Louis de Jager is looking forward to a solid outing in his first start as a full time European Tour member when he tees up for the co-sanctioned AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open on Thursday.
De Jager earned his card through the gruelling six-round Q-School in Spain earlier this month, with his first start of the new season coming in an event sanctioned by Europe, South Africa and Asia’s tours.
‘It is nice. It feels special, but yeah, it is another event,’ said De Jager, who finished fourth in Mauritius last year, albeit at Heritage Golf Club.
‘It feels like one of the Sunshine Tour events and it is quite nice to start on the Sunshine Tour as your first event. That really makes it more comfortable.’
The 2018 Sibaya Challenge winner came with a solid plan to navigate the Four Seasons Golf Club Mauritius at Anahita this week, following the T27 he got two years ago after signing for six over par 294.
‘It was totally different conditions to Heritage two years ago,’ he said. ‘The wind was howling. So, you’re going to feel the golf course is a bit longer this year, but I am hitting my driver well and we hit a lot of driver on this course. So, I cannot wait.’
De Jager’s game is indeed in a good shape as he managed to end the cycle of five failed attempts to get a card at the European Tour’s Qualifying School. He feels that he collected enough experience during all the trying years to deal with the pressure that will come during the next season.
‘I would say it gets a little bit better because you know what to expect and how to prepare yourself. So, definitely, it is a bit better and pressure-wise it is the same amount of pressure because you want to make it. Expectations are still there, but otherwise you just get to know the conditions and now I know how to prepare and that definitely gets easier,’ he said.
