Dustin Johnson’s bid for a third victory at the Saudi International began with a 5-under 65 in the first round of play at the Royal Greens Golf Club in King Abdullah Economic City in Saudi Arabia.
Johnson, who spent much of 2020 as the world’s number one golfer, is three strokes off the lead held by Matteo Manassero after the first round on Thursday.
The No. 5-ranked Johnson was 6 under after 11 holes at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club.
The tournament is being played at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club, with several holes seated next to the pristine turquoise blue Red Sea. The tournament will be broadcasted globally between February 3-6, 2022. For the first time, the event is part of the 2022 Asian Tour schedule. Previously, the event was played as part of the DP World Tour.
20 of the top 50 players in the world are in Saudi Arabia right now, with virtually all having to get an exemption from the PGA tour to play in Saudi Arabia this week.
This year, Saudi Arabia’s wider golf ambitions have more than just the sport’s die hard fans tuning in.
Former world number one and CEO of a new, Saudi-backed golf league Greg Norman is at the Saudi International again pushing his (and the PIF’s) vision to grow the game of golf internationally. At a press conference this week, Norman said the PIF and LIV Golf is increasing its annual investment in a series of 10 Asian Tour events from $200 million to $300 million. Those events, called the International Series, will be played in Thailand, England, Korea, Vietnam, the Middle East, China, Singapore and Hong Kong.
The top 50 players in the world at the Saudi International include:
- 4. Dustin Johnson
- 7. Xander Schauffele
- 9. Bryson DeChambeau
- 11. Cameron Smith
- 16. Tony Finau
- 19. Abraham Ancer
- 21. Jason Kokrak
- 26. Patrick Reed
- 27. Paul Casey
- 28. Kevin Na
- 30. Matthew Wolff
- 31. Thomas Pieters
- 33. Joaquin Niemann
- 34. Marc Leishman
- 38. Phil Mickelson
- 41. Lee Westwood
- 42. Sergio Garcia
- 43. Tommy Fleetwood
- 44. Lucas Herbert
- 49. Shane Lowry
The current leader, Matteo Manassero, was two shots clear of a group of five players — including Americans Bubba Watson and Harold Varner III — who were tied for second.
