But Golf Saudi were never going to rest on the laurels of a $3.5 million event, nor an impressive gaggle of PGA and European Tour stars alone to globalise their ambitious golf agenda, a central tenet of the Kingdom’s ‘Vision 2030’ socio-economic plan.

Enter stage left Jack Nicklaus. The 18-time major champion was unveiled Tuesday as the designer of a new private course set to break ground 40 minutes south-west of the capital Riyadh by the end of the year.

The championship course, Nicklaus Designs’ first in Saudi, will be part of an exclusive residential community/country club in the Qiddiya megaproject, entertainment, sports and the arts-centric city which began taking shape in 2019.

To be framed by the majestic Tuwaiq mountain range, the course is currently in the design.

An digitally enhanced artists impression of the new Nicklaus design in Saudi.

“To have the greatest-ever golfer commit to making his mark upon our developing golf landscape in Saudi Arabia and at a project as significant as Qiddiya gives us great pride,” said His Excellency Yasir O. Al-Rumayyan, Chairman of Golf Saudi and the Saudi Golf Federation.

“To be part of the Nicklaus legacy will be something that we will always cherish, especially knowing the positive impact it will have on growing awareness of the sport at a domestic level, whilst increasing our national visibility as a vibrant new golf destination. We are looking forward to welcoming Mr. Nicklaus for his first visit to Saudi Arabia in the coming months.”

Nicklaus played the mutual appreciation game in a media release.

“To be selected as one of the first international designers to work in the Kingdom is a great honour,” Nicklaus said.

“I’ve already spent time looking at the topography of the land, images of the backdrop and terrain, and discussing with our design team a strategy for the course.  The design will fully integrate the natural environment and the beautiful Qiddiya landscape, bringing together green spaces and mountainous terrain to form a picturesque canvas for both a beautiful and challenging golf course.”

Construction began on the Qiddiya project in 2019 and the golf development will include a high-end resort hotel and spa, as well as exclusive residences.

The media release said the course would be “constructed to the highest standards with a view to hosting the most prestigious international championships in future years”.

“By being involved in this project, we hope to promote the development and enjoyment of the game in the Kingdom,” Nicklaus said. “We not only want to entice Saudi residents to take up the great game of golf, but we also hope this presents employment opportunities for citizens of the Kingdom that are within or related to the golf industry. This mirrors the vision of Qiddiya.”

The Nicklaus-designed course is the centrepiece of what has been positioned as the most exclusive golf residential community in the Kingdom A second course is set to be added with Qiddiyal “be seeking designers”.

“The underlying philosophy behind this entire development is to introduce a new, active lifestyle to the people of Saudi Arabia,” said Philippe Gas CEO of QIC.

“This project has been carefully planned to ensure an unmatched resort experience for both golfers and regular guests. We expect the Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course and residential offering to provide the most entertaining challenge for golfers and the most appealing homesteads for residents seeking an extraordinary lifestyle.”

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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.

The post Saudi doubles down on historic women’s tourney by adding teams event and bolstering total purse to $1.5 million appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.