Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: History will be made next week when the Asian Development Tour (ADT) comes to Saudi Arabia for the first time.

To be held at the Golf Saudi-managed Riyadh Golf Club, the US$200,000 PIF Saudi Open will take place from December 8-10, featuring players from the ADT as well as professionals and amateurs in the Middle East and North Africa who are registered with a golf club. 

The fact that the PIF Saudi Open is being played on the ADT for the first time is a sign of strengthening ties between the Asian Tour and Golf Saudi.  

As part of a 10-year partnership that Golf Saudi has entered into with the Asian Tour, the US$5 million PIF Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers has become the opening event on the Asian Tour’s annual calendar.

The PIF Saudi Open will also see the participation of a raft of up-and-coming players from the Gulf Cooperation Council and Arab countries, in addition to members of Saudi Arabia’s National Team, who have gone from strength to strength in recent years, as part of Golf Saudi’s wider Mass Participation programme to grow golf in the Kingdom.  

“All of us at both the Saudi Golf Federation and Golf Saudi are incredibly excited about next week’s seventh edition of the PIF Saudi Open. Each year we host the tournament, it gets bigger and better,” said Majed Al Sorour, Deputy Chairman and CEO of the Saudi Golf Federation and Golf Saudi, an Executive Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.

“I am especially proud how each edition provides Saudi and Arab golf players the opportunity to participate in a top tier competition in their home country and be able to not only develop their skill levels, but also to test themselves and go head-to-head against players from different countries in the Middle East, North Africa and now the Asian Development Tour in a competitive environment.” 

Managed by Golf Saudi and playing to a par of 72, Riyadh Golf Club is 20 minutes from Riyadh. The course, opened in 2005, is known for its undulating terrain, wide fairways and manicured greens. 

Al Sorour said: “By hosting tournaments such as the PIF Saudi Open, we hope to encourage and facilitate greater uptake in the game and offer our elite golfers the chance to compete against the very best.

“So, thanks must go to our strategic partners the Asian Tour for helping us to achieve that aim, as their involvement will mean the strongest player field in the PIF Saudi Open’s history.” 

The tournament will witness the participation of the most prominent Saudi players, including the first and only Saudi professional player Othman Almulla, along with other National Team players: Abdulrahman Al-Mansour, Faisal Salhab and Saud Al Sharif.

A lot will be at stake for those players as the PIF Saudi Open also represents a qualification opportunity for the 2023 PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers, which will be held in February.

The PIF Saudi Open is part of a series of events that Golf Saudi holds annually to raise awareness of the game in the Kingdom as well as developing home-grown talent.

By holding such events, Golf Saudi is looking to increase the number of golfers throughout the Kingdom within all age groups and demographics. By working with other sports federations and the Ministry of Sport, Golf Saudi – the commercial development arm of the Saudi Golf Federation – is looking to underline the wider benefit of sports participation more generally as part of Saudi Arabia’s progress towards its Vision 2030 goals to improve its citizens quality of life.  

Meanwhile, the ADT has been a springboard to the Asian Tour for dozens of players, including reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Kim Joo-hyung of Korea and American John Catlin, a four-time winner on the Asian Tour.