SAUDI ARABIA TO HOST FIRST FEMALE TOURNAMENT

Saudi Arabia To Host First Ladies Tournaments

1. Saudi Arabia is set to host its first professional tournaments for women in November, with two Ladies European Tour events scheduled to hold.

The Saudi Ladies International will be held from the 12th to 15th November, with the Saudi Ladies Team International will hold from 17th to 19th November.

Both tournaments will take place at the Royal Greens Golf Club, which is a two-hour drive north of Jeddah in the King Abdullah Economic City.

The first event had been set for March of this year but was cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Chief executive of the Ladies European Tour, Alexandra Armas said: "We are extremely excited to be part of history in bringing the first professional women's golf event to Saudi Arabia.  

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"We are thankful to their commitment to deliver not one but two tournaments, in what has been a difficult year for golf."

There will be a $1m (£780,000) prize fund for the singles tournament, with a further £500,000 pot for the team event, which will see professional players partner with amateurs in a new format.

There have been accusations that Saudi Arabia is using tournaments such as these, or other events like last year's heavyweight world title rematch between Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jr, to divert attention away from human rights issues in the country.

However, the people behind bringing boxing, Formula E motor racing and golf, among other events to Saudi Arabia, have told Journalists "it's all part of a programme designed to get people more active".