Ain Sokhna/Egypt – As in the second event of the season in 2022, the winner in Ain Sokhna had to be decided in a play-off. On this sunny day at the Golf Club Sokhna, it looked for a long time as if Dutchman Stan Kraii would win his first title. However, the 23-year-old gave up two shots in the closing stages of the third round of the Red Sea Ain Sokhna Classic to drop to an overall score of -11. With this result, Jan Cafourek was already waiting in the clubhouse. Consequently, the Czech was happy when he could go out on the course again.

"I was really looking forward to the play-off," said Cafourek, who shone on the final day with a 66 (-6), making him one of the best players of the day. "The round was pretty good. My game off the tee was solid, but the putter was crucial in the end. A lot of long putts dropped and I didn't make any mistakes." The 34-year-old thus entered the play-off with a decent dose of confidence and after both players recorded a par on the first extra hole (18), the decider came on 10, another par 4 at Golf Club Sokhna.

No bogeys on day 2 and 3

Kraii's second shot landed in the waste area behind the green, opening the door for Cafourek, who had not conceded a bogey since the 14th hole in round one. "I played very solid all week," said the 2019 Haugschlag Open winner. "On the first day I made a couple of silly mistakes on the greens. That was the difference with rounds two and three." Cafourek benefited from his Dutch rival's problems and with a par on the second extra hole, the experienced Czech secured the second professional victory of his career.

Leaderboard: All results at a glance

Cafourek was extremely relaxed in the winner's interview despite the exciting final: "I felt good in the play-off. I like to play under pressure. So that was exactly my time." He has been able to get used to pressure situations since turning professional in 2014. So far, it hasn't been enough for success on the Challenge Tour. Not yet. Cafourek has now regained his motivation. "It was difficult to get motivated again because the last two years were pretty bad. But I tried to keep at it because I just love golf. I worked hard in the winter and now I have my title. So I'm pretty happy."

Cafourek picked up the final motivation on his recent home holiday in the Czech mountains. "I spent a perfect day in the mountains. I was able to relax and clear my mind. That's very important between tournaments." So after numerous attempts, it's finally time to go high - and we are not talking about his next trip home.