World number nine Rory McIlroy gets his first taste of golf in Egypt during practice for the Egyptian Open 2010 presented by SODIC

Cairo (EGYPT): World number nine Rory McIlroy got his first taste of golf in Egypt today and immediately stated he was “here to win” as Cairo gets set to make its full debut on the European Challenge Tour.

The 21 year-old from Northern Ireland may be more at home on the full European Tour and playing in the Majors but he will be not be going easy on his Challenge Tour rivals when the $250,00 Egyptian Open presented by SODIC tees off tomorrow (Wednesday) at the JW Marriott, Mirage City Golf Club.

“I’m here to help promote the event but I’m also here to win – the world ranking points for a victory would do me no harm at all,” said McIlroy, after getting his first feel of the 7,108-yard resort course in the pre-event Pro-am.

“The course is in great shape and the greens are fantastic. If you get the ball in play from the tee then are plenty of chances to make birdies.”

Despite playing a prominent role in Europe’s thrilling Ryder Cup victory just three weeks ago, McIlroy also knows he will still need to be at his best if he is to see off the challenge of players he knows and respects.

“I played a lot of amateur golf with many of the guys here – players like Andrew McArthur, Lloyd Saltman, Charlie Ford and Steven Tiley who won here last year – so I know there are a lot of great players in Cairo this week,” he added.

“The standard of play is very good on and a lot of the players will be determined to make the Challenge Tour final and go on to qualify for the full European Tour. They all know how to shoot good scores so I think it’s going to take something like fifteen under par to win here this week.”

As well as attracting McIlroy and an international field, the Egyptian Open 2010 presented by SODIC also enjoys support from the Egyptian Tourist Authority, Mercedes, Egypt Air, JW Marriott, Mirage City Golf Club, Julius Bär Advisory SAE, Dell, Drexel, Club Car, Hydroturf, Toro, Microsoft, Global Brands, Toshiba, Heineken, Coca Cola, Dockland, Titleist and ECCO.

Defending champion Tiley will be determined to keep his hands on the 89 year-old trophy, while 28 Egyptian Golf Federation invitees including local and regional pros and amateurs will join 86 players from the Challenge Tour to compete in the oldest golf tournament in the Middle East.

“I was hitting balls beside Steven on the driving range so I took the chance to ask him about playing the course,” said McIlroy. “He told me the greens were a little firmer last year and that it can get very windy. But there’s plenty of room if the wind does pick up so I am looking forward to it.”

Play in the tournament itself gets underway tomorrow (Wednesday) at 6.40am – entrance is free to the general public.