Saudi Arabia to stage first women’s pro golf event

PARIS: Saudi Arabia will host its first professional women’s golf tournament in 2020 with a prize fund of $1 million, the Ladies European Tour (LET) announced.

The Jeddah Royal Greens Golf and Country Club will stage the March 19-22 tournament, featuring three-time Tour winner Carly Booth. Booth and four of her fellow professionals have agreed to act as ambassadors for the tournament.

“I’m looking forward to being part of history with the other ladies on the tour,” said 27-year-old Booth. “I have visited Saudi Arabia on a number of occasions and been lucky enough to spend some time teaching local women and girls how to play.”

The men’s European Tour made its first foray into Saudi Arabia this year. However, superstars Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy have both refused to play in the 2020 edition. McIlroy, who was reportedly offered $2.5 million, hinted in a Golf Channel interview earlier this week that “morality” had influenced his decision.

“100%, there’s a morality to it as well,” McIlroy said of the Saudi International taking place in January next year. “You could say that about so many countries, not just Saudi Arabia, but a lot of countries that we play in that there’s a reason not to go, but for me, I just don’t want to go.”