Houston, Texas, United States: Nuria Iturrioz experienced relief and joy in equal measure as she clinched her fifth Ladies European Tour (LET) title with a two-stroke victory at the Golf Saudi-backed Aramco Houston Championship.

The ever-smiling Iturrioz, who began another hot but overcast day in Texas one shot behind fellow Spaniard and overnight leader Carlota Ciganda, fired a four-under-par 68 in the third and final round at Golfcrest Country Club to post a winning total of 13-under 203.

Golf Saudi ambassador Ciganda was never able to fully recover from a double-bogey six at the ninth, where she lost her ball after her tee shot sailed into a treeline, and she closed with a 71. England’s Charley Hull, also a Golf Saudi ambassador, signed off with a 67 to share second with the Spaniard.

It was another day of vibrant activity at Golfcrest Country Club with enthusiastic crowds enjoying the skills of some of the world’s leading women players while also grabbing the opportunity to play the game for themselves at one of the Golf Saudi clinics on site.

Four players held at least a share of the lead during an intriguing final day at the fourth and penultimate PIF Global Series event of the year, but it was Iturrioz who came through with timely birdies at 14, 15 and 17.

She nearly birdied the par-four 18th from just off the green but her putt pulled up inches short before she tapped in for par. Immediately, she broke into a broad smile and then waved her putter full circle in celebration before playing partner Mimi Rhodes doused her from a water bottle.

Iturrioz said: “It’ hard for me to show my feelings in English … but this means a lot. I’m really proud. I’ve been working a lot with my coach this year, and I’ve had chances before. This one is also for him, because it’s been a big team effort.”

The Spaniard’s previous LET wins came at the 2016 and 2019 Lalla Meryem Cup, the 2019 Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic and the 2023 La Sella Open, but her victory at the US$2 million Aramco Houston Championship is the biggest of her career, given that the Golf Saudi-backed PIF Global Series events offer the largest purses on the LET outside the five Major championships.

“This is very special,” said Iturrioz, part of Pauline Roussin-Bouchard’s team which won the team event at the 2023 Aramco Team Series – Florida. “I had been really looking forward to winning one of these events. I had won with the team before, with Pauline as captain, but to win individually is different. And to do it in the US, where I’ve been trying to get to the LPGA, it shows me I can play well on these courses.

“I hope I can win more of these events … wins like this motivate me to grow even more. For me, every tournament is important because I compete for myself, but the field here was very strong. Names like Carlota, Mimi (Rhodes) and Charley Hull made it tough. I felt the pressure, and I’m proud of how I handled it.”

Hull, the highest-ranked player in this field at 10th in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking, was delighted with her week after only recently recovering from a ligament tear in her ankle.

“I played really well today,” said Hull, who withdrew from last month’s PIF London Championship after injuring her ankle. She did not hit balls for two weeks, and doctors initially told her it could be nine weeks before she would be able to compete again.

“I hit some nice shots coming in and made a good putt on the last,” said Hull, after racking up five birdies in a bogey-free round. “Overall, I feel pretty solid – especially with my injury and just coming back. Honestly, I didn’t think I’d play that well this week, so I’m really happy with the result.”

The lowest round of the day came from Singapore’s Shannon Tan, who started out eight strokes off the pace with 38 players in front of her. However, she surged up the leaderboard with a sizzling eight-under 64 that left her at 10-under and alone in fourth place.

Iturrioz’s win proved a rousing conclusion to a compelling week in the Golf Saudi-organised event, making its first appearance in Texas. Golf Saudi’s clinics finished the week with 355 young players receiving expert advice from teams of qualified coaches.

Through an initiative with the Trees For Houston non-profit organisation, five trees were donated to the local community for every birdie scored at the par-five 14th and the week’s total of 120, including eagles, will mean a healthy addition of 600 trees around Greater Houston.

The fifth and final event in the 2025 PIF Global Series will be the Aramco China Championship at Shenzhen’s Mission Hills from November 6-8.

*Golf Saudi is an Executive Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.