Pro-Am alongside Rozner, Motivate’s David Fairservice and Golf Digest Middle East’s Oktoberfest champion Michael Harradine, Will’s magical moment occurred on the fourth hole (his 13th after teeing off from hole 10) — and Rozner called it all the way.

“It was pretty funny because David hit his shot pretty close and was looking good for nearest-to-the-pin,” the Frenchman said. “Then Will shows up and as soon as he hit it I said: ‘Uh-oh, maybe he’s gonna beat you. I think that is going in.’

“It is always a delight to see a fellow player get an ace and it was really good fun today.”

Not feeling upstaged in the slightest, the world No. 147 added: “It was nice and he has given me a few ideas for the week.”

Will Tickell with his special golf ball. Clarkwin Cruz/Motivate Media Group

Still basking in his moment, Will described the ace.

“Fourth hole. Majlis Course. A bit into the wind at around 156 yards,” the 29-year-old, who has been playing golf for 15 years, said. “I kept changing between a six and seven iron and went with the six, which was a good decision in the end. It was funny when Antoine called it in the air and I thought they were having me on. But to get a first hole-in-one is fantastic. I have been playing long enough, so it is about time.

“I will be treasuring this ball. As is usually the case, it is not the best ball and has a few marks and scuffs on it, but it is a very special one now.”

Oktoberfest champ Michael added: “It was a great day out. Antoine played great and Will and David also played very well. It wasn’t my best round, but it was a great day out and that’s what it is all about. I will be back at Oktoberfest to give it another go this year and see how we get on.”

David, who missed out on that nearest-the-pin prize, saw the funny side.

“The weather was perfect, and we had a few surprises. I saw my first hole in one and typically it came to beat me closest to the pin,” he laughed. “I thought I had it, but there you go!”

The Motivate Media Group Hero Dubai Desert Classic Pro-Am team with Managing Partner and Group Editor-in-Chief Ian Fairservice. Clarkwin Cruz/Motivate Media Group

Motivate Managing Partner and Group Editor-in-Chief Ian Fairservice was on hand to watch the special moment.

“It is the first hole-in-one I have ever witnessed,” he said. “Antoine called it off the clubface and his caddie Patxi got the binoculars out just to check what had happened. As we approached the green, we got further confirmation — if it was needed — from the players on the adjacent seventh green.”

Motivate Media Group is Official Publisher of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic

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France’s Antoine Rozner and Englishman Richard Mansell have become the final two players to be added to the mine-up for the Ryder Cup-style Hero Cup to be played at at Abu Dhabi Golf Club from January 13-15.

Continental Europe will take on Great Britain & Ireland to help Luke Donald get a firmer idea of which players could make the squad for the Ryder Cup in Rome 2023.

European Ryder Cup captain Donald selected Rozner for the final spot on Francesco Molinari’s Continental Europe team, while Mansell completes the 10-man GB&I squad for playing captain Tommy Fleetwood.

Donald announced 18 players at the end of November following the conclusion of the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai.

The former world No. 1 left one position open to allow players to impress in the past few weeks and he has confirmed that Rozner and Mansell are the last men in

Rozner stormed to his third DP World Tour title in as many years as he claimed a five-shot victory at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open on Sunday.

The Frenchman entered the final round with a two-shot lead but stretched that advantage to five strokes at the turn. A birdie at the last saw the 29-year-old sign for a five-under-par 67 to finish at 19 under and rise to fourth in the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex and 12th on the European Ryder Cup Points List.

Mansell will join the GB&I team after enjoying his best season to date on the DP World Tour. The 27-year-old has made the most of his playing opportunities in 2022 regaining full playing privileges after finishing 44th on the Rankings in a year which, despite limited starts, included two third-place finishes and four further top 10s.

Donald said: “With less than a month to go until the Hero Cup, I’m delighted to have our full roster of 20 players confirmed and excited to have Antoine and Richard joining their respective teams at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

“We have a fantastic mix of major champions and Ryder Cup players, alongside those who are hoping to secure their debut for Team Europe in Rome next September, and the Hero Cup will provide me with a fantastic opportunity to see how these players adapt and react in a team environment.”

Molinari added: “It’s great to have our team finalised for the Hero Cup and I’m looking forward to leading this talented group of players. Being part of a team is something I have enjoyed immensely in my career and I’m sure all of our players will be looking forward to the week, including Antoine, who played some incredible golf last week to win his title in Mauritius.”

Fleetwood, who partnered Molinari at the Ryder Cup in 2018 to deliver four points for Europe and recently sealed his sixth DP World Tour victory at the Nedbank Golf Championship, said: “I am really pleased with the group of players who form our Great Britain and Ireland team. Richard is a terrific addition after his best season on the DP World Tour and I’m just really excited to get out there in a few weeks’ time with this group.”

2023 Hero Cup Teams

Continental Europe
Francesco Molinari (C)
Thomas Detry
Rasmus Højgaard
Adrian Meronk
Guido Migliozzi
Alex Noren
Victor Perez
Thomas Pieters
Sepp Straka
Antoine Rozner

Great Britain & Ireland
Tommy Fleetwood (C)
Ewen Ferguson
Tyrrell Hatton
Shane Lowry
Robert MacIntyre
Seamus Power
Callum Shinkwin
Jordan Smith
Matt Wallace
Richard Mansell
(C) – Playing Captain

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The Frenchman began the day with a two-shot advantage and carded an eagle and three birdies on the front nine to stretch his lead to five strokes at the turn.

He then safely parred the next seven holes in breezy conditions before a bogey-birdie finish saw him end the tournament on 19-under and banish the memory of his play-off defeat to Rasmus Højgaard in this event three years ago.

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Rozner’s commanding victory in the final event of the calendar year is his third win on the DP World Tour and first since the 2021 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.

Spaniard Alfredo Garcia-Heredia finished alone in second on 14-under after posting a flawless 67 on his 41st birthday.

France’s Julien Brun was two shots further back in third after his level-par 72.

An emotional Rozner said: “Unbelievable. It’s a tough game. We practise so hard all year long and a win is a win and I’m so glad I got this done.

“It’s so hard to win so I’m just so happy. I didn’t know anything about the scores, I didn’t want to have a look. I knew I was in the lead.

“I knew if I kept playing like this there was going to be no issue at the end but it was so hard.

“I started hitting bad shots so I think with my caddie we did a really good job to stay focused and stay in the moment and not think about the scores and the other guys. We did an amazing job today.”

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The South African would move into the top 50 on the Official World Golf Ranking with a victory at Doha Golf Club this week, and with it secure a place in the field at Augusta National for the year’s first Major Championship.

The 32-year-old moved to a career-high 64th in the world following his second place finish at last week’s Steyn City Championship in his homeland, where he finished two shots behind compatriot Shaun Norris. Burmester is now eyeing that next step to make his Masters bow, which he could also achieve with a solo second place finish in Doha.

“I’m glad I made a competition of last week. I was four shots behind going into the final round and I had a two-shot lead for quite a while there. I’m a bit gutted to have thrown it away but anytime someone is leading a tournament, shoots 32 on the back nine, they’re normally going to win the tournament and that’s what he did,” said Burmester.

“I’ve been playing solid. I take a lot of positives out of that. I was tied for the lead with two holes to go, had a chance to win a tournament on Sunday and that’s what we practice for really. I’m here in Qatar trying to do it again.

“The course is in great nick. They’ve re-laid the greens, all the surfaces, the fairways, the rough is up a little bit, it will make for good viewing, that’s for sure.

“It’s something you can’t not think about (playing at the Masters). When you’re on the golf course you just try and stay process-driven; one shot at a time, it’s cliché, everyone says it, but as a little boy that’s the one Major you want to go and play. You see everyone wearing that Green Jacket and you’re standing on the putting green with the lights on at seven-years-old and you’re making a putt to win the Masters and beat Tiger Woods. If it does go my way and I happen to win or whatever it takes, that’ll be great.”

The eight-time Sunshine Tour winner is joined in the Qatari capital by Frenchman Antoine Rozner, who will defend his title at a different course having secured his second DP World Tour title at Education City Golf Club last year by holing a 60-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole. He would join Branden Grace as the only players to successfully defend the title and Major champions Adam Scott and Paul Lawrie as the only multiple winners. 

One man who has already secured his Masters debut is Italy’s Guido Migliozzi and he will be hoping to go one better than his tie for second in Doha last year. Meanwhile Spaniard Jorge Campillo, the 2020 winner, will be looking to add to his excellent record in this event, which includes a tie for second the year before his victory.

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime putt to win a tournament. You don’t get a putt to win a tournament every week in our job but to have a 60-foot putt to win is even more special so it was definitely the biggest putt of my career,” said Rozner.

“It was massive for me, it was huge, it got me into the Match Play two weeks later and to get a second win so quickly after my first win in Dubai was just a big achievement for me and I was really proud of myself that week.

“I think the more you play on this Tour, the more you realise how hard it is to win a golf tournament. It’s so competitive nowadays. I’ve only been here two years but hopefully I’ll be here in ten or 15 years and I’ll tell myself what you’ve done is very, very good and winning a tournament is so hard. Every single part of your game has to be perfect to win a golf tournament, I think that’s just what happened those two weeks and to do it that quickly was very big and I think, looking back, very impressive.

“I think the margin of result is just so small. Last week I came 25^th but I was only two shots away from a top ten finish and I feel like I gave up so many shots on the course, silly shots as well. It’s just so, so close to great results and I feel like my game is actually very good, it’s been very solid the last three weeks and I’m really looking forward to this week, bring some good vibes again. It’s very close to being good again.

“I’m going to play nine holes today, I want to get used to the greens as well because I’m sure the grass is going to be very different to what we had in South Africa and Kenya. I’m going to spend some time on the putting green, play the Pro-Am tomorrow, so I’m going to try and use that time as well to get used to the course. I’ve heard good things about the course, so we’ll see. I’m really curious to see what it’s like.”

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By Kent Gray
Denmark’s Joachim B. Hansen is playing for his second European Tour title inside a year and to extend his season into the final week of the Race to Dubai.

Italy’s Francesco Laporta is already in the DP World Tour Championship but will tee it up in search of something even more precious, a maiden win.

France’s Antoine Rozner is likewise a lock for the season-ender next week and has a chance to pop over to Earth at Jumeirah Golf Estates after successfully defending the penultimate event of the year on Fire.

The final day of the AVIV Dubai Championship isn’t short of intriguing storylines, not with 13 players within five strokes of the -19 lead shared by Hansen and Laporta who will be joined in Sunday’s final threesome by Rozner who is just a shot adrift.

With six birdies and a bogey apiece, Hansen and Laporta both carded 67s on Saturday to go from one shot adrift to one short in front of overnight leader Rozner atop the leaderboard.

Finland’s Kalle Samooja is two shots back on -17 after a round of 68, with Rolex Series winners Min Woo Lee and Tommy Fleetwood sharing fifth position on 16 under par after rounds of 66 and 68 respectively. Lee posted six birdies and eagled the 13th hole to move into contention, while Fleetwood recovered from a two over par front nine with six birdies after the turn. Ryder Cuppers Martin Kaymer (65) and Bernd Wiesberger (68) share seventh place with Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond (63) on -15.

Hansen made par on the final hole after first finding the buggy track with his approach shot and then pitching into the greenside bunker. He managed to get up and down from there to stay on -19 and Laporta joined him with a birdie on the last.   

“It was very good from tee to green, the best I’ve ever played from tee to green,” Hansen said who is 85th in the current Race to Dubai rankings so needs to win or finish second to make the top-50 for next week’s DWTC.

“I missed a lot of good chances at the beginning and a few on the back nine. All in all five under is a good score but it could have been a lot better. The lie was alright with that third shot (at the last), but I got a bit too steep on it, but the fourth shot up to the pin was a nice one.

“I’m looking forward to tomorrow, we’ll see how that’s going to go. Hopefully it will be another beautiful day and we’ll see what happens in the end. I just need to stay patient, I had a lot of chances out there today, so just stay patient and see what happens.”

Laporta is enjoying the tight fight.

“It’s obviously the third round, and we were all in contention so there was more pressure than the other two days, and it was more windy so it was the toughest day of the week,” the 31-year-old world No. 211 said.

“My game is pretty good actually. I didn’t hit the irons very solid like the other two days, so we’re going to work on that this afternoon on the range. But I’ll keep everything, my driver is in good shape and my putting is getting so I’ll try keep that going tomorrow.”

Rozner is happy to remain in the scrap after adding a 69 to his earlier rounds of 65-64.

“Today was tougher, definitely. I did not hit the ball as well as the other days. There were a few mistakes here and there and didn’t score on the easy holes. In the end it is not a disaster. It is three under and I am still in there in the mix and everything is up to tomorrow. I’m in there and that is what I wanted when I started this tournament and I have a chance.”

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By Kent Gray
Sometimes, a course just suits your eye. For Antoine Rozner, one such play thing is the Fire layout at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

The 28-year-old Parisian is making a decent fist of his AVIV Dubai Championship title defence after rounds of 65-64 to earn the halfway lead in the $1.5 million European Tour event. At -15, Rozner enjoys a one-stroke advantage over Italy’s Francesco Laporta, who also posted a bogey-free 64, and first-round leader Joachim B. Hansen of Denmark, who signed for a round of 67.

It also means the Frenchman is a whopping 40-under par through six circuits of Fire after he won last year’s Golf in Dubai Championship, his maiden European Tour title, with a -25 aggregate.

“My long game was perfect, I was striping it shot after shot.”– Antoine Rozner

“It was definitely one of my best ball-striking rounds out here between this year and last year,” said Rozner who closed with six birdies in the final eight holes of his second round.

“My long game was perfect, I was striping it shot after shot, I missed one green on 17 and that was the only hole I put myself in trouble but I got away with it with a good par. I’m just very pleased, it’s not that easy. You still have to play well, hit good shots, make some putts. I’m not the only one who’s playing well so you’ve got to keep grinding for the next two days.

After 36 holes in Dubai ?

Lowest cut of the season (-5)

#AVIVDubaiChampionship

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) November 12, 2021

The trick now, to Rozner’s way of thinking, is to keep chasing.  He’ll need to with Laporta and Hansen on his coattails, not to mention Finland’s Kalle Samooja who roared home in 29 strokes for a third-round 64 to lie solo fourth -13. Tommy Fleetwood is also lurking, overcoming an early bogey on the 2nd to fire a second successive 66 and join fellow Englishman Paul Waring in T-5 on -12.

“Stay aggressive is the mindset, you have o be aggressive over and over,” said Rozner.

“I did that really well last year, obviously I can use that experience from last year and that’s helping me. Last year I was so aggressive over four rounds and I think it’s paying off this week so if I keep doing what I’m doing over the next two days, hopefully there will be a good result in there.”

There will be plenty of support in the Fire galleries over the weekend for fan favourite Fleetwood who has a shot at his sixth European Tour win and third in the UAE after back-to-back Abu Dhabi HSBC Championships triumphs in 2017-18.

“It was a poor start. I missed a chance on the first and then missed a short putt. On such a low scoring course if you have a dry patch it feels so much worse,” Fleetwood said of his second round.

“I holed a putt on seven and played really, really well coming in and had plenty of chances. I felt like I did a good job of continuing to play and hitting good golf shots. I didn’t get panicked or frustrated that I hadn’t had the start I would like. And then it all came together, which doesn’t always happen. But it did and it was another good day.”

There was pride twinged with frustration for UAE No.1 Amhad Skaik whose wait to make a European Tour cut goes on. After an opening 68, the lefty had a great chance to build on the lowest score by an Emirati in European Tour play but a second round 73 saw the amateur miss the cut – set at -5 – by two strokes.

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By Shane Ryan
AUSTIN — The two French players in the field at the WGC-Dell Match Play made eye contact outside the clubhouse at Austin Country Club on Wednesday afternoon. One of them, Antoine Rozner, was fielding questions from the media in the flash area. The other, Victor Perez, walked past as he made the turn in his Day 1 match against Marc Leishman. Perez pumped his fist twice, drawing a small smile from his countryman.

A few hours earlier, Perez was likely one of the few people in the entire Texas state capital who had any idea who Rozner was (on the PGA Tour leaderboard, a silhouette stood in for a picture). But they both knew that was about to change. Rozner, who made the field on the strength of a European Tour victory in Qatar two weeks ago, had just defeated the most notorious American golfer on the PGA Tour, and his profile was about to take a few leaps forward.

There are a few ways to win a match at a tournament like the WGC, and Rozner’s method on Wednesday against Bryson DeChambeau was to establish a big lead and hold on for dear life. The 28-year-old, ranked 64th in the world, was rock-solid over the front nine, burying three 12-foot birdie putt on three different holes to post a 2-up lead at the turn, and he extended it to 3 up with another birdie on the par-5 12th. After that, Rozner admitted nerves set in. He conceded the 13th hole after a poor approach nearly found the water, and hit another disastrous approach on 14 that saw him poised to lose again. Rozner needed a 26-foot par putt just to tie the hole, and if it seemed doubtful that he could deliver, well, take a look at what he did on the 18th hole to win in Qatar:

By comparison, the par putt in Austin was child’s play:

It was the biggest shot of Rozner’s round, preserving the 2-up lead, and proved to be critical after he dropped the 16th hole and had to play 18 to try to win the match. Both players took aggressive lines off the tee on the short par 4, and after a 318-yard drive, Rozner had to play, in his words, a “Phil Mickelson flop” from 54 yards out. Watching from behind the green, a spectator couldn’t see Rozner below the hole, but could see his ball rise over the ledge of the green, land softly, and come to rest seven feet from the pin.

DeChambeau played it out and wouldn’t concede the seven-foot two-putt after missing his birdie attempt. Still, the script was written, and Rozner finished in style by holing his birdie for a 2-up win.

So what do we know about Monsieur Rozner? He lives in Paris, supports the Paris-St. Germain soccer club, counts Tiger Woods, Thomas Levet and Victor Dubuisson as his golf role models, played college golf in the U.S. at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, would choose Chiefs season ticket over the Royals, and only really chatted with DeChambeau to ask where he lived. As for match play, he’s won the French Amateur twice, and went 4-0 for Europe in the Palmer Cup in college. He’s hoping for an exemption next week into the Valero Texas Open, and when he returns to Paris, he’ll have to quarantine for seven days.

That’s all we could get in the short post-match interview, but considering how he played against DeChambeau, and how Qatar marked his second career European Tour title, the first won last December in Dubai, more information will be coming soon. At the very least, it’s clear that he’s not intimidated by much, including the massive drives DeChambeau unleashed throughout the day. Tomorrow, he’ll take on European Ryder Cup hero Tommy Fleetwood, and if he wins that match, he’s got a terrific chance to make Saturday’s knockout round. We knew nothing about Rozner yesterday, we know a little bit today, and you get the feeling that as the days pass, we’re bound to know a lot more.

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By Kent Gray
Antoine Rozner has gone from a promising Challenge Tour graduate, to a rookie season winner, to a two-time European Tour champion in a mere flash. If you’re still a little unsure of the Frenchman’s credentials, don’t worry, Rozner has a cunning plan for that too, a sure fire way to convince you he is more than a journeyman in the midst of a purple patch.

The 28-year-old Parisian unveiled his Ryder Cup dreams after binning a Ryder Cup worthy 60-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole at Education City Golf Club to capture the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters on Sunday.

Rozner won by a stroke from Guido Migliozzi, overnight leader Darren Fichardt and Gaganjeet Bhullar for his second win in six starts, just three months after his European Tour breakthrough at the inaugural Golf in Dubai Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates in December.

What’s next? By Rozner’s own admission, a place in Padraig Harrington’s team for the rescheduled Ryder Cup matches at Whistling Straits in September is still a distant dream but that doesn’t stop it being a dream all the same.

“The Ryder Cup in Paris… I was there every day. That’s a dream for me, to compete in one,” said Rozner who climbed 27th places in the European Ryder Cup rankings courtesy of his €190,836 payday that is set to see him climb inside the world’s top 70.

“If I can get it done this year – there is still a long, long road to go. It should be a goal. It will be, for the rest of the season, a goal for me. There is still a long road to go.”

Talking of a long way to go, how about Rozner’s putt on the last to seal a closing 68. Check it out:

What a putt @AntoineRozner!

The Frenchman wins the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in style.#QatarMasters pic.twitter.com/Hs0VIzG103

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) March 14, 2021

“I was just trying to hit a good putt,” said Rozner who graduated from the 2019 Challenge Tour with two wins on the secondary tour.

“I knew two putts would be very important, I tried to get a good speed first. I thought I had a good read on it, then 15 feet short I was like ‘oh, this is going to have a chance’. I kept looking at it and it went straight in the hole – the best putt of my career. Amazing feeling.

“Winning a golf tournament is the best feeling in the world so getting it done this way, with such a big putt on the last, I don’t know what to say but in my biggest dreams I wouldn’t have thought of anything like this. Crazy run today.

“Winning a golf tournament is so rare – to win twice in just a few months is unreal. I’m just very happy with the way I got it done today in such a dramatic fashion, it’s amazing. I’m very happy.”

.@AntoineRozner’s last six starts ?

?
T26
T9
T16
T36
?#QatarMasters pic.twitter.com/H6rVsSJQOl

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) March 14, 2021

The final results ?#QatarMasters

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) March 14, 2021

The post Rozner eyes Ryder Cup after doubling down on his desert dream in Doha appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.