Sports

Dame Davies confirms for Saudi Arabia’s ‘women’s week of golf’

Major-winner Nordqvist and van Dam are also Kingdom-bound

November 05, 2020

JEDDAH — Trailblazing English golfer Dame Laura Davies has confirmed her place in next week’s landmark women’s golf events in Saudi Arabia — with a host of other big-name stars also cementing their spot for what promises to be an historic occasion on the Jeddah coast.

Four-time Major-winner Davies will travel to King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) in pursuit of an 86th professional title in a career that has seen her named Ladies European Tour Order Of Merit winner seven-times and represent Team Europe in 12 different Solheim Cups.

The World Golf Hall Of Famer will have two chances of breaking her own Tour victories record, with November’s ‘women’s week of golf’ playing host to two debut events in the space seven days: the $1m prize-fund Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by Public Investment Fund, and the $500,000 Saudi Ladies Team International.

Davies said: “The Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by PIF will be quite the watershed moment that allows us to bring the sport we love to a whole new audience in a way that I think blazes a trail for women and sportswomen in and out of Saudi Arabia.

“The two events we’ll be playing in Saudi Arabia will be of great support to the women’s game and a morale boost to all the players after a stop-start 2020.

“We’re taking women’s golf to a new frontier, both in terms of inspiring new women to give the sport a try and in helping grow the Ladies European Tour event calendar, so it’s a tournament I’m really excited to play in — at what looks like a fabulous golf course.”

Tournament organizers Golf Saudi revealed details of the other superstar golfers Kingdom-set to feature in both tournaments.

Some of the headline names include Swedish two-time Major-winner Anna Nordqvist and her 19-year-old countrywoman Julia Engström — the 2018 LET Rookie of the Year and winner of two 2020 events already: the Women's NSW Open in March and the Lacoste Ladies Open de France, the latter of which saw her bag a hole-in-one en route to a round of 64.

Anne van Dam of the Netherlands and Wales’ Amy Boulden also feature in the 100+ field of players, alongside previously announced English pair Georgia Hall and Charley Hull. The field is available to view in full on the Ladies European Tour website.

The events get under way next week, starting with the $1m prize-fund Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by PIF, which runs from Nov. 12-15. The unique format of the Saudi Ladies Team International follows on Nov. 17-19, where teams of four players will battle together for a share of $500,000.

To celebrate the historic nature of both tournaments, Golf Saudi will next week launch a world-first ‘Ladies First Club’, which will offer free golf to 1,000 women living across the Kingdom. — SG


November 05, 2020
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