By Matt Smith
It was a day to celebrate for the Ladies European Tour as CEO Alexandra Armas and Chair Marta Figueras-Dotti were both named among the ‘Top Women in Sports’ by the Women’s Sports Institute this week.

Armas and Figueras-Dotti were named in the list of the top 100 personalities of women’s sports at an event in Madrid as part of an initiative to raise awareness of females in the sports industry.

Laura Mugica, co-founder of the Women’s Sports Institute, said 100 women represented “have overcome obstacles, displayed creativity, courage and ambition”.

Armas played on the LET for four years before taking over Executive Director  in 2008 and then CEO in 2019 and has helped grow the Tour from 19 events with prizemoney of €11.5 million in 2019 to 34 events with more than €30 million in 2022.

Marta Figueras-Dotti. LET

Figueras-Dotti won the Ladies British Open as an amateur in 1982, turning professional in October the same year, before becoming the first Spanish woman to compete on the LPGA, which she combined with playing on the LET until 2001.

The LET Chair is also President of the WPGA in Spain and the Founder and Director of Golf Coaching Academy.

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By GolfDigestME.com
The Ladies European Tour (LET) is set to embrace more unique approaches to elite-level tournament golf to elevate the women’s game, says Tour CEO Alexandra Armas.

This year’s season is the most lucrative in LET history, with 34 events across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and as far afield as the United States and Australia.

Following on from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ladies European Tour returned from stronger than it went in back in 2019.

Last season’s introduction of the Aramco Team Series (ATS) events brought four $1million prize-fund tournaments to the calendar, taking the Tour to London, Sotogrande in Spain, New York and Jeddah for three-days of team and individual competition in a new-look format.

Each ATS event sees up to 36 team captains pick a teammate, then be assigned a randomly selected third teammate and an amateur golfer, who plays with a handicap. Together, they then compete over Thursday and Friday as a fourball, with the two lowest scores per hole recorded and the lowest total score winning.

Many of the game’s biggest stars played last year, including the likes of Atthaya Thitikul, Georgia Hall, Charley Hull, Anna Nordqvist, the Korda sisters and Lexi Thompson.

The concept of a combined team and individual tournament came from Armas herself and was backed by Golf Saudi and their sponsor Aramco.

Now, following a successful debut year, the Aramco Team Series events return for 2022, but this time with the addition of the Aramco Team Series — Bangkok, to be played in Thailand on May 12-14th.

The events return with a revived format (two days of team competition, then a closing day individual-only battle), and, importantly, the opportunity for players to earn further prize money, with a share of another $1million added to the year’s kitty.

“It’s exciting growth,” said Armas, now into her third year as head of the LET. “Coming out of the pandemic we were looking for partners that would not just allow us to push the Tour forward, but also offer a strategic commitment to our players. The partnership with Golf Saudi and Aramco has helped us to achieve that.

“Now, as we emerge from the pandemic, the addition of the Aramco Team Series – Bangkok has truly helped us to elevate the Tour by driving up the prize funds. The players enjoy playing in the team format and the organisation around each of the Series’ events, from the quality of the courses to the build, facilities and the hospitality around them is elevating the standards across the board. To many of our members, these events feel like majors – and they look forward to playing in them almost as much.”

“In devising the concept for the Aramco Team Series events, we wanted to innovate and do something different. The LET is looking at ways of engaging with our fanbase to get them hooked on watching golf more regularly. New creative ideas and different ways of doing things can help with that.”

The Aramco Team Series returns for 2022. Ladies European Tour

The Aramco Team Series certainly does encompass everything Armas seeks to achieve Tour-wide. While attracting the biggest names in golf, they also mix things up – from its format and NFL-style draft, to players walking onto the tee to their choice of music. Events last year also had live on-course DJs and other non-traditional approaches designed to change and retune the tone.

“The Aramco Team Series events appeal to established golf fans and the next generation coming into the game,” said Armas. “Each of the ATS events last year brought about some truly thrilling golf and epic climaxes, with three of them going to play-offs. Our refined format for this year will only heighten that experience — for players and fans alike — and I’m excited to get 2022’s Series under way in Thailand.”

As key backers of the Series, Golf Saudi are also thrilled to see the event grow in stature for 2022.

Deputy Chairman and CEO Majed al Sorour said: “The format of the Aramco Team Series was a prospect that we were desperate to be involved in from the get-go — and for a debut event, it could really not have gone any better last year. The players loved it and it allowed us to grow the women’s game, including by taking the Ladies European Tour to the States for the first time in its history with the Aramco Team Series — New York.

“To be expanding the Series into a new territory with our Thailand event for 2022 is a massively exciting next step. We can’t wait to be part of it and to see the role all five events continue to have in advancing women’s golf.”

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By Kent Gray
The Asian Tour will stage mixed-gender events for the first time after joining forces with the Ladies European Tour (LET) for a quickfire Thai double-header set to boast a combined $1.5 million in prize money. 

The Asian Mixed Cup and the Asian Mixed Stableford Challenge will be played back-to-back on the Waterside Course at Siam Country Club near Pattaya from April 7-10 and April 13-16 respectively.

Sixty players from each tour, plus 24 sponsor invitees, will make up the 144-strong fields for each of the $750,000 events where the men and women will play for the same prize money and trophy.

Critically, Official World Golf Ranking, Asian Tour Order of Merit and LET Race to Costa del Sol points will be awarded.

The events are to be hosted by Trust Golf, part of the Thai-based technology enterprise TCT Corporation, and are part of the three event Trust Golf Asian Mixed Series to be preceded by the Thai Mixed later this month.

“The Asian Tour is extremely excited to add a new format of play to our tournament schedule,” said Asian Tour CEO and Commissioner Cho Minn Thant in a joint statement.

“We thank Trust Golf for making it possible for the Asian Tour to stage its first mixed events, which will resonate strongly with golf fans in the region. It is also an exciting opportunity to collaborate with the Ladies European Tour for the first time and pay our maiden visit to the highly-regarded Siam Country Club.”

Asian Tour chief Cho Minn Thant

Siam Country Club is one of Asia’s finest clubs and currently the home of Honda LPGA Thailand.

Dr. Prin Singhanart, founder of TCT Corporation and the Trust Golf Tour, is passionate about innovative golf formats. She hopes to drive towards a World Mixed Championship one day.  

“I’m always extremely keen on mixed formats as golf is the only sport allowing people of all ages and genders to play together,” said Dr. Singhanart.

“I would like to provide a pathway for Thai talents, both male and female. If a female golfer wins outright, they will earn membership to the LET, and if a male golfer wins outright, they will earn membership to the Asian Tour. With the Trust Golf Tour affiliated membership programme, it will allow the players to be ranked on both order of merits.

Alexandra Armas, CEO of the LET, said: “We look forward to collaborating with Dr Prin and her vision to nurture the next generation of Thai talent. These new tournaments are important steps in the continued growth of the LET as we offer 33 playing opportunities to our members in 2022 and we look forward to working together with Trust Golf and the Asian Tour at Siam Country Club in April.”

Monday’s announcement comes after The Asian Tour recently announced its new  ‘The International Series’, a collection of 10 new marquee events made possible by a $300 million, decade-long investment by Saudi-backed LIV Golf Investments.

Korean-born American Sihwan Kim won the first of events, The International Series Thailand, at Black Mountain Golf Club on Sunday, ending a string of near misses on the Asian Tour to claim in maiden pro title after 10 years of trying.

The new Asian Mixed events add immediate focus to the 2022-23 Asian Tour schedule which is still a work in progress due to the ongoing challenges of the pandemic. The $500,000 DGC Open at Delhi Golf Club in India is the next event confirmed from March 24-27. 

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By John Huggan
On the same day that the European Tour announced a new addition to its tournament schedule (the €1 million Kenya Savannah Classic March 23-26 will be the first half of an African doubleheader, one week after the Magical Kenya Open), the Ladies European Tour went 27 times better with the unveiling of a record-breaking 2021 program of events. A year on from the establishment of its joint venture with the LPGA, the LET will this year visit as many as 19 countries and offer total prize money in excess of €19 million.

Perhaps just as exciting for a circuit that has for so long operated under professional golf’s radar, more than 200 hours of live golf will be shown. Coverage will extend to more than double the number of tournaments in a season that gets underway at the rescheduled Investec South African Women’s Open from May 13-16. Europe will play host to most tournaments, 23 to be exact between June and September, as the LET visits Czech Republic, England, Finland, France, Spain, Scotland, Sweden and Switzerland.

Later in the year, the LET revisits India, Kenya and Morocco after having to cancel events in these countries in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as being provisionally set to play in Thailand and the Philippines for the first time in LET history.

“This is brilliant,” says Englishwoman Meg MacLaren, a two-time LET champion.

“This is easily the strongest schedule we have ever had. Having so many playing opportunities is really important, maybe even more so than the cash on offer. Plus, it’s nice to see so many events in Europe. We’re still a global tour, but this schedule will make it a lot easier for players to travel between events. And so much television coverage can only raise the profile of the players amongst the mainstream golf audience. Hopefully, this is just the bedrock for what is to come—bigger purses and more and more three-day events becoming four-day events.”

Still, not everything is straightforward. Part of the amped-up and revamped schedule is the Aramco Team Series. Funded by Saudi Arabian money and comprising four events in New York, London, Singapore and King Abdullah Economic City (near Jeddah) each tournament will carry a €830,000 prize fund. It is, however, the team aspect of each that provokes divergent opinions.

Last November at the Saudi Ladies Team International, Denmark’s Emily Pedersen led her four-strong side (three professionals and one amateur) to victory. The problem was not so much that the amateur scores counted towards the team total, but the fact that there was such a range in their abilities. Pedersen’s winning team had an amateur who was better than scratch and was making birdies to help the team score. Other teams had players who failed to count on even one hole. Hardly a level playing field and especially unfair when the money won was counting on the money list.

On a happier note, the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España will once again play host to the season finale, with the €600,000 event deciding the season’s Race to Costa del Sol. The Race will offer a bonus pool of €250,000 between the top three finishers on the official rankings: €125,000 for first, €75,000 for second and €50,000 for third.

“We are extremely excited to announce our record-breaking schedule for 2021 and thrilled to offer some good news to our membership after a difficult season last year,” said Alexandra Armas, LET chief executive officer. “The LET is dedicated to supporting our members and growing the game of golf to new and existing markets and we are proud to confirm the return of not only all postponed events but the addition of several new and innovative tournaments.”

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Not only has the US$1 million Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by PIF found yet another new date in the calendar, it has also had a teams’ event and an additional $500,000 in prizemoney tagged onto it as a consequence.

Originally planned for March and then rescheduled to October due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Saudi Ladies International is now set to be played at Royal Greens Golf Club from November 12-15. It will be followed by the Saudi Ladies Team International from November 17-19 in what is being billed as a “landmark LET golf week” boasting a combined purse of $1.5 million. Final details of the three-day teams’ event are still to be released but will involve a Pro-Am component.

History to be made in Saudi Arabia with $1.5 million golf week @royalgreens_ksa ??

$1M Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by PIF, 12th-15th Nov
$500,000 Saudi Ladies Team International, 17th-19th Nov#SaudiLadiesIntl | #SaudiLadiesTeamIntl | #LadiesFirst pic.twitter.com/rdlDHt5G21

— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) September 28, 2020

The tournaments mark the return of large-scale international sporting events to Saudi Arabia as part of the country’s Vision 2030 socio-economic blueprint which has targeted high-level sport as a means of inspiring the Kingdom’s next generation. Organisers are promising a “safe bio-secure environment” at both tournaments in King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC).

“We are extremely excited to be part of history in bringing the first-ever professional women’s golf event to Saudi Arabia and we are thankful to their commitment to deliver not one but two tournaments, in what has been a difficult year for golf,” said LET Tour CEO Alexandra Armas.

“We are always looking to grow the game in new markets and add to our schedule and we are confident that the Saudi Ladies International and the Saudi Ladies Team International will be a fantastic experience for our players.”

His Excellency Yasir O. Al-Rumayyan, Chairman of the Saudi Golf Federation and tournament organiser Golf Saudi, is delighted to have finally locked in the historic week.

“As we all know the first half of this year has been extremely trying on businesses, organisations and nations worldwide, with sport affected greatly,” he said. “However, we are thankful to both PIF and Aramco – who are equally determined to give elite level sport the platform to continue to flourish, both here in Saudi Arabia and abroad, and never more so than now – which makes us proud to be throwing our full weight behind both the Saudi Ladies International and the Saudi Ladies Team International.”

Majed Al Sorour, CEO of Golf Saudi and the Saudi Golf Federation, said the LET double-header showed the Kingdom was doubling down on its commitment to growing the game.

“Our vision is to grow golf across the Kingdom, and make it both accessible and enjoyable to all men, women and children,” said Al Sorour. “One of our key initiatives for this is hosting tournaments capable of drawing the world’s best players as a means of inspiring the next generation of young Saudis and Saudi golfers, so it is a great honour to be taking our next step on that journey by welcoming the Ladies European Tour to the Kingdom for October’s debut Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by PIF and the Saudi Ladies Team International.”

The events will be Saudi Arabia’s third and fourth professional golf tournaments in less than two years. Dustin Johnson and Graeme McDowell won the first two editions of the Saudi International, European Tour events staged in 2019 and earlier this year.

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The $1 million Ladies European Tour event, the first professional women’s golf tournament in the Kingdom, will now be played at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club from October 8-11.

“It gives me great pleasure to confirm that we are working towards a new date of October 8-11 for the Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by Public Investment Fund,” Saudi Golf Federation and Golf Saudi Chairman, His Excellency Yasir O. Al-Rumayyan, said in a statement.

“We will, of course, continue to work closely with health authorities both domestically and across the region in the interim but are hopeful that we will be able to bring this momentous occasion to Saudi Arabia in six months’ time.    

 “As we focus upon the necessary precautions, we would like to pay particular thanks to all of our sponsors, partners and players, who have shown unwavering commitment through these unprecedented times and it is due to their support that we are now able to announce a revised date for this landmark occasion.“

The October tournament will be a watershed moment for the country, breaking new ground in Saudi Arabia’s ongoing transformation as part of Vision 2030.

The LET reiterated its commitment to visiting Saudi Arabia following recent developments and echoed Golf Saudi’s calls to ensure the inaugural tournament lives up to its billing.

“…We have been extremely impressed by Golf Saudi’s commitment to working through the challenges and making this historic event happen,” said LET CEO Alexandra Armas.

“We would like to thank all stakeholders for their incredible support, and I am sure that this fantastic new tournament will be one of the major highlights of 2020.”

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Tournament promoters Golf Saudi and the Ladies European Tour (LET) announced the decision to delay the $1 million event, scheduled for March 19-22, in a joint statement late on Friday night (UAE time).

No new date for the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club event has been announced although Golf Saudi CEO Majed Al Sorour said “we will be looking to confirm a new date as soon as we possibly can.”

The decision makes this the second major Middle East golf event impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic after the MENA Tour announced on March 5 that it had postponed the second half of the regional development circuit until September-December.

RELATED: Coronavirus forces postponement of second half of MENA Tour season

Golf Saudi and the LET said it was with the “deepest regret that we confirm that the Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by Public Investment Fund… has been postponed with immediate effect due to the implications of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.”

“Despite applying comprehensive health and safety measures, the tournament committee has decided the only course of action given the escalating severity of the situation is to postpone.”

LET CEO Alexandra Armas confirmed discussions about rescheduling the tournament were already underway as the LET and Golf Saudi double down on their commitment to bring the first-ever female professional golf tournament to the Kingdom.

“There is no doubt that the last few weeks have been extremely challenging for sports and postponing next week’s tournament has not been an easy decision, but we fully appreciate the recent restrictions which have been introduced in respect of travel into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Armas said.

“Even though this was not our desired outcome, I wish to thank the Promoter and event owner Golf Saudi for looking into every possible option to make this event happen. We were so impressed with their passion and efforts, and we will work closely with them to find a date in the future to deliver this historic event for our members.”

Al Sorour, the CEO of the Saudi Golf Federation and Golf Saudi, said: “Although we are understandably saddened to have to announce this postponement today, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all of our sponsors, our partners and the players for showing their commitment to the inaugural Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by Public Investment Fund.

“This event represents a landmark occasion for everyone in the Kingdom and for women’s sport, and we remain fully committed to allowing the best players in the world to compete here. In consultation with our partners, we will be looking to confirm a new date as soon as we possibly can.”

The impact of COVID-19 on golf continues to sweep the globe. In the latest development, Augusta National Golf Club has postponed the 2020 Masters after the PGA Tour cancelled the Players Championship after Thursday’s opening round and the three following events, including a WGC event.

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The inaugural Golf Saudi Summit may have concluded on Tuesday but the gathering of global industry heavyweights and domestic business leaders looks set to trigger profound long-term benefits for the game in Saudi.

Norman, Schantz, nine-time major champion Gary Player, course architect Robert Trent Jones Jnr, and Asian Tour and Ladies European Tour (LET) CEOs Cho Minn Thant and Alexandra Armas were among the high profile attendees flown in to assist Golf Saudi and the Saudi Golf Federation fast-track the development of a new “eco-system” to grow the game.

Greg Norman Golf Course Design (GNGCD) is already well entrenched in the revolution, having inked a deal in September to build a 27-hole course in Wadi Safar valley in Diriyah, 30 minutes north-west of the centre of Riyadh.

RELATED: Plans for a new Greg Norman-designed course near Riyadh gather momentum at Golf Saudi Summit

Beyond his obvious commercial stake, the Australian is impressed by the foundations already taking root including a focus on access and infrastructure, events, national team and academies, mass participation and tourism. It hit home to the Great White Shark at a junior clinic he attended on the sidelines of the summit in King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC).

“I think the most powerful thing for me yesterday was with the kids. To see the kids’ eyes and their passion for learning how to play the game and just chip the ball, truly got to me,” Norman said.

“No matter where you are in the world, you should invest in grassroots programmes and Golf Saudi, I think, is at the forefront of that, more than anyone else to tell you the truth and that’s how it is going to grow, right.”

Troon already manages Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in KAEC which hosted the just-completed second edition of the Saudi International, won on Sunday by Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell.

RELATED: Strike another one up for the 40-somethings as McDowell captures Saudi International

Schantz sees huge potential for the game and companies willing to partner with Golf Saudi’s vision and local residential developers.

“I think this is one of the greatest opportunities to come around. It’s been 15 years since I’ve been to a conference that’s got this level of energy, excitement or heat and that tells you that something special is going on here,” Schantz said.

“It’s my first time to the Kingdom. I haven’t seen a lot of the country but I’m talking to people and hearing just how beautiful it is and how quickly things are changing.”

The power of partnerships.
Together we can create the most unique and impressive golf landscape for the people of Saudi Arabia #PowerOfTheGame pic.twitter.com/NqtGPcRdG1

— Golf Saudi جولف السعودية (@Golf_Saudi) February 4, 2020

Qiddiya, a new “entertainment megaproject” currently under construction 40km outside Riyadh as part of the Kingdom’s ‘Vision 2030’ socio-economic development programme, is one area experiencing rapid change. Golf will play a central role in the new city with Sir Nick Faldo (Faldo Design) linked to one of two championship courses as you can see from this YouTube video posted in September:

“Saudi Golf has been a very important partner for us,” said Qiddiya CEO Mike Reininger during the Golf Saudi Summit.

“We have a lot on our plate to make Qiddya come together. We’re going to have two championship-level courses that will be surrounded by a series of other somewhat non-traditional, sort of exciting golf opportunities as a way of introducing the youth of the Kingdom [to the game] and trying to capture their imagination.”

Majed Al Sorour, the dual CEO of Golf Saudi and Saudi Golf Federation, sees golf as the conduit to a healthier and happier nation. That vision spawned a #PoweroftheGame discussion at the summit.

“We are getting to a place where we need to add value. Delivering the value is beyond golf, it’s an ambitious plan that we will keep up to get that Vision 2030, to transform and [so golf can] become an integral part of Saudi Arabia,” he said.

Majed Al Sorour, dual CEO of Golf Saudi and the Saudi Golf Federation., delivers the closing speech at the Golf Saudi Summit.

“The lifestyle is different than the sport itself. So people want to live around greenery and when we build golf courses we want to introduce to them the lifestyle change by openness, by inclusion, by having people walking around in beautiful green fields. We think it is going to transform the idea of people from seeing it to doing it [playing golf].”

The Saudi International has star billing in Golf Saudi’s events portfolio but inclusion is also a key pillar of the over arching remit. It will see the $3.5 million European Tour event joined by a trailblazing LET event at Royal Greens next month. LET CEO Alexandra Armas hailed the strategy employed by Golf Saudi over and above the $1 million event that is an obvious boon for the rebuilding LET.

“Golf Saudi have done a very clever approach to growing the game, making sure they brought the big names and drawn the right attention. They have suddenly, you know, opened this window into what Saudi has to offer.”

CEO Asian Tour Cho Minn Thant can also see opportunities.

“I think we share common goals. I think a lot of nations that support the Asian Tour, not just in Asia but also Australasia, Africa and in Europe, it’s very much the goal of the host nations to see their domestic players prosper. It’s no different here and I think working together with Golf Saudi and hopefully doing some tournaments over here would be a perfect fit.”

Player, as he often does, had the last word after also attending the junior clinic.

“Golf is a game forever. I tell young people, play it, it’s a passport to the world,” the 84-year-old South African said.

“It enables you to meet wonderful people and it’s a challenge. What I strongly advise is that they teach them golf in the schools. I did a clinic yesterday and all these mothers and children all get together as a family. I just loved it.”

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