Asian golf tour tees off in Egypt for the first time

CAIRO: The Asian Tour’s groundbreaking International Series has expanded its schedule with a first-ever visit to Egypt, with players teeing off at Cairo’s Madinaty Golf Club from Nov. 10 to 13.

The event boasts prize money of $1.5 million and will play a key role in determining the Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, as well as the International Series money list winner.

“This has been an unprecedented season and we are delighted to be able to announce exciting news about the Asian Tour’s first visit to Egypt,” said Cho Minn Thant, commissioner and CEO of the organization. “The International Series Egypt is a spectacular addition to our schedule that will provide our members with a unique opportunity to compete somewhere new while allowing the Tour to broaden its reach.”

The announcement of the event coincides with the country emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic. The International Series is set to be the largest professional golf event staged in the country this century.

Madinaty Golf Club, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and opened in late 2020, is already playing an active role on the Egyptian golf scene, having hosted the country’s prestigious amateur championship.

Josh North, general manager of the club, said: “All of us at Madinaty Golf Club are delighted to be hosting the International Series at the club for the first time. Our agronomy team is already closely cooperating with the Asian Tour to ensure that the course is in peak condition come November. This will be an exciting experience for our wider team too and we are already hard at work to ensure that we hit our targets and achieve the same goal in making this the very best tournament it can be.”

Mark Chapleski, executive vice-president of Troon