Defending champion Lydia Ko confirmed for 2022 Aramco Saudi Ladies International

The Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by Public Investment Fund is returning for 2022, with a new date and the biggest early-season purse in what will be a record-breaking year for the Ladies European Tour.

The groundbreaking event will take place at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club, King Abdullah Economic City from March 17-20.

It returns with a $1 million prize purse and a superstar field led by defending champion, New Zealand’s Lydia Ko.

Major winners Anna Nordqvist and Georgia Hall are also KAEC-bound, as are Solheim Cup stars Carlota Ciganda and Bronte Law, past LET winners Marianne Skarpnord, Olivia Cowan, Pauline Roussin Bouchard, Steph Kyriacou and Anne van Dam, and the tournament’s debut 2020 champion, Emily Kristine Pedersen of Denmark.

The new date means the Aramco Saudi Ladies International now occupies a far earlier spot on the LET calendar, taking place eight months sooner than usual in a season shake-up that will see the tour visit the Kingdom twice, with the second being for the Aramco Team Series – Jeddah event in November.

With the Aramco Saudi Ladies International and Aramco Team Series expanding to five individual $1 million events in 2022, this year will mark a record season for the Ladies European Tour, where its biggest ever pool of prize money will be up for grabs.

“It’s great to be heading back to Saudi Arabia for the Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by PIF, and much earlier in our schedule,” Alexandra Armas, Ladies European Tour CEO, said.

“There’s no question that every event we’ve had to date at Royal Greens has been a huge success. The Saudi Ladies International is a week all our players look forward to enormously, with the quality of field and prize money adding