Saudi Arabia has held several important sporting events in the past few years and now the Kingdom is set to host its first women's professional golf tournament. The Ladies European Tour (LET) is taking place at The Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in Jeddah from 19-22 March next year, around a year after the European Tour debuted the Saudi International to the sport.
“I’m incredibly excited by this announcement and it is an honour for the Tour to be part of history in bringing the first-ever professional women’s golf event to Saudi Arabia,” LET CEO, Alexandra Armas, said in a statement. “Confirmation of adding Saudi Arabia to our schedule for 2020 is an exciting prospect… 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.”
The 72-hole event is offering a prize fund of $1million, one of the most significant payouts on the LET. Plus, some of the renowned players on the roster, including Britain's Carly Booth, Amy Boulden and Rachel Drummond, have been handpicked as ambassadors for the event.
"I have visited Saudi Arabia on a number of occasions and been lucky enough to spend some time teaching local women and girls how to play; they have been so enthusiastic, and I am sure that seeing professional golfers compete in their country will inspire them to take up the game and strive for their dreams, " Booth, a three-time Tour winner, was quoted as saying on the BBC Sport website.
In all, 108 professionals are ready to participate in the exceptional event that is being staged in collaboration with Golf Saudi and the Saudi Golf Federation.
