Tour Life: Egypt

Authored by Egor Zotov

Hi, I know you’re all probably very excited to read about the exciting career of Danny Fisher, and how he always seems to be contending weekly on any tour he tees it up on. However, this month he’s asked for a switch up and has kindly asked me to write about my experience about my recent travels to start the season in North Africa. 

For those who don’t know me, my name is Egor Zotov. I graduated with Danny from Miami University in 2024, and I’ve been playing professionally outside of the United States since graduation. I play the majority of my golf on the Clutch Pro Tour and MENA Tour, which are both pathways to the DP World Tour (formerly known as the European Tour). 

Playing outside the US has its advantages in that you get to travel and see different cultures most weeks. In the last few months, I’ve had the privilege to travel to 3 different continents to play a game that I call my job. During today’s newsletter, I wanted to discuss my recent travels to Egypt as I went to play in the Egyptian Swing of the MENA Tour and what I learned. 

Before I talk more about the trip, I think it’s important to explain why the MENA Tour is an important part of the professional golf ecosystem. A few years ago when LIV Golf was attempting to apply for world rankings, they acquired the MENA Tour, but the acquisition failed to make any progress in attaining world ranking points (LIV was just granted world ranking points a few weeks ago due to other changes they made). Since then, the MENA tour has struggled financially and has only made the return this year under new management, once again offering a great path to the next level.

Enough about golf politics, let’s talk about Egypt. The trip started off in Cairo, the country's capital, before moving up north to Alexandria, and then returning back to the capital for the final event. The fields included some of Europe’s top players, including previous DP World Tour winners and even Ryder Cup stars. 

I find it interesting to see people that you once saw inside the ropes at tour events as a kid, idolising them, hoping that one day you can be in that position, to now competing with them at the start of my career. What’s funny is that when you play with them now, you realise they are humans. What once looked like a highlight reel that seemed to never end, I now see how good they are at doing the monotonous things well, how good they are at staying patient and just plot their way around the course.  

Another highlight from my trip was my roommates. I had the pleasure of rooming with my national teammate from my amateur days as well as two former GB&I Walker Cup players. All  were great amateur players and have all seen some success in their professional careers. What’s funny is how different all of our approaches are to playing our best. Some of us loved to get there early and stay late to get some final reps around the putting green, while the others wanted to get their prep in quickly and get away from the course to retain energy levels. It just shows that it’s not a one size fits all and that you have to find what works for you and stick to that, just like anything in life. I also have to credit them for great company throughout the trip as we shared some fun moments from sharing laughs over food to going to the Grand Egyptian Museum (would highly recommend it if you ever find yourself in Cairo). I know you might be asking yourself “Didn’t he go to see the pyramids?” and the short answer would be no. But I did see them from the fourth hole at New Giza GC and the Grand Egyptian Museum, surely that counts! 

As far as the golf, I played some lovely stuff. With making all four cuts, and having a top 10 finish, and climbing several hundred places in the world rankings. My biggest takeaway was that I stayed really patient. I know that sounds cliche, but I just trusted that the reps that I put in this off season were enough for me to compete. I have come to the understanding that you just have to play with the game that you bought with you and when it comes to round one just be confident that you prepared well. 

I had an “aha” moment in the second event in Alexandria. I was near the top of the leaderboard in the final round. It was the first time where I didn’t really mind being in that position and finished the last 4 holes 2 under to pick up a nice pay check and world ranking points. Whereas a year ago, if you would have put me in that same position, I would have put a lot more pressure on myself and tensed up down the stretch just trying to get it into the clubhouse with a respectable score. This is a great confidence boost for myself, and that is something that I could have only learned by putting myself in uncomfortable situations (maybe even failing and learning a few times before I see any improvement). It doesn’t make me immune to that flaw in the future, but it was sure nice to show myself that I have made some progress in my game since finishing college. 

What’s next for me as I continue my travels? Well, I have a jam packed schedule for the next few months with a few weeks off before the next two MENA Tour events in Tangier, Morocco. Afterwards, I will be flying to the USA for PGA Americas Q-School in hopes of securing status for next year (and giving Danny a roommate for the year). Right after, I will again fly across the world to South Africa for the Final Stage of Sunshine Tour Q-School. As Danny might have mentioned in his previous newsletters, status on any tour is the name of the game, so that’s why it’s so important to take advantage of any opportunity you get to play in events that can be life changing.  

I look forward to seeing what’s ahead of me and hope I can keep learning and improving with every day that goes by.