Aramco ladies golf tourney tees off with 108 top global players

JEDDAH: Some of the world’s best female golfers from 27 countries tee off on Thursday, March 17, for the third edition of the Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by the Public Investment Fund at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club, King Abdullah Economic City.

Led by several Major winners and Solheim Cup stars including Norway’s Anna Nordqvist, England’s Georgia Hall, Spain’s Carlota Ciganda, England’s Bronte Law and Denmark’s Emily Kristine Pedersen, the field will compete for $1 million in prize money and write the next chapter of women’s golf in Saudi Arabia.

The event is the second tournament of the 2022 Ladies European Tour season — a year that will supersede all others with a total prize pool of nearly $30 million, the largest in LET history. This is an increase of close to $8 million from 2021, and more than double the prize-money on offer in 2019.

The event is expected to provide an indicator of which names to watch out for over the rest of the season, including some of the most exciting young players seeking to establish themselves.

Australian Stephanie Kyriacou, who at 21 years of age already has three career titles to her name, is now the holder of both LET and LPGA tour cards. She has 10 top-10 finishes in 2021, including a tie for ninth at this same event last year, firmly positioning her as a favorite this week.

Pia Babnik of Slovenia won the R&A Girls Amateur Championship in 2019, joining the LET a year later at just 16 years of age. Last November, she claimed what was the second tour title of her young career at Royal Greens, with victory in the individual category of the Aramco Team Series in Jeddah. Now, aged 18, she returns to the course, seeking her third professional win.

Defending