Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: The inaugural Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by Public Investment Fund, the first female professional golf tournament to be played in Saudi Arabia, has been rearranged for October following its postponement last month due to the on-going coronavirus pandemic.

A new date for the US$1 million event at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club was agreed by tournament promoters and owners, Golf Saudi, and the Ladies European Tour (LET), which will see some of the world’s finest golfing talent arrive on Saudi shores for the historic occasion.

“It gives me great pleasure to confirm that we are working towards a new date of October 8-11 for the Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by Public Investment Fund,” said His Excellency Yasir O. Al-Rumayyan, Chairman of the Saudi Golf Federation and Golf Saudi, an Executive Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.

He added: “We will, of course, continue to work closely with health authorities both domestically and across the region in the interim but are hopeful that we will be able to bring this momentous occasion to Saudi Arabia in six months’ time.    

“As we focus upon the necessary precautions, we would like to pay particular thanks to all of our sponsors, partners and players, who have shown unwavering commitment through these unprecedented times and it is due to their support that we are now able to announce a revised date for this landmark occasion.”

The October tournament will be a watershed moment for the country and will mark the first time that professional female golfers have played there competitively, breaking new ground in Saudi Arabia’s on-going transformation as part of Vision 2030.

The LET reiterated its commitment to visiting Saudi Arabia following recent developments and echoed Golf Saudi’s calls to ensure the inaugural tournament lives up to its billing.

Alexandra Armas, the LET’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “Postponing the inaugural Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by Public Investment Fund, originally scheduled to take place in March, was a difficult decision. However, we have been extremely impressed by Golf Saudi’s commitment to working through the challenges and making this historic event happen.

“We would like to thank all stakeholders for their incredible support, and I am sure that this fantastic new tournament will be one of the major highlights of 2020.”

One of the richest tournaments on the LET schedule, the hosting of the Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by Public Investment Fund demonstrates Saudi Arabia’s commitment to increase golf participation significantly in the years to come through the world’s most ambitious development programme.

The Kingdom already has a strong track record when it comes to staging high-level sporting fixtures, including major football, boxing, motorsport and equestrian events.