FILE PHOTO: Golf - European Tour - British Masters - The Belfry, Sutton Coldfield, Britain - June 30, 2023 England's John Parry in action during the second round Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers/File Photo
(Reuters) - England’s John Parry sunk an eagle and four birdies on his back nine to card a 64 on Sunday and claim the Mauritius Open title at Mont Choisy Le Golf with 14 under-par, his first victory on the DP World Tour in 14 years.
Parry started the final round five shots back, but his birdie blitz on the back nine saw him haul in joint overnight leader Dylan Naidoo (71) and win by two shots.
Naidoo’s South African compatriot Christo Lamprecht (65) also tied for second place on 12 under-par.
"Today the course felt a bit softer. It was a chip in on 12 (for an eagle) that gave me the momentum. I had a quick look at the leaderboard and thought I would be further back," Parry said.
"It is massive (to win), five or six years ago I was close to giving up golf. It has been a long battle, but worth it."
Parry’s previous win on the elite European circuit came at the Vivendi Cup in 2010, but he has three wins on the Challenge Tour this year.
Naidoo started his final round with three bogeys in his first four holes before recovering to sink four birdies, though by then he had fallen too far behind.
England’s Eddie Pepperell (74) also had a share of the lead going into the final round, but a double-bogey on the par-five fifth set him back and he tied for ninth.
(Reporting by Nick Said, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
