Gato Bertinotti takes the lead after the first round at New Giza Golf Club

Egypt, March 1^st, 2025 – The Alps Tour kicked off the 2025 New Giza Open today at the prestigious New Giza Golf Club under warm conditions, with winds picking up in the afternoon. After an exciting first round, Argentina’s Gato Bertinotti emerged as the early leader, carding an impressive 7-under-par to take a one-shot advantage heading into the second day.
Hot on Bertinotti’s heels is a tightly packed chasing pack, with eight players tied for second place at 6-under-par. The group includes Ireland’s John Murphy and Hugh Foley, Switzerland’s Maximilien Sturdza, France’s Quentin Debove, Thibault Frestel, and Robin Roussel, Spain’s Javier Barcos, and Italy’s Ludovico Addabbo, all setting the stage for a competitive battle in the rounds ahead.
Sitting in a share of 10th place at 5-under-par are Spain’s Juan Salama Monsalve and Manuel Morugan, alongside France’s Antoine Auboin and Tom Gueant, rounding out a strong contingent of contenders after the opening day.

Gato Bertinotti, 29, from Argentina, turned professional in 2018 and has been a consistent presence on the Alps Tour since then. While he has not yet secured a victory on the Alps Tour, his steady participation reflects persistence and growth. His strong performance in the first round of the New Giza Open (7-under-par) marks a potential breakthrough, positioning him as the current leader of the tournament. After finishing his first round at seven-under-par, Bertinotti shared his thoughts:

“My round today was pretty good. I played solidly and hit the ball well, especially with my irons. I struggled a bit off the tee midway through the round, but I managed to keep it together. My putting was on fire today. I made a couple of long putts from seven or eight meters, which felt great. The eagle on the third hole was fantastic, and overall, I stayed consistent. I stuck to my strategy throughout and finished strong with a few good putts. The course conditions were amazing; the golf course is in great shape, and the staff here is doing an incredible job. The weather helped too, it was a bit hotter than last week, with some wind but not as strong as the past two weeks. I handled it well and I’m really happy with how it went.”

John Murphy, 26,  is an Irish professional golfer. As a professional, Murphy has competed on various tours, including the Challenge Tour and Alps Tour, steadily building his reputation. After completing his morning round, Murphy shared the following statements:

“Today there were good conditions, not much wind. So this morning there were quite a few opportunities, and I managed to take advantage of them well. I never put too much pressure on myself and stayed pretty stress-free for most of the time. In the last few weeks, I’ve struggled in the first round to get going and basically knocked myself out of the tournament. So this time, I tried to focus more on relaxing from the start, and I did a good job with that. Overall, I’m happy with the score, but obviously there’s still a lot of golf to play.”
Maximilien Sturdza, 24, from Switzerland, turned Professional after the Alps Tour Qualifying School 2024. After completing his morning, Sturdza shared the following remarks:

“The round of this morning was very good. I started with 5 birdies within the first 7 holes which helped me carry some momentum throughout the course. The conditions this morning were nice, and the layout of the course is great! Every hole looks different which makes this course a very nice walk with not too much wind.”
The Irish Hugh Foley, 27, turned professional in 2022 after a successful amateur career. After his morning round of six under par, Foley said:

“I was out early this morning at 7.10am which is almost always good to get a little less wind and the best of the greens. I played nicely, I have been working hard with my coach (Geoff Loughrey) and it’s great to see some good signs from that work come through. The course has big greens so I thought it was key to work on pace putting this week. I started steadily and then the birdie on 18 (my 9th) started a nice run of chances and I made a few good putts.”
Quentin Debove, 23, from France, earlier this week, finished second at the Red Sea Little Venice Open. After his morning round at the New Giza Open, Debove commented:

“Pretty good today. I hit nine greens on the front nine and made five birdies, so definitely a great job. There wasn’t much wind, the weather was perfect, so I took advantage of it. Then on the back nine, my game stayed solid, so I’m happy with the day. Tomorrow we start again, and I hope to repeat it.”
The Spaniard Javier Barcos, 23, completed the first round of the New Giza Open scoring a six-under-par. Earlier this week, he achieved a strong fourth-place finish at the Red Sea Little Venice Open, showcasing his consistent form. After his morning round at New Giza, Barcos commented:

“My game felt pretty good the whole day, I was hitting my driver very straight and the first 10 holes I hit my irons really good. I hit great putts the whole round and I felt I could’ve made more but really happy overall. The course was in great shape, the greens rolled very consistent which made it easier to hit good putts. We had really good weather, the temperature was perfect and there was just a little breeze that didn’t do much, so it was the perfect day to play golf.”
French Thibault Frestel, 22, who finished third in the 1st Stage of the School last November, commented after completing his morning round at six under par:

“Yeah good round today, 18 greens in regulation so long game on point, the course here is very similar to my home course in France so feels like home a bit. Not too much wind so it helps to play in the morning sometimes! Putting was good but nothing amazing on that part.”
The French Robin Roussel, 31,  has competed extensively on the Alps Tour from 2017. Roussel has also participated in the HotelPlanner Tour with a victory in 2019 at the Hauts de France – Pas de Calais Golf Open. After finishing his first round at the New Giza Open at six under par, Roussel shared his thoughts on his performance:

“Today, I started from the 10th hole. I’ve been hitting the ball solidly since arriving in Egypt, though I struggled a lot on the greens in the first two tournaments. I’ve been striking it really well distance-wise. On the 11th, I nearly made a hole-in-one and had a tap-in for birdie. My iron play was excellent today, so I didn’t face many long putts. By the turn, I hit every fairway and green, landing a few iron shots very close. I holed two good putts, one from six meters and another from two and a half meters, with the rest being tap-ins for birdies. I’m very happy with my game so far. The key here is positioning yourself well on the greens because putting isn’t easy.”

After finishing the first round at six strokes under par, Italian Ludovico Addabbo, 26, commented:

“Today was a windy day, but the course was in great condition. It’s quite long, so the wind made it a nice challenge. I played really solid golf, hitting 16 greens, and I’m happy with both my score and the position I’ve put myself in. Tomorrow, with the same mindset, I’ll try to maintain this pace.”

SECOND ROUND

The second round of the 2025 New Giza Open will start at 07:00 to 08:30 from the tee of hole 1 and the tee of hole 10. The afternoon block will be from 11:20 to 12:50, also from both starting tees.

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