Wales’s Jack Davidson holed an eagle putt on the first play-off hole to defeat Spain’s Juan Salama and claim victory at the Egypt Golf Series Address Marassi Golf Resort 2.
Both players finished regulation play tied at 14 under par after matching four-under-par 68s, setting up a dramatic conclusion on the par-five 18th.
Returning to the 18th for the play-off, both players found the fairway off the tee. Davidson went first with his approach and found the centre of the green in two. Salama’s second shot finished just off the green on the fringe, and with the pin removed, he backed himself to hole the eagle chip.
However, the lie wasn’t ideal, and he caught it slightly heavy, leaving it short of the hole. Davidson then stepped up and rolled in his 25-foot eagle putt to seal a remarkable victory.
The triumph capped an incredible week for the Welshman, who was one over par after an opening-round 71 before firing a course record-equalling 63 in round two to propel himself into contention.
“It’s been a bit of a journey over the last few off days, and really over the last couple of years,” said Davidson. “I wasn’t really in the tournament after the first round, but shooting 63 put me right back in it and gave me a chance going into the final day with so many players close together.
“I was giving myself chances all day, and even though the putts weren’t dropping late on, I stayed patient and managed to get myself into the play-off. From there, it was just about having no fear and committing fully to every shot. If I was going to win, I wanted to do it by trying my best, not by hoping.”
Davidson’s final-round 68 featured birdies at the fourth, seventh and ninth to turn in three-under-par 33, followed by a steady back nine and a closing birdie at the 18th to force extra holes.
The Welshman spoke emotionally about his difficult journey to reach this point.
“The last couple of years haven’t been easy for me, and towards the end of last year my relationship with golf was in a really poor place,” he said. “Over the past few months, I’ve made some big changes and built an amazing support team around me, and they’ve completely turned both my game and my mindset around. I genuinely wouldn’t be standing here without them.
“The return of the MENA Golf Tour has come at the perfect time for me. I was starting to see improvements in my game, but didn’t have anywhere to play, and this tour has given me the chance to compete against strong international fields on fantastic golf courses.”
Scotland’s Michael Stewart finished alone in third at 13 under par after a closing 68, while the Czech Republic’s Dominik Pavoucek and England’s Curtis Knipes shared fourth at 11 under par.
MENA Golf Tour Rankings leader Chris Wood finished tied 15th at eight under par, while Egypt’s Adam Elshamy claimed the leading amateur and leading Egyptian honours for the second consecutive week, finishing one under par.
“It was an incredible experience, especially to win again and play the final round alongside Chris Wood,” said Elshamy. “He’s such a professional, and the way he carries himself on the course is really admirable. That’s something I’ll definitely try to take into my own game going forward.
“What really stood out was how consistent he is with his process. Every shot looks the same, regardless of what happened before or what’s coming next. It made me realise I need to be more process-driven and less reactionary, and that’s something I’ll be working on.”
Davidson 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 now heads to Madinaty Golf Club in Cairo for the Egypt Golf Series Madinaty (3–5 February), the final event of the four-tournament Egypt Swing.
