Major winners Hall, Nordqvist gear up for Aramco Saudi Ladies International

JEDDAH: Reigning and former British Open champions Anna Nordqvist and Georgia Hall have described this week’s Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by Public Investment Fund as “one of the headline events” in women’s golf as they prepare to tee off in what will be the first Ladies European Tour event to feature three Arab golfers.

Moroccan pair Ines Laklalech and Lina Belmati will make their professional LET debuts when the $1 million tournament gets underway on Thursday, joining countrywoman and 10-season tour stalwart Maha Haddioui in the strongest-ever Arab representation in any LET field.

Nordqvist believes that diversity is one of the reasons the tour continues to grow and attract many of the biggest names in women’s golf.

The Swedish professional and Hall will go head-to-head against Spaniard Carlota Ciganda, Bronte Law of England, and Emily Kristine Pedersen of Denmark in the Aramco Saudi Ladies International’s third annual hosting, which comes just four months after its last.

Nordqvist said: “I think that’s what’s so great about the Ladies European Tour. There are players from all over the world — some girls from Australia and you even see players coming over from the US to compete. And playing all over the world, too. Playing Saudi, Dubai, and we were just in Kenya a couple of weeks ago, then we are going to South Africa, then Thailand.

“The Ladies European Tour is a place where a lot of people feel like home, and it’s a very friendly atmosphere. That’s why I enjoy coming back and playing on the tour because I like the atmosphere.”

The Aramco Saudi Ladies International is the first of six Golf Saudi-backed tournaments on the LET calendar for 2022, with the other five being individual $1 million