Flying Fin Lauri Ruuska was in sizzling form setting a new tournament course record 62 to capture the inaugural hosting of the Egypt Golf Series New Gize at the host New Giza club in Cairo.
Ruuska was bogey-free in collecting 10 birdies to be out in 30 and home in 32, winning the MENA Tour event by shot at 14-under from England’s Charlie Crockett.
Two players – Italian Aron Zemmer (68) and Slovenia’s Zan Luka Stirn (69), who led the first round by two, shared third.
Super talented Italian Ludovico Addabbo, who led going into the third and final round, imploded with three birdies but also four bogeys in a closing 73 to share seventh place on nine-under
FLYING FINN WINS WITH NEW ⛳️RECORD…
Finland’s Lauri Ruuska posts a final round 6⃣2⃣ to capture maiden #MENATour event at the stunning New Giza ⛳️@ExperienceEgypt
Lauri with Tour’s CEO Keith Waters
✅ @TOURMISS pic.twitter.com/EoxnWHn2fg
— Fatiha (@TOURMISS) January 21, 2026
Ruuska, playing his first tournament since September as he simply needed a break from the game, naturally was delighted with the ‘W’.
“It feels awesome to be crowned champion, especially as it’s my first tournament of the season,” said Ruuska.
“After the first two rounds, I honestly felt a good round was coming because I was striking the ball really well but just couldn’t get the putts to drop. I worked on my putting in the hotel and found something that really helped, and it showed out there today.
“The last couple of years have been tough on the DP World Tour and HotelPlanner Tour. This was my first tournament since last September, and I even took six weeks completely off from golf to reset and rethink my game.
“So, to come back and win straight away feels like real validation that I’m doing the right things again.”
Ruuska collected a first prize of $18,000 from the $100,000 prize fund along with Official World Golf Ranking points as the MENA Golf Tour’s Egypt swing gets underway.
There was one plus for Addabbo, as he’s overtaken the absent Chris Woods atop of the MENA Tour money-list, post four events of the Tour’s 2025/26 wrapround season.
Woods is back to second but can mend that teeing-up in this week’s up-coming event.
Ruuska moves straight into third on the money-list.
The Tour moves to Address Marassi Golf Resort on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast for the second event of the four-event series, which begins on Saturday 24 January.
