Some of the top stars are expected to return to Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City near Jeddah at the start of February, with the likes of previous winners Dustin Johnson (twice) and Graeme McDowell chasing the $1 million top prize from the $5 million purse.

But HV3, DJ and G-Mac will have their work cut out if any one of them is to take the trophy home once again, with the likes of world No. 3 Cameron Smith and major winners Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed, Paul Casey and a fit-again Bubba Watson all expected to return to one of the hottest courses in world golf at the moment. Along with the men’s and ladies’ Saudi Internationals last year, Royal Greens also hosted the final individual stage of the inaugural LIV Golf season — where Koepka triumphed — followed by the Aramco Team Series finale, which was won by Dubai-based teen sensation Chiara Noja.

One rising star to keep an eye on is Indonesia’s Naraajie E Ramadhanputra, who will tee it up against some of the best players in the world after winning the PIF Saudi Open in style at Riyadh Golf Club to earn his spot at the International.

Ahead of last year’s event, the Saudi International switched from the DP World Tour to become the rejuvenated Asian Tour’s flagship event, with prize money to match its new status.

After three seasons as one of the former European Tour’s highest-ranking events, the Saudi International was relaunched as the Asian Tour’s new “marquee” event in a landmark 10-year agreement.

While the full field has yet to be confirmed, Varner is in the early stages of his pre-season preparations ahead of his title defence.

‘HV3’, as he is known, has been relaxing during the LIV Golf off-season with his young family, but he is well aware of what is just around the corner. The American made global headlines and triggered a glut of viral videos when he drained an outrageous 92ft putt on the 18th hole to win the title last February — an eagle three meaning he beat Watson by one stroke, a feat matched only by his outburst of emotion on the green.

Having just returned from a well-earned vacation following his first campaign with LIV Golf, the 32-year-old and relatively new parent was enjoying those precious family moments as 2022 came to a close.

While family comes first during the festive period — young Liam (aka HV4) was keen to get in on our conversation — Varner was beginning to get back into the swing for the 2023 campaign now the suitcases are unpacked.

“I ain’t been doing anything since Miami [LIV Golf Team Championship in October] really,” he told Golf Digest Middle East. “I have just been hanging in there, playing a few fun rounds and a pro-am in Florida. But nothing crazy and enjoying my time off.”

Past Saudi International winners Johnson and McDowell boast three majors between them, but Varner is not feeling any pressure coming in to defend his title at Royal Greens.

“I just want to be ready to play well and focus on my game,” he said. “I hadn’t won a title since, I think, in 2016/17 in Australia, but that has given me a bit of an idea of how to go about it. I am familiar with it, but my first job is to just go out there and play really good golf and that is all you are really trying to do.

“I won’t do anything crazy or think about what happened last year or two years ago. I just wanna get out there, get going, put my head down and see how it goes.”

HV3’s triumph at the Saudi International was his first in six years, and second overall, and the Ohio native is at peace now that that second crown has been secured.

“I don’t know if I am more relaxed now, but I now know I am capable enough to win again and when you haven’t won it can get harder and harder to get there,” he admitted.

“It’s your own race and you are trying to run it as best as you can. It can be easy to get caught up in what others are doing but I have been busy with my own stuff and I focus on that, my family, fitness, things like that.”

Following the partnership between Golf Saudi and the Asian Tour, Varner is delighted to see the progress being made in the game, including for the ladies, who will be competing for an equal purse of $5 million a fortnight after the men in Jeddah.

“While golf has been the talk of all sport recently, which is something I don’t get into, I play golf to make money and I am sure the girls are all trying to do the same,” he said. “If you are in a business you are trying to maximise your money. My goal is to do what I do best and it certainly is a big deal for the girls. It was all over social media and everyone is talking about it so there is definite progress.

“One hundred per cent what has happened this year has helped raise awareness of golf across the board. I am paying attention to the ladies game more now as a result of the contributions and support from Golf Saudi and Aramco.

“It has been great to be a part of it, from winning in Saudi, to the inaugural LIV series and now with the news of parity for the ladies. Also the team events are such a great addition and certainly the most fun part for me!

“Come 2023, I will be prepared for anything and everything and I am really looking forward to it.”

HV3 has seen the game change since his debut in 2012.

“I think golf is in a great spot right now,” he added. “With all the technology advances and stats, that’s cool if it helps but I just want to be one of the best golfers in the world.”

A title defence in Saudi come February would certainly help on that front.

The post Saudi International: Case for the defence appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The Australian, currently world No.3 in the Official World Golf Rankings, will join defending champion Harold Varner III and the 30 top-ranked players on the Asian Tour at the King Abdullah Economic City course with more big-name players set to be confirmed in the coming weeks.

RELATED: Varner back to defend Saudi title
Saudi International tops the votes

Smith is in red-hot form going into the tournament and won the 150th Open at St Andrews in Scotland last July, as well as clinching the Australian PGA Championship for the third time in November.

Smith, who finished T4 at the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club last year, said: “The Saudi International regularly has one of the biggest line-ups of the season.

“It’s always good to play in a world-class field, I am looking forward to taking on some familiar faces and also competing with the best that the Asian Tour has to offer. I had a great experience at the Royal Greens last year and hopefully I can take it to the next level this year.”

The Saudi International moved to the Asian Tour circuit in 2022, and the event already has a huge legacy going into the fifth edition in February. Past champions include two-time major winner Dustin Johnson, who won in 2019 and 2021, as well as 2010 US Open champion Graeme McDowell and defending champion Varner.

Majed Al-Sorour, CEO and Deputy Chairman of Golf Saudi, said: “The field for the fifth edition of the event is taking shape and we are delighted to welcome Cameron Smith. As reigning British Open champion and PGA Player of the Year for 2022, he is one of the biggest names in golf, and his participation once again shows the high level of interest in the PIF Saudi International.

“The combination of world-class golfers and mass participation programmes we have developed are helping us to grow the game in the Kingdom, and year on year we have seen more and more first-time golfers and schools taking up this wonderful sport.”

The post Open champion Smith confirmed for $5 million PIF Saudi International on Asian Tour appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

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.

The post Golf Saudi’s participation mission gaining steam appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Grounds staff were forced to step in at last year’s event after it was discovered that the 2020 US Open winner’s practice drives were landing beyond the back of the course’s 300-yard driving range, and onto the course’s 12th tee.

Organisers Golf Saudi have now erected a fence at the rear of the range to prevent the 28-year-old’s monster warm-up tee-shots – the longest on the PGA Tour, averaging 323.7 yards in 2021 – from interfering in live play when he returns to the tournament next month.

DeChambeau will be bringing his latest specially worked Cobra driver – a club in his hands capable of 200mph ball speed – for its debut outing when he plays in the Kingdom, February 3-6, promising his longest tee-shots yet.

“Yeah, this year will be even further,” said DeChambeau, who explained that he is awaiting delivery of the new lower lofted driver. “It’s coming here this week or next – you’ll be seeing a lot longer drives.

“Last week [playing in Hawaii] I couldn’t really do that just because [the club] wasn’t on the conforming list yet. We were supposed to have something earlier, but all the shipping delays caused it to be moved back. But I still went out and tried to bomb it. I hit it as far, hit a couple of wayward drives, but hopefully that will be corrected when I come to Royal Greens.”

The 2022 PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers will be DeChambeau’s third visit to the Kingdom’s flagship tournament, where he finished 18th last year.

It is an event he enjoys playing in, and in Royal Greens Golf & Country Club he has a course that he believes is well-suited to his style of play.

“The golf course is still pretty new,” said the world #8. “I think the greens over the course of time have slowly gotten faster, which is awesome. The course layout and setup is a great test of championship golf. If they get that rough up, it can be pretty diabolical. It’s definitely a championship style golf course, one that I like playing and one that I know a lot of top players like playing as well.”

He continued: “One of the most interesting things about that golf course for me is I think it fits a bomber pretty well. I feel like for whatever reason, it just suits my eye. If I get hot and rolling, which I haven’t any of the times I’ve been there, hopefully I can claim victory.”

PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers event director Mike Oliver said: “What Bryson DeChambeau has brought to the game of golf is incredible – none more so than his length off the tee, which brings huge fan interest and excitement whenever he steps up to the ball.

“Despite being at an uphill angle and around 300-yards long, our driving range at Royal Greens proved just a little short for Bryson last year, with a number of his drives peppering the tee box for the 12th hole behind the practice area. To counter that this year, we’ve installed a boundary fence, which will keep all players and fans safe as Bryson warms-up!”

DeChambeau will be part of a star-studded field packed with Ryder Cup stars and Major winning golfers heading to compete in the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers, where he will be joined by the likes of defending champion Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood, Shane Lowry, Tyrrell Hatton and Louis Oosthuizen.

The post Royal Greens ‘Bryson-proofed’ ahead of Asian Tour’s Saudi International appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.