Golf Saudi’s role is to unlock the universal appeal of the game across six key pillars in order to create mass excitement with key demographic targets. The pillars are: Access and Infrastructure; National Team and Elite Development; Mass Participation; Events; Tourism and Sustainability.

Golf Saudi’s mission is to facilitate uptake and participation in Saudi Arabian golf through the delivery of world-class facilities, operational excellence, and implementation of best practices while harnessing wider commercial opportunities within golf. The organisation’s goals for 2025 include ensuring 3.5million+ nationals get to try golf for the first time, including more than 135,000 school children. The goal is to create 29,000 regular golfers. Golf Saudi also aims to welcome 5,000 international golf tourists to the Kingdom per annum.

The positive impact of hosting and organising high-profile championships, such as the Aramco Team Series, the PIF Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers and the Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by PIF is an important aspect of promoting a modern Saudi lifestyle, where an abundance of entertaining events set out to enrich the lives of many citizens and inspire generations in fields that interest and excite.

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By Kent Gray
Given how quickly the year has spiralled out of control for golf events around the world, it would have been easy for Saudi Arabia to give up on plans to host its historic women’s event and reset for 2021.

Welsh star Amy Boulden says the Ladies European Tour’s (LET) membership are indebted the Kingdom have not only avoided such a fate but doubled down on their commitment to the women’s game.

The Saudi Golf Federation and Golf Saudi have announced what is being billed as a “landmark LET golf week” next month. It will be headlined by the US$1 million Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by PIF from November 12-15 and followed two days later at Royal Greens Golf Club near Jeddah by a three-day teams event.

The November 17-19 Saudi Ladies Team International will involve a Pro-Am component and bring the total purse for the week to $1.5 million.

Fresh from winning the Swiss Ladies Open in September for her LET breakthrough, Boulden says it is huge news for LET players, many of whom will tee it up in the US$285,000 OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic earlier in November before heading to King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC).

“This type of commitment to women’s golf is really amazing to see at this time,” said the 27-year-old. “It’s given players another massive week to look forward to competing in and allows us to take the game we love to a new country where we can play on what is a truly incredible golf course with one of the most picturesque views you’ll see on tour.”

The Saudi Ladies International, originally planned for March and rescheduled to October due to the coronavirus outbreak before finding the latest November date in the calendar, will be the LET’s third highest paying event in 2020 behind the Women’s (British) Open and Scottish Open. Organisers are promising a “safe bio-secure environment” at both tournaments in KAEC.

Boulden (centre) hopes to inspire more young Saudis into playing golf

“To throw their weight behind two events in one week is a really significant gesture from a country I know is passionate about growing golf, and I can’t wait to get out there playing.”

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.

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.”

Those sentiments were echoed by Majed Al Sorour, CEO of Golf Saudi and the Saudi Golf Federation. “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 post “This type of commitment to women’s golf is really amazing at this time” appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

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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