The battle for MENA Golf Tour Rankings supremacy takes centre stage when the Egypt Golf Series opens at New Giza Golf Club tomorrow (Monday 19 January), with Italy’s Ludovico Addabbo leading a cast of hungry contenders looking to make their mark across the four-event swing.
Addabbo arrives in Egypt as the man in form after his stunning wire-to-wire victory at the PGA Aroeira Challenge in November announced his arrival on the professional scene. With rankings leader Chris Wood not competing, the 27-year-old has the opportunity to close the gap at the top – or even take over the number one position if results go his way across the USD $400,000 series.
“I’m feeling great at the moment – like a champion,” said Addabbo, who has played New Giza three times previously on the Alps Tour. “Two months ago I got my first win as a pro, and I want more. I’m playing all the events in Egypt so I’m going to press hard and keep the momentum going.”
Scotland’s Aidan O’Hagan (pictured above right with Sebastian Sandin) will have other ideas. The Scot finished runner-up at the RolearAlgarve Classic, pushing Wood all the way before falling a shot short, and arrives in Cairo determined to go one better and claim his first MENA Golf Tour title.
“The course is going to be a nice test off the tee. If you hit the fairway, it’s going to be quite scoreable this week, but if you get offline it can be quite unpredictable in the desert,” said O’Hagan. “I think you have to come out being aggressive and trust your game.”
Compatriot Sebastian Sandin completes a strong Scottish challenge. The Q School runner-up has shown consistent form throughout the Portugal events and sits fourth in the rankings heading into the Egypt swing. The pair are close friends and travelling companions – with a trip to the Pyramids planned during their time in Cairo.
“You need to play well off the tee and it’s tricky around the greens because there’s a lot of undulations,” said Sandin, who won the pro-am yesterday. “Obviously Aidan and I have a bit of a rivalry, always travelling together and rooming together, so I’d like to get a one-up on him.”
The Egypt Golf Series marks a landmark moment for golf in the region, with the Egyptian Golf Federation instrumental in bringing four OWGR-sanctioned events to the country. The partnership reflects the Federation’s commitment to growing the game domestically while providing Egyptian players with invaluable opportunities to compete against international fields and earn world ranking points.
A contingent of home players will fly the flag for Egypt this week, with professionals Ahmed Morgan and Nour Shibl joined by talented amateurs including brothers Issa Abou El Ela and Mohamed Abou El Ela. The siblings come from Egyptian golfing royalty – their father is multiple Pan Arab Champion Amr Abou El Ela – and they will be joined by fellow amateurs Abdelmonem El Shafei and Adam Elshamy.
Issa, affectionately known as “Unc” for his role as the elder statesman of the Egyptian contingent, is looking forward to the week ahead.
“Having the MENA Tour back is such a great thing,” said Issa. “It’s a great experience for the juniors and potential pros that we would like to see come out of Egypt – a good way to test their skills. We live maybe 10 minutes away from New Giza so it’s a course we’re very familiar with and hopefully we can show our talents and play well this week.”
Younger brother Mohamed, one of Egypt’s top-ranked amateur players, will be keeping the sibling rivalry friendly.
“The only person I would like to see beat me is my little brother,” added Issa. “There’s a household rivalry sometimes behind closed doors, but I think all of us – me, my siblings, and my parents – would like to see my brother do well. I’m just waiting for the day he beats me so I can be even more proud.”
The field also features considerable DP World Tour experience in Spain’s Alejandro Cañizares and England’s Ashley Chesters, along with in-form Jordan Wrisdale who has impressed throughout the season. Austria’s Aron Zemmer returns to action having shown glimpses of his quality during the Portugal events.
New Giza Golf Club provides a fitting stage for the series opener. Designed by Thomson, Perrett & Lobb, the championship layout on Cairo’s western outskirts offers strategic risk-reward opportunities with dramatic elevation changes, sandy waste areas and imaginatively-shaped greens that will test the entire field.
Following New Giza, the Tour relocates to Address Marassi Golf Resort on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast for consecutive events (24-26 January and 29-31 January) before returning to Cairo for the series finale at Madinaty Golf Club (3-5 February).
The first round of the Egypt Golf Series New Giza begins on Monday 19 January.
