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Peter Baker ‘proud’ to defend legends title in thrilling MCB Tour Championship showdown

Brazilian Adilson da Silva clinches the MCB Road to Mauritius title as India’s Jeev Milkha Singh finishes tied 22nd

England’s Peter Baker proved his mastery on the Legends Course to defend his MCB Tour Championship title in dramatic style at at Constance Belle Mare Plage in Mauritius.

The defending champion birdied the last two holes for a final-round 68 that forced a playoff with fellow Englishman and Barry Lane Rookie of the Year Simon Griffiths.

The excitement didn’t stop there as Baker birdied the par-5 18th three more times in extra holes to outlast Griffiths. His gritty performance capped off an unforgettable season-ending tournament on the 2024 Legends Tour in Mauritius.

“It’s just fantastic, I didn’t expect any of that really, during the week,’ said the champion, who also won the first event of the season at the Barbados Legends hosted by Ian Woosnam.

“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,” he added.

“I think sometimes it’s meant to be. I’ve had some really good chances this year and not quite done it, and it hasn’t really come together. This week it’s all come together and I’m really, really proud to be the champion.”

Baker started the day with a one-shot lead after firing a scintillating 62 in round two, and he made it to the turn in 35 strokes with birdies at the 4th and 6th sandwiching a dropped shot at the 5th. He birdied the 10th but then reeled off six pars in a row.

Any one of the 10-plus players could have won the tournament as the back nine unfolded, but it was Griffiths who came through from the penultimate group. The European Legends Cup winner started three shots behind Baker and had four birdies in the first eight holes to draw alongside the reigning MCB Road to Mauritius Number One.

Griffiths, who earned his Legends Tour card at Qualifying School in January, picked up another shot at the 13th and birdied the final two holes to shoot 65 and set the clubhouse target at -16. Baker matched his birdies on the stunning par-3 17th and reachable par-5 18th to force extra holes.

Griffiths holed a 15-foot birdie putt to stay in it on the first play-off hole, before missing a 10-footer for an eagle and the win after a magnificent second shot on the second go.

Baker had converted short birdie putts on both occasions. Both players found the greenside bunker with their second shots on the third extra hole, and when Griffiths failed to get up and down, Baker holed out from a couple of feet for the birdie and victory.

Three shots behind the top two, four players finished in tied third on 13 under. Zambia Golf Legends Championship winner Keith Horne (RSA) had seven birdies in a 67, and 2022 MCB Road to Mauritius Number One James Kingston (RSA) had a pair of birdies 2’s in his 68.

Greig Hutcheon (Scot), who got his maiden win at this year’s Legends Open de France, eagled the last hole for a 69, and Carl Suneson (Spain) had to settle for a 70, but his best finish of 2024 did lift him to 33rd on the MCB Road to Mauritius.

Adilson da Silva (Bra) 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. Andrew Marshall (Eng), Patrik Sjöland (Swe) and Clark Dennis (US) were tied 10th on 10 under.

It was a case of third time’s a charm for Da Silva as he claimed the John Jacobs Trophy as the MCB Road to Mauritius number one after finishing 2nd on the season-long points list the last two years.

The Brazilian picked up wins at the OFX Irish Legends and European Legends Cup, plus a 2nd place at the Zambia Golf Legends Championship, tied-2nd at the WINSTONgolf Senior Open and six more top-10s, including his tied-7th at this week’s MCB Tour Championship Mauritius.

“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.

“It’s amazing when all the work and things pay off. It’s so rewarding. It’s just been such a wonderful journey for me.

“I have to thank a lot of people,” he added. “You know, it’s not only you at the end of the day; it’s your family, your coaches, your physiotherapist, the sponsors. It’s a lot of people involved. It means a lot to me and for my family as well, so yeah, they’re very happy.”

Baker finished 2nd on the Order of Merit, with Scott Hend 3rd, Griffiths 4th 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. That means Keith Horne, James Kingston, Greig Hutcheon, Robert Coles and Thomas Gögele can also look forward to some fantastic opportunities in 2025.

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.

He racked up a win, this week’s second place, a third, a fourth, a fifth, a sixth and an eighth in his last nine tournaments this season to fly up the Order of Merit.

“It’s a great honour,” he said. “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 (India) 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. Jeev shared his thoughts with Khaleej Times following the event.

“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,” Jeev added.

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