Saudi Arabia will host its first women’s tournament in March 2020 when it stages a Ladies European Tour event.
The tournament will feature a $1 million prize fund and mark the first time a female professional golf event is hosted in the country.
This will also be one of the highest payouts on the LET. “It is an honour for the Tour to be part of history,” said the LET’s (Ladies European Tour) acting chief executive Alexandra Armas. “This will be a fantastic experience.”
New LET Event Announced for 2020
Jeddah’s Royal Greens Golf & Country Club to host first-ever professional women’s golf event in Saudi Arabia #PowerOfTheGame #LadiesFirst #Vision2030https://t.co/fLCOfkDQvC
— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) December 12, 2019
The tournament will take place in Jeddah where it will be staged from March 19-22, 2020 in collaboration with Golf Saudi and the Saudi Golf Federation.
The event is a momentous occasion in history for the country where until recently women were not allowed to drive or vote and will mark the first time that professional female golfers have played competitively in the kingdom, breaking new ground in its ongoing transformation as part of Vision 2030, a statement said.
The inaugural Saudi International men’s event was held earlier this year with four of the world’s five top-ranked golfers taking part.
The tournament will entail 108 professionals who will compete at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club, near Jeddah. The event is set to be broadcasted domestically as well as globally across more than 55 countries.
Yasir Al-Rumayyan, chairman of the Saudi Golf Federation and Golf Saudi, said: “We are delighted to be creating history by hosting the inaugural ladies professional tournament in March. I hope the tournament will inspire many women to take up the great game of golf and awaken their interest in this wonderful sport. We warmly welcome all the players to the kingdom and wish everyone a rewarding experience in our magical country.”
Wearing the Golf Saudi logo as ambassadors of the programme will be UK’s Carly Booth, Amy Boulden, and Rachel Drummond, and Swedish pair Camilla Lennarth and Isabella Deilert.
“Confirmation of adding Saudi Arabia to our schedule for 2020 is an exciting prospect for everyone at the Ladies European Tour and having seen the quality of the event staging for the Saudi International, I am sure this will be a fantastic experience for our players.” said Ladies European Tour CEO, Alexandra Armas.
