Adri Arnaus Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

Adri Arnaus, Sebastian Soderberg and LIV Golf’s Peter Uilhein lead the way in Scotland

Golf Digest Middle East — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 05:51:45 +0000

Sebastian Söderberg made a lightning start and Adri Arnaus produced a fast finish as the duo joined Peter Uihlein at the top of a congested leaderboard after day one of the three-course Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

Swede Söderberg birdied eight of his first 10 holes over the Old Course at St Andrews to set the pace, signing for a 64 that would be matched by American Uihlein over the same layout.

Dubai-based Spaniard Arnaus was four shots off the lead with five to play at Carnoustie Golf Links but eagled the 14th before finishing birdie-birdie to join them at eight-under with a 64 of his own and make it a three-way tie.

Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts, fresh off his heroics as a vice-captain in last week’s European Ryder Cup victory, was then part of a six-way tie for second at seven-under alongside local favourite Grant Forrest, Dane Marcus Helligkilde, American Billy Horschel and South African duo Zander Lombard and Wilco Nienaber.

On a cold and wet day on Scotland’s east coast, Soderberg turned in 29 and Ross Fisher’s St Andrews course record was looking under threat when he made another birdie on the 10th.

Six consecutive pars ended those hopes, however, and the 33-year-old bogeyed the 17th before a closing birdie ensured he would finish the day on top.

“It was quite easy the first 10 holes or so,” he said. “Then you kind of turn around going into the wind and it rained a little bit more.

“I thought I played pretty good the last eight holes as well. I just didn’t get close enough, didn’t really hole the putts but it felt good to finish with a birdie.

“I’ve had one or two or three really good rounds for a while, I feel like. There’s just always been one or two bad rounds every week. So the weekends, they haven’t been what I wanted in the last two months or so.

“I feel like there’s a lot of good golf in me so I just have to try to clean up the bad golf a little more and try to get around a little better.”

Arnaus has finished in the top 25 at this event for the past two seasons and his bogey-free round represented a stunning start at the course regarded as the most difficult of the three being played this week.

“At times it felt easy but this course definitely can show its teeth and you’ve got to be really careful,” he said.

“We continued to play quite good and then we rolled a few putts. A brilliant start, I would say.

“It actually started quite calm and it came around with wind and rain as well. That’s really what you are going to expect here so you’ve just got to embrace the challenge.”

LIV Golf’s Uihlein was the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year in 2013, the year he lost out in a play-off at this event, while he also achieved a top 10 last season.

“I’ve had good success here,” he said after his bogey-free effort. “I just love it, the golf is pure over here and I like when it gets windy and challenging, it’s just a lot of fun, really. You get to be creative and it’s just something that I enjoy doing.

“I was close here in 2013 when David Howell beat me in a play-off. Looking back on it, it would have been a really special one to win around here.

“I’ve always enjoyed coming back and hopefully I can string together three more good days and see what happens.”

Soderberg’s remarkable start came thanks to some dialled-in iron play, as he put approaches inside 15 feet on seven of his first 10 holes. A three-putt at the Road Hole then brought the only bogey of the day before he holed an 18-footer for birdie on the last.

Arnaus started his round with three gains but had to wait until the par-five 12th for another before he holed from 12 feet for an eagle on the 14th. Another birdie came at the 17th and he put his approach to 12 feet on the last.

Uihlein also put on an excellent display of approach play as he made birdies on the first, third, fourth, fifth, ninth, 10th and 12th before holing from nearly 50 feet on the 14th.

Horschel turned in 29 at Carnoustie en route to his 65, while Colsaerts, Helligkilde, Lombard and Nienaber all played at St Andrews, and Forrest went round Kingsbarns.

There was then a group of 13 players at six-under including defending champion Ryan Fox.

Main image: St Andrews. Dunhill Links Championship

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Dubai-based Spaniard Adri Arnaus backs LET Aramco Team Series as the way forward

Matt Smith — Fri, 19 Aug 2022 12:09:56 +0000

By Matt Smith
Dubai-based Spaniard Adri Arnaus is over in his home country at the moment to take in the Ladies European Tour’s Aramco Team Series — Sotogrande event.

The ground-breaking $1 million team and individual competition is being held at La Reserva Club in Cadiz this week and Arnaus is already impressed with the set-up and format.

The DP World Tour star and 2018 Ras Al Khaimah Challenge Tour Grand Final winner played in a charity match to raise funds for the Seve Ballesteros Foundation on Wednesday alongside fellow Spaniard Carlota Ciganda, renowned chef Dani Garcia and Carmen Ballesteros, daughter of the legendary golfer Seve.

“I have to say it’s pretty impressive,” Arnaus said. “Every player I talk to, they are thrilled to be part of this event because there are very good fields and also the organisation is second to none. I think they feel special when they come around. Also playing courses like this is a very good treat for them. I think they are doing a great job and I’m happy for the ladies’ tour and I’m sure it’s going to be a growing relationship.”

Arnaus, who achieved his breakthrough DP World win earlier this year at the Catalunya Championship, was inspired as a youngster by Spanish stars such as Seve Ballesteros.

Role models such as Ciganda and Azahara Muñoz have done a similar job for aspiring female golfers in the country. Arnaus believes that the future is bright in terms of more Spanish girls emerging on the world stage in years to come.

He added: “I am quite familiar with the way of raising female golf in Spain. It’s fantastic. They’ve always done a good job starting from Carlota, Azahara — all these big names that we’ve been able to have. And I’m sure there’s going to be many more. Maybe some amateurs right now that I know and a few others that are already about to make their click — so, for sure, there’s good names coming through.”

The Aramco Team Series tournaments are famed for their unique format, in which three LET professionals play in teams with one amateur player, with the teams competing over 36 holes — the Thursday and Friday of the tournament -— with $500,000 prize-money being split between the lowest scoring fourballs.

Saturday’s final day of play will see the lowest scoring 60 players and ties from the opening two days return to the course to battle it out for a share of another $500,000, this time in individual earnings.

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DP World Tour: Perez stays on form in Germany as Dubai’s Arnaus lurks with Li and Lagergren leading

Matt Smith — Thu, 02 Jun 2022 18:26:47 +0000

By Matt Smith
Victor Perez maintained his fine form at the Porsche European Open in Hamburg on Thursday as he signed for a 69 to sit two shots off the lead.

The Frenchman, who defeated Ras Al Khaikah champion Ryan Fox to claim the Dutch Open on Sunday, sits on three-under alongside Dubai-based Spaniard Adri Arnaus and five others.

The 29-year-old Perez carded five birdies and two bogeys in a first-round 69 to sit two back of Li Haotong and Joakim Lagergren.

“It felt really solid,” said Perez. “We got the best of the conditions, it was nice and calm when we started. The course plays really long after the rain yesterday. It’s about just driving the ball on the fairway and give yourself as many chances. Those par fives, you used to think they were birdie holes for sure. But they are definitely not here. You have to hit sometimes two great shots to give yourself a wedge. It’s a different mentality.”

Li added: “My approaches were really good today. I had a lot of birdies on the tough holes as well. I found my rhythm compared to last week. I just tried to play my golf and my game. I enjoyed it out there.”

Lagergren commented: “I’m very pleased. It’s a really tough course. It’s a long one and you don’t get any roll on the fairways at all. There’s some shots to get there, but if you’re a little bit off, it’s tough.”

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50 years on DP World Tour: Adri Arnaus makes it a moment to savour for Spain and the UAE

Matt Smith — Tue, 03 May 2022 08:50:34 +0000

By Matt Smith

The ceremonial tee shot was enough of a moment to mark the 50th anniversary of the European Tour.

Antonio Garrido sucked up the emotions to seal the occasion. But what was to come made the spectacle all the more fitting.

Following Pablo Larrazabal’s heroics last time out, it was another Spaniard who triumphed as the DP World Tour made its return to ‘home’ turf in Europe. This time around, it was a man from Dubai — the new ‘home’ of the DP World Tour — who was flying the red and gold of Spain on the most momentous of weekends in European golf.

And it was an epic showdown fitting the most memorable battles down the years. Adri Arnaus was the toast of Catalunya and Dubai as he held off Oliver Bekker over six extra holes at PGA Catalunya Golf and Wellness, in Girona, to take top spot in the $2 million event.

Arnaus, who has set up home in the UAE these days, was right at home to emulate the likes of Seve Ballasteros, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Jose Maria Olazabal and Larrazabal himself to etch his name in history.

You had to feel sorry for Bekker, who fought tooth and nail but came up just short of his biggest pay day.

But all the headlines will be about Arnaus, who clawed back a seven-shot deficit at the turn on day four.

It looked like a two-way tussle beteween Bekker and Laurie Canter before Arnaus caught fire.

A back nine of 31 with the help of an eagle on the 12th set the target at 11-under and an anxious wait ensued as the Spaniard watched Bekker and Canter finish off their rounds.

A three-putt from the South African on the 16th made it a tie as he signed for a 72 while Canter faded, and Arnaus was heading to a third DP World Tour play-off in seven months after defeats at the 2021 Open de Espana and March’s MyGolfLife Open.

Arnaus kept warm on the practice greens and it paid off, eventually.

What it means to win your first Tour title ?@AdriArnaus | #CatalunyaChampionship pic.twitter.com/hpoAhtDPUS

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) May 1, 2022

Five trips back up the last produced reasonably stress-free pars all-round but when they moved to the 17th for the sixth extra hole, Bekker missed the green and could not get up and down, allowing Arnaus to take the title with a par after putting his approach to six feet.

Canter finished two shots out of the play-off alongside fellow Englishman Richard McEvoy and Pole Adrian Meronk, with South African Hennie du Plessis and Italy’s Edoardo Molinari at eight-under.

Arnaus came into the week with five runner-up finishes on Tour – two of them on home soil – but now has a win in his 84th start and makes it back-to-back Spanish victories for the first time since 2017 after Larrazabal’s triumph at last week’s ISPS Handa Championship.

Arnaus also moves up to sixth on the DP World Tour Rankings and could move into the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time.

“It’s a dream come true,” Arnaus said 50 years after Garrido’s initial success. “I’ve been looking for this one for a while. To be able to come through here, where I practice in the summers, they take care of me so well. I know the course quite well. I’ve been able to play some really good golf and to do it here is special.

“Sometimes I cheer them on (the spectators), sometimes they cheer me on. It’s a win that we all share together because I’m sure I would not be standing here without them, without my team.

It was a torrid time as he waited for Bekker to finish.

“It was a long wait (for the play-off),” Arnaus added. “I just tried to put a number, hopefully double digits, and I was able to do that. After that it helped a bit (to wait). I was totally calm going into the play-off. Sometimes I have felt a bit rushed in play-offs. This time I felt easy and I tried to play as if it was a play-off. It was good to come out with that mindset, a fresh start.

“It was great, a little bit of a relief. I’ve been chasing this one for a while and I’ve been able to come through here, in my home, with my friends and family watching.

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Dubai’s Adri Arnaus among early chargers at Catalunya Championship in Spain

Matt Smith — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 12:23:06 +0000

By Matt Smith
Last week it was Pablo Larrazabal and Dubai’s Adrian Otaegui who we flying the Spanish flag at the ISPS Handa Championship in their home country and on Thursday it was another UAE resident — Adri Arnaus — who was looking to make it a Spain double on the DP World Tour at the Catalunya Championship.

The 27-year-old was among the front-runners from the morning tee offs at Stadium Course, PGA Catalunya Golf and Wellness in Girona.

A roller-coaster round of 68, including three bogeys, five birdies and a solitary eagle was good enough for Arnaus to take a share of fifth spot on four-under par, just behind the co-leaders Sebastian Heisele of Germany, England’s James Morrison, Chinese hope Haotong Li and South African Oliver Bekker.

Arnaus was in the clubhouse alongside France’s Jean-Baptiste Gonnet, another South African Hennie du Plessis and Scotland’s David Drysdale, and looking in good shape for a push at the title as he seeks his first DP World Tour crown.

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DP World Tour heads back to where it all began in Spain for 50th Anniversary celebrations

Matt Smith — Tue, 19 Apr 2022 08:18:59 +0000

Pablo Larrazabal will be looking for a win on home soil in Spain. Twitter

By Matt Smith
The DP World Tour gets rolling again with a double-header in Spain, beginning on Thursday with the ISPS Handa Championship in Tarragona. While East Asia has continued to suffer a lack of golf events due to Covid-19 travel restrictions, Spain — in this case — is definitely the beneficiary.

The latest addition to the calendar will be held at Infinitum Golf and was created to plug the gap created by the pandemic-enforced postponement of the tournament with the same name in Japan. It precedes the Catalunya Championship in Girona, which is another one-off event replacing the Volvo China Open.

So after a few weeks off and a jaunt to the Masters at Augusta National for the top players on the DP World Tour, it is a timely return to Spain to mark the 50th anniversary of the tour back where it all began.

The European Tour, as it was then known, started with the 1972 Spanish Open at Club Golf de Pals in Girona, where home stars Antonio Garrido and a certain Seve Ballesteros began the revolution of European golf.

Just like that first Spanish Open, the 2022 Catalunya Championship will also be held in Girona at the PGA Catalunya Golf and Wellness and help uphold a tradition that has seen Spain become a mainstay on the tour and a production line for some of the world’s best golfers.

But first up is the ISPS Handa Championship in Tarragona, where a whole host of stars will be chasing the $2 million purse and looking to be the first to get their name engraved on the inaugural trophy.

With no defending champion, it will be tough to select the favourites, but the likes of high-flying Austrian Bernd Wiesberger and Dane Thorbjorn Olesen will be leading a pack of homegrown talents in the shape of Dubai-based pair Adrian Otaegui and Adri Arnaus, Pablo Larrazabal — who already has a win on tour this season in South Africa — Jorge Campillo, Nacho Elvira and Alejandro Canizares.

Bernd Wiesberger

A host of champions on tour heading to Spain be familiar to Middle East golf fans. Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson, who claimed his maiden professional title at the recent Qatar Masters, will join Ras Al Khaimah’s two champions on the UAE Swing, Ryan Fox and Nicolai Hojgaard.

The Dane will liven up the party alongside twin brother Rasmus, and leading DP World Tour players also in the line-up include the likes of Alexander Bjork, Jamie Donaldson, Laurie Canter, James Morrison, Andy Sullivan, Matthew Jordan, Joost Luiten, Chris Paisley, Ross Fisher and Soren Kjeldsen.

Larrazabal, who won his sixth DP World Tour title at the MyGolfLife Open in March, will certainly be one to watch, while Ferguson will fancy his chances now he has a taste for victory after some near-misses.

The Infinitum Resort in Tarragona has been home to the final stage of DP World Tour Q School in recent years and that could help Canizares, who has a first and third over the Lakes Course in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

From the big guns, former Ryder Cup player and world No. 78 Wiesberger will be keen to get his season on track after no top-10 finishes from his five starts this season.

The Hojgaard twins can be unpredictable, but both have DP World Tour titles in the bag and will certainly produce fireworks. You can expect to see at least one of their names on the leaderboard at some point.

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Harold Varner, Adri Arnaus survive perplexing winds to lead Saudi International

Golf Digest Middle East — Fri, 04 Feb 2022 22:54:57 +0000

Oisin Keniry

By John Huggan
AL MUROOJ, Saudi Arabia — The second round of the Saudi International was never going to be much fun for any of the competitors. Gusting winds off the adjacent Red Sea made the 7,048 yards of the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club a test of endurance and patience, a day when the best ball-strikers could be fooled by the ever-changing conditions.

Which they were. But not all of them. Not all of the time. Good scores were possible, albeit achieved only by a select few, especially after lunch when the wind velocity steadily increased. So it is that, although he is tied for the lead on 10 under par alongside American Harold Varner III, round-of-the-day honours must go to Adri Arnaus’ post-lunch four-under-par 66.

Still, with 36 holes to play in weather predicted to be similar, any number of possible winners remain in contention in this $5 million event, the richest ever on the Asian Tour. Piled up behind the two leaders is a host of prominent players. Cam Smith, Matthew Wolff, Tommy Fleetwood, Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed, Xander Schauffele, Tyrrell Hatton, Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson will all be harbouring hopes of ultimate success. All are within six shots of the leaders.

And what just about everyone had in common, in particular the later starters, was a mixture of happiness and relief when their rounds were over. It was that sort of day.

“I was just trying to hang in there and give myself a chance,” said Varner, whose 68 was compiled before the worst of the weather. “I didn’t do anything crazy. I drove it well, kept it in play. And I missed in spots where I could get up-and-down.”

Others were more animated in their assessment of their day out on the links. Windswept and interesting was the universal tone, especially when it came to getting the ball into the hole. Putting, as so often when the wind howls, proved to be the hardest aspect of play when nothing was easy.

“It was so hard to putt out there,” said Dustin Johnson, who sits four under par after a Friday 71. “I actually played really nicely. Just couldn’t get the ball in the hole. I gave myself a lot of chances. But I had to play the wind on every putt, which made them tough to read. Being nice, I left four shots out there, maybe more. I haven’t done myself too much damage. It’s going to be windy again the next two days, which helps me. A good score tomorrow and I’m right back in it. I’m swinging well so that’s a good sign.”

More chuffed was Xander Schauffele. The Olympic champion eased around in 68 to be one shot better than Johnson.

“It was an up-and-down day so I’m happy to come out on top,” Schauffele said. “I did most things well. You get found out in a hurry if you are struggling in wind like that. I was aware that if I could shoot a couple under par, I’d make up some ground and get myself back in position. I actually enjoy playing in conditions like that. I feel like I can flight the ball well and take advantage when I can.

“I don’t mind a constant wind so much,” he continued. “But today it varied so much. Putting was always tricky. It’s easy to leave a lot of seven/eight footers for par. I was fooled a couple of times. A left-edge putt with no wind was suddenly right-to-left. And if the wind dies you can look like a fool.”

Patrick Reed wasn’t claiming foolishness, but, in the middle of a swing change under the watchful eye of David Leadbetter, his tolerance level was tested.

“It played so hard,” said the former Masters champion, who is five shots off the pace. “It was hard to control the ball but the putting was toughest. I had putts that were supposed to break one way but we played the opposite because of the wind. There were a couple of loose swings, but I missed a lot of putts, especially early on. So I had opportunities. I love it when it plays tough, although the course allows you to shoot a number when you have everything on. I left a few out there.

“Realistically though, anything under par was a good effort today,” he went on. “My swing change is not huge, but it’s enough to make me think. It’s a work in progress. One that still allows me to go play though. It’s not so drastic that I have to practice a ton.”

Sergio Garcia had a slightly different take on why he is ten shots back on level par. Toughest for the Spaniard was timing. To him, luck was part of the equation. Not in his method itself, but taking the club away and getting to impact without losing balance.

“The hardest part is making your swing and hitting the shots at just the right moments,” said the Spaniard. “The wind is gusting so much, it is easy to get frustrated. If you get unlucky, it can feel like the wind is blowing at just the wrong times for you. That happened to me on the last putt on the last hole. It’s just tough though. All you can do is trust what you are doing as much as possible. And hope that you get lucky.”

The last word, however, must go to Tyrrell Hatton. Patience, he would be the first to admit, is not something the volatile Englishman has in abundance. So were the conditions just too much? Not at all. Round in 69, Hatton is four under alongside Johnson and Mickelson.

“Controlling the ball was just so difficult,” said Hatton, who played in the morning. “It was so hard to get anything close to the hole. You had to hit a fantastic shot to have any kind of birdie chance. The guys playing this afternoon are going to have a pretty tough time of it. I’m delighted to be finished. I did play some good stuff. Some bad too, which is always going to happen on days like this. So I had to be quite tolerant of myself [big smile].”

“It was especially hard to get the clubbing right,” he continued. “I had about 180-yards to go into the ninth green, my 18th. I hit a good 5-iron and kept the ball low. But it still only went 160. It was mental and so hard to judge. It is also difficult to judge how the ball will react out of the rough. It has a tendency to come out ‘soft and skinny,’ which only exaggerates how short the ball will go. I’m so happy to be done.”

And so said all the rest.

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A Spaniard wins the Spanish Open, just not the one most predicted

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 01:23:20 +0000

Stuart Franklin
Rafa Cabrera Bello celebrates after his birdie putt on the first playoff hole to win the Spanish Open in Madrid.

By John Huggan
This one was pre-ordained. Or at least it was supposed to be, if the majority of the pre-tournament publicity was to be believed. It was supposed to be won by a Spaniard. And it was supposed to be won by a member of the recent European Ryder Cup team.

So close.

The first part came true at the Acciona Open de España. And the second nearly did. But here’s the thing. None of the above involved Jon Rahm, the only Spaniard in the field at Club de Campo in Madrid who played for Europe at Whistling Straits last month.

As Rahm surprisingly struggled to a T-17 finish in his quest for a third consecutive victory at his home national Open, the ultimate triumph went to countryman Rafa Cabrera Bello. On a low-scoring Sunday in which only five of the 75-strong field shot over par, the Canary Islander, part of the losing 2016 European Ryder Cup side at Hazeltine National, reached 19 under par with a closing 69. His 72-hole 265 total was good enough to take Cabrera Bello into a sudden-death playoff with another countryman, Adri Arnaus, one that would last just one hole. Cabrera Bello’s birdie from 10 feet on the 332-yard 18th was good enough to clinch the victory, his fourth on the European Tour.

There was a time, not so long ago when such a scenario would have come as no surprise. As recently as the 2017 Open Championship, in which he finished T-4, Cabrera-Bello was 16th in the World Ranking. But things have changed, and not for the better. This week, the 37-year-old arrived in his homeland’s capital city ranked 231st, having recently lost his playing privileges on the PGA Tour. Cabrera Bello finished 170th in the FedEx Cup standings in 2020-21. In 26 starts, he missed 14 cuts and failed to record a top-20 finish.

Still, all of the above was forgotten during a final round that could have started less auspiciously. Cabrera Bello lost his initial two-shot advantage with a double-bogey 6 on the opening hole, where he thinned a greenside bunker shot far over the putting surface. That lapse, however, was to be his last deviation from par or better, four birdies and 13 pars following.

The last of those pars was hard-earned. Tied with Arnaus on the final tee, Cabrera Bello badly pushed his drive. The ball hit a tree, rebounded backwards onto a cart path and didn’t stop until it had retreated almost 100 yards. Bunkered in two, Cabrera Bello got up-and-down to match Arnaus’ par and set up the playoff.

“I am so happy,” said the champion, his first win since the 2017 Scottish Open, in the immediate aftermath of victory, one that paid him €233,900. “I knew it was going to be a very hard battle. I arrived here in the worst shape I have been in over the last decade and I don’t have to tell you I didn’t get off to the ideal start. But I believed in myself and had some amazing support from the crowd. Over the last couple of years, I have felt a really special connection with the people here in Madrid. They were rooting for me right from the first round. So I hung in there, knowing I would have an opportunity. To walk away with a win is very special. This is a trophy I have always wanted to win.”

Stuart Franklin
Adri Arnaus (left) and Cabrera-Bello made it an all Spanish duo in the playoff at Club de Campo in Madrid.

As for Rahm, the two-time defending champion had the small compensation of witnessing first-hand the most remarkable run of scoring on a final day in which that accolade had much competition. One over par after eight holes, Grant Forrest proceeded to make nine 3s en route to the clubhouse and a tie for third place alongside Julien Guerrier and Shubhankar Sharma. The Scot played the back-nine in seven-under 28, five shots better than Rahm. But Cabrera Bello beat Rahm by six over 72 holes, which turned out to be much more important.

Less notably, another Scot, Marc Warren, broke 70 in all four rounds. The former World Cup winner pulled up a tie for ninth place, just over a month after he shot 86 in the opening round of the Italian Open. As was made clear this week, in golf you never really know what’s going to happen.

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Anne van Dam and Anna Nordqvist join Golf Saudi stable

Kent Gray — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 09:01:08 +0000

Anne van Dam

By Kent Gray
Golf Saudi’s stable of high-profile ambassadors has a new dynamic duo.

Swede Anna Nordqvist and sweet-swinging Dutchwoman Anne van Dam were unveiled as the latest international ambassadors as the inaugural $1 million Aramco Saudi Ladies International began on Thursday.

They join fellow LET stars Amy Boulden and Camilla Lennarth, as well as Spanish European Tour players, Adri Arnaus and Pablo Larrazabal in promoting the Saudi Golf Federation’s efforts to sell the Kingdom as a golfing destination.

Van Dam, a five-time LET winner, is renowned as one of the longest drivers in the game of women’s golf. She led the category for driving on the LET in both 2017 and 2018, and currently ranks second in average driving distance during the current 2020 season.

“It is great to be in Saudi Arabia over the next fortnight and be able to experience a new environment and culture,” said van Dam who won the ActewAGL Canberra Classic in 2019 and earned a maiden appearance on the successful European Solheim Cup team that defeated the USA 14 ½ – 13 ½ at Gleneagles, Scotland.

“It is always a great feeling to visit new countries and play new golf courses with the LET and by becoming a Golf Saudi ambassador, I will have the opportunity to help grow the game of golf for women in the country, therefore helping Golf Saudi achieve its goals of increasing female participation.”

Since turning professional in 2008, Nordqvist has racked up eight LPGA Tour and three LET titles and won her second major at the Evian Championship in 2017.

“I feel honoured to join the Golf Saudi team as one of their latest ambassadors and I am keen to use this opportunity to grow the game of golf for women in the Kingdom,” said Nordqvist.

Anna Nordqvist

“I believe in being a role model for women and young girls all over the world and hopefully us playing here will inspire them and show them what is possible. It is incredible to be here this week and I feel excited to have the opportunity to play in the inaugural Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by PIF.”

Said Majed Al Sorour, CEO of Golf Saudi: “We are privileged to be able to appoint two of the Ladies European Tour’s top players as official Golf Saudi Ambassadors.

“Anna and Anne have committed to our vision of growing the game of golf for women in the Kingdom and we are lucky to have them on board to support our ongoing development. We are excited to see both of them play at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club and look forward to developing a strong working partnership in order to attract young female Saudis to the game.”

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Graeme McDowell and Gavin Green fire 64s for share of Saudi lead

Kent Gray — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 14:36:37 +0000

Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
Green acknowledges the gallery on the 13th green during the opening round of the Saudi International at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club on January 30, 2020, in King Abdullah Economic City.

By Kent Gray
A bolstered agronomy team of 50 have gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure Royal Greens Golf & Country Club is presented in immaculate condition for the 2nd Saudi International. Roped in from eight nations, together the greens-keeping staff have poured 4000 man-hours into course prep for the $3.5 million European Tour event and have even used scissors to trim the grass just so.

It has been greeted with almost universal approval from this week’s star-studded field with former U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell and Asian Tour star Gavin Green the most appreciative on Thursday after earning a share of the first-round lead at the Desert Swing event. The 26-year-old Malaysian, who won the Taiwan Masters en-route to topping the Asian Tour order of merit in 2017, rode a hot and cold putter to an early 64 which McDowell matched later despite a double-bogey on his card.

After creating tour history with a 96-minute, final round 75 at last week’s OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic, Sebastian Soderberg went significantly slower and 10 strokes better to grab a share of second place alongside Swedish compatriot Henrik Stenson and Dubai-based Spaniard Adri Arnaus.

A gaggle of seven players, including debutant Phil Mickelson and Englishman Tom Lewis who was T-3 in Dubai, are a shot further back after 66s while Lucas Herbert showed little signs of his promised hangover after winning the Desert Classic with an opening 67, a score matched by Saudi defending champion Dustin Johnson.

After getting it to -2 early, world No.1 Brooks Koepka signed for an even-par 70 after four back-nine bogeys were sweetened by a birdie on 18. Fellow American Ryder Cupper Patrick Reed went birdie-less in a three-over 73.

They are all looking up at McDowell and Green on a day when 50 players bettered par..

Graeme McDowell reacts to a shot during the opening round at Royal Greens. (Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

Playing in the company of Mickelson, McDowell opened with a par before rattling off four successive birdies. He closed with a hat-trick of gains from the 15th with his only blemish a double on the par-3 11th.

Green’s six-under loop was also blighted by a back nine wobble with three-putt bogeys at 12 and 14.

“Played solid. Really just a few mistakes here and there, which is pretty normal. A couple of pretty big par saves, and a couple of mistakes, a couple of three-putts, which was tough to take in because I was playing well and I was playing solid. Just a couple slipped off,” Green said.

“You know, it’s the nature of the game. You just have to live with it and move on, and that’s what we did. We closed off strong, birdied 16, 17. Had a look at 18. Had a nasty little lip out but it is what it is. I’ll take it. Six-under’s good.”

Indeed.

Like Green, Stenson also enjoyed his opening round on greens that a better for an extra year of growth and care.

“That was some good putting,” said the 43-year-old who is searching for his first European Tour win since claiming the claret jug at the 2016 Open Championship at Royal Toon.

“I contributed most of it to the putting today. Still a struggle off the tee at times and the rough is pretty thick. Had to scramble well on a couple of holes, but the approach shots that were close I converted into birdies and kept it together nicely, so very pleased with that.

Stenson tees off on the par-4 17th during the first round at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

“The greens are rolling much better this year. They are quicker, more top-dressed and not as grainy, so I think everyone’s happy with the improvements on the greens. You feel like you’re more used to the conditions that we’re playing here this week than maybe the ones we had last year.”

A bit like playing in the UAE where you’ve enjoyed so much success, Henrik?

“Not really. I think this golf course is a lot different compared to the ones we played in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and Qatar over the years. Paspalum, different grass, but it’s still kind of desert style. When you miss it badly, you’re kind of out in the desert, and certainly tried that once or twice, as well. Maybe a little bit, but all in all, just a good opening round.’

Johnston mixed five birdies Thursday with two bogeys but was relatively happy with his first round 67 since Jan.5 when he finished T-7 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions to open the new PGA Tour year.

“I felt like I played pretty well. Just the three-putt on 17 was bad. I just missed a short one and then lipped-out a pretty short putt on 3 for par. Those were the only two bogeys. So really wasn’t out of position too much. I felt like I drove it pretty well. Hit a lot of good shots. 3-under is a solid score. I feel like the golf course is much more difficult this year than it was last year, just because the rough’s up, and the greens are a little faster.

“You have to attack the course differently this year for sure just because you can’t play out of the rough. Whereas last year, it was no problem. And so yeah, definitely played a few different clubs off the tees just to try to get it in the fairway.”

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