English Pro Reveals He Was 'Close To Giving Up' The Game Before Ending 14-Year Wait For Latest DP World Tour Win
John Parry shot a superb final-round 64 at the 2024 AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open to seal his second DP World Tour victory - over a decade after his first...
England's John Parry snapped a 14-year wait for his second DP World Tour title via a stunning final round of 64 at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open on Sunday.
Parry last won on the DP World Tour in 2010 at the one-off Vivendi Cup as a 23-year-old before navigating an extended loss of form and a lengthy period on the Challenge Tour and EuroPro Tour.
Having succeeded only at the EuroPro Tour's 2021 Cumberwell Park Championship in the meantime, the man from Harrogate in Yorkshire rediscovered his best stuff in a big way by returning to the winner's circle four times throughout 2024.
The first three were on the Challenge Tour, and after sealing promotion back to the top table of European golf, 38-year-old Parry wasted little time in kicking on once more by posting 14-under at Mont Choisy and winning by two strokes.
Parry began Sunday's action five strokes off the lead but quietly made a decent start before exploding into life down the back nine. He reached the turn in 34 and then took just 30 shots to complete his round, ably assisted by a chip-in eagle at the 12th.
A birdie at the last 🙌John Parry sets the clubhouse target at -14! #AfrAsiaBankMauritiusOpen pic.twitter.com/ZbuegXC7mCDecember 22, 2024
Highlighting that moment afterwards, Parry said: "It was a bit of a challenging week all week but that chip-in on the 12th really just gave me a bit of momentum for the rest of the round. So that was a real key moment.
"That eagle there just got me a little spark, with a couple of good chances coming up. And I just really didn't miss a shot coming in so that was really key."
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As overnight leaders Eddie Pepperell and Dylan Naidoo faded slightly, Parry took his chance courtesy of an outstanding stretch of holes where he made birdie on 13, 14, 16 and 18.
Once the final putt had dropped and Parry's victory was confirmed, the Englishman revealed the moment almost didn't happen as he considered walking away from pro golf a few years back.
Calling the win "massive," Parry revealed: "I don't know how long ago - five or six years ago, maybe not even that long - I was back on the EuroPro Tour and I was close to giving up golf after winning when I was 23 out here. So it's been a long battle back but worth every moment for this week."
"I was close to giving up golf" 🥹#AfrAsiaBankMauritiusOpen pic.twitter.com/LgS3gk8PFWDecember 22, 2024
Not only did Parry claim a little more than $260,000 for his week's work, but due to finishing top of the DP World Tour's Opening Swing Rankings, the World No.151 scooped an extra $200,000 on top of that.
South Africans Naidoo and Christo Lamprecht finished in a tie for second in Mauritius on 12-under, one ahead of countryman Jovan Rebula in solo fourth.
The DP World Tour will now take a break until the new year, when it returns with the Dubai Desert Classic on January 16-19 - a Rolex Series event.
Jonny Leighfield is our Staff News Writer who joined Golf Monthly just in time for the 2023 Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup. He graduated from the University of Brighton with a degree in Sport Journalism in 2017 and spent almost five years as the sole sports reporter at his local newspaper. During his time with Golf Monthly, Jonny has interviewed several stars of the game, including Robert MacIntyre, Ian Poulter, and Lee Westwood. An improving golfer himself, Jonny enjoys learning as much about the game as he can and is hoping to reach his Handicap goal of 18 at some stage. He attended both the 150th and 151st Open Championships and dreams of attending The Masters one day.
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