England’s Steven Tiley will have to overcome Ryder Cup winner Rory McIlroy if he is to retain his title at the Egyptian Open 2010 presented by SODIC, which this week makes its full debut on the Challenge Tour Schedule.
At the JW Marriott Mirage City Golf Club in Cairo, Egypt, 12 months ago, Tiley triumphed by four strokes from Denmark’s Thorbjørn Olesen, who subsequently went on to capture his maiden Challenge Tour title at The Princess in July.
The 28 year old from Kent is currently in 28th place in the Rankings thanks largely to a joint runner-up finish at the ALLIANZ EurOpen de Strasbourg, but a repeat victory in Cairo would push him into the all-important top 20 and guarantee him a place alongside McIlroy on The European Tour.
McIlroy, who in tandem with his close friend and compatriot Graeme McDowell formed a formidable partnership at the recent Ryder Cup, will be making his Challenge Tour debut at the 7,108-yard, par 72 course on the outskirts of the Egyptian capital.
Tiley met McIlroy for the first time after the opening round of this year’s Open Championship, when the duo had shot respective rounds of 66 and 63, and the Englishman believes that whoever finishes ahead of the World Number Nine will in all likelihood win the $250,000 tournament.
He said: “I can’t wait to get out there again to defend my title. It was a really well-run tournament, and I love the course. It’s got quite a links feel to it, especially when the wind gets up, and I love links courses. I grew up playing at Royal Cinque Ports back home in Kent, which I’m still attached to. So it’s no surprise that I played well at Mirage City last year, because even though it’s on the other side of the world and the weather’s a bit warmer, it was quite similar to my home club.
“I was invited back to Egypt play in a Pro-Am event at another course in May this year, and I managed to win that as well. So hopefully I can keep my 100% record in Egypt going this week! It’s not going to be easy though, especially with Rory playing. He had a great Ryder Cup and he’s in the top ten in the world, so if you finish above him you’re probably not going to be too far away from winning the tournament.
“Hopefully I can get paired with him, because you can always learn from playing alongside great players. I met him at The Open and he mentioned he was playing in Egypt, so we had a bit of a chat about it. I’d just shot 66 and he’d shot a 63, so it was all a bit surreal! Unfortunately it didn’t go too well for him the next day, but it’s only a matter of time before he wins a Major, because he’s so talented. He’s obviously the massive favourite this week, but in a way it’d probably be good if someone else wins, because it’ll prove how strong the Challenge Tour is.”
For his part, McIlroy is excited at the prospect of returning to the Middle East having enjoyed such success in the region in the past, with the recent highlights including his maiden European Tour title at the 2009 Dubai Desert Classic and a runner-up finish at the Dubai World Championship later in the year.
“I’m very excited about the chance of playing in Egypt for the first time,” said McIlroy. “It’s not a country you would think necessarily think of as a home for golf, but I have heard great things about the courses there, the whole history of the Egyptian Open and the developments that are coming about. So I can’t wait to see it all for myself.”
Other notable names in the field include rising Danish star Andreas Hartø, who last week became the fastest player to capture two Challenge Tour titles with victory on only his fourth appearance at the Roma Golf Open 2010 presented by REZZA.
Should he win again in Cairo, the 22 year old from Copenhagen would earn instant promotion to The European Tour in record time.
The event, which was first played in 1921, is the final tournament before the season-ending Apulia San Domenico Grand Final, where the top 45 players in the Rankings will battle it out for the 20 European Tour cards available.
