Alex Maguire watched a 30-foot eagle putt slide agonisingly by on the final hole of the MENA Tour’s Egypt Golf Series Marassi 1, denying him a playoff berth in which Chris Wood produced a nerveless birdie on the first play-off hole to defeat Charlie Crockett and claim victory at Address Marassi Golf Resort.
Maguire, who led after a stunning opening 63, finished alone in third at 12-under after a final-round 71. The Irishman dropped a shot at the 12th but rallied with birdies at the 13th, 15th and 18th..
“It was almost a grandstand finish at the end, so it’s a little disappointing because I really tried to win today,” said Maguire. “Standing over that 30-footer on the last, I’ve made eagles before to win championships as an amateur, so I thought I might do it again. But look, I made birdie, hit a great second shot and gave myself a chance.
“All in all, I’m pretty pleased. That’s two top-tens in two weeks, so hopefully over the next couple of weeks a win will come.”
Maguire earned $7,000 for his week’s work, climbed to 11th in the MENA Tour rankings with just two events played of the four, and he’ll fancy his chances of putting in another strong performance when the same venue plays host to the MENA Tour’s next event later this week.
Wood and Crockett finished regulation play tied at 13-under-par after contrasting final rounds – Wood carding a one-under 71 while Crockett fired a three-under 69 to force the extra holes.
Returning to the par-five 18th, Crockett putted first but saw his birdie effort slide agonisingly wide. Wood, who had struck a two-iron from the semi-rough to set up a six-foot downhill birdie putt, then converted to claim his second MENA Golf Tour title of the season.
The victory moves Wood back to the top of the MENA Golf Tour Rankings, leapfrogging Italy’s Ludovico Addabbo who finished in a share of 22nd at two under par.
“It was a really tough day out there. From the start we could barely see the green on the first tee – it was so dusty and windy, just like some of those proper desert days you get on Tour,” said Wood. “I think my experience probably counted a bit today, but it was definitely hard work.
“You sort of know, in play-offs, you usually get one real opportunity. That was mine, and you’ve got to take it when it comes because the next chance might be too late. I was delighted for (caddie) Lloyd as well – we’ve been doing such good work together. It was a tough day for scoring, a real team effort, and it’s nice to be a back-to-back winner.”
Challenging conditions greeted the final group, with swirling sand making visibility difficult throughout the early stages.
“It was difficult to start with the sand and the wind — it made it hard to see,” said Crockett. “I had to wear my sunglasses quite a lot and actually putted with them on for probably the first five holes, which I don’t normally do. I was almost eating sand at times — which was definitely a new experience for me.”
Wood’s final round was a tale of two nines. A double bogey seven at the par-five seventh – where he had made birdie in both previous rounds – saw him turn in one-over 37, seemingly handing the advantage to his pursuers. But the 38-year-old steadied himself on the back nine, picking up birdies at the 12th and 13th before facing a nervy finish.
On the 54th hole, Wood was just off the green in two but left his chip 10-12 feet short. He holed the putt to post 13 under – a moment he knew could prove crucial.
“When you’re in that situation it brings total clarity – you know you’ve got to hole it,” said Wood. “It’s a lovely feeling when you see it tracking and think, ‘That can’t miss.’ Then back up 18 again in the play-off it was almost a carbon copy.”
Crockett, who finished runner-up at New Giza last week, looked set to finally break through when he birdied the 10th and eagled the 15th to reach 14 under with three holes to play. But a three-putt bogey at the 17th from 60 feet dropped him back to 13 under, level with Wood in the clubhouse.
“I three-putted 17, which was a bit of a shame – that kind of let Chris back in,” said Crockett. “I did hit two great putts on 18, in regulation and again in the play-off. I’m disappointed I didn’t get it done today because I felt like I played well enough to win this week, but I’m really happy with how my game is trending.
“It was a great group to play in. Alex is a great player and Chris is obviously super experienced, so it was a great test.”
Wood paid tribute to the quality of the final group battle.
“It was great playing with the two lads I was paired with because it really came down to the three of us,” he said. “I said to Lloydy on the 12th, ‘What’s the situation?’ and he told me it was between us three. That gave me real clarity – I just had to beat the guys in front of me. We had a great battle, and to be fair Charlie and Alex both played really well coming in.”
France’s Mathieu Decottignies-Lafon and Italy’s Matteo Cristoni shared fourth at eight under, while England’s Jordan Wrisdale and Sweden’s David Lundgren tied for sixth at seven under.
New Giza champion Lauri Ruuska of Finland closed with a 73 to finish in a share of 12th at four under, while Scotland’s Aidan O’Hagan slipped to a tie for 42nd at one over after a final-round 80.
Wood collected $18,000 from the $100,000 prize fund along with Official World Golf Ranking points as the MENA Golf Tour’s Egypt swing continues.
The Tour remains at Address Marassi Golf Resort for the Egypt Golf Series Marassi 2, which begins on Thursday 29 January.
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