Johannesburg, Feb 16 (IANS): One of the sponsors of the Mauritius Open, Villas Valriche Monday announced a special prize of a villa, valued at $1 million, for the first golfer who shoots an eagle on the par 4, 423 metres, 17th hole on the final day of the May 7-10 tournament to be held at Heritage Resorts in Mauritius.

“The Mauritius Open is the first tri-sanctioned tournament of its kind to be endorsed by the Sunshine, European and Asian Tours," Villas Valriche chief executive officer (CEO) Anton de Waal said.

"As such we believe that this special prize, which holds the highest monetary prize value ever awarded for an eagle across all three Tours, is testament to the marquee status of the tournament of which we are proud to be a sponsor."

Asian Tour CEO Mike Kerr said, “It is fantastic that Villas Valriche has come up with such an attractive reward for the first golfer shooting an eagle on the 17th hole during the final round of the inaugural Mauritius Open in May.

Mauritius Open is the first ever tri-sanctioned golf tournament endorsed by the Sunshine, European and Asian Tours. It is expected to draw top golfers from each of the three Tours. The AfrAsia Bank is the title sponsor of the event.