JEDDAH — The debut Saudi Ladies Team International gets under way tomorrow — and in many ways promises to be one of the most innovative tournament formats women’s golf has ever seen. With $500,000 up for grabs, the three-day, 36-team event offers a serious pay-day for LET players, being behind only the Women’s and Scottish Opens — and its weekend sister tournament, the Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by PIF — in the weight of its prize fund. However, ‘serious’ is perhaps one of the last words organizers Golf Saudi want to use to describe this week’s tournament, which comes towards the end of a challenging year for women’s golf and wider sport. “Everyone has experienced first-hand the impact of COVID-19 in 2020,” said Golf Saudi CEO, Majed Al Sorour. “Women’s golf has been no different, with many events cancelled over the course of the year. “We see the Saudi Ladies Team International as the perfect antidote to that. It’s a fun, exciting, innovative format that celebrates the women’s game, supports women’s golf and we hope offers the players a fun conclusion to a stop-start, sometimes difficult year.” The Saudi Ladies Team International is first of its kind tournament where 36 teams will compete together while the professionals concurrently vie for an individual title, with $500,000 total prize money on offer. The teams were decided using an ‘NFL-