Saudi Arabia’s inaugural golf tournament wrapped up on Sunday with a thrilling, come-from-behind win by Denmark’s Emily Kristine Pedersen, who sealed her victory in a playoff hole after trailing the then-leader Georgia Hall by three strokes.
The event, the inaugural Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by the Public Investment Fund, was the first ever ladies’s golf tournament held in Saudi Arabia. The event was held at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in the King Abdullah Economic City.
The event at the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club was the first professional women’s golf tournament to be held in Saudi Arabia.
“It’s very special,” Pedersen said of the win, according to Reuters. “I’m very happy that I got to be the first person to win a tournament here and I think it’s great we’re playing here. The country has a bright future in golf and hopefully we’ll be back for many years.”
Discussing her comeback, Pedersen said, “I’m really proud that I got it back twice, I feel like I was out of it at the start of the front nine, then again at the start of the back nine but I kept fighting back.”
Georgia Hall was leading the tournament with five holes to play, but she bogeyed the 16th and missed an eight-foot birdie putt to seal the win. Pedersen sunk two birdies in her last five holes to force the playoff after both players ended tied at 10-under par.
The tournament is the third-highest paying LET event after the British and Scottish Open, with a total prize purse of $1 million.
The players have praised the high purse offered by the Saudi Invitational, noting that it would be a boon to interest in the sport from women in the Kingdom and beyond.
“To me it’s huge improvement…To be part of something so huge, a moment in history, to me it’s a new Saudi when it comes to a lot of things and to be part of that is really big. For Saudi to put up such money two tournaments in a row is a huge statement to close that gap between men’s and women’s golf…It will motivate a lot of young girls to take up the game. I think in the coming years there will be a lot more Arab female professional golfers,” Maha Haddioui, Moroccan professional golfer said last week.
Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall finished third on eight under, one shot ahead of Dutchwoman Anne van Dam and Stephanie Kyriacou of Australia, Reuters reports.
The Saudi Ladies Team International, where professionals will team up with amateurs and compete for a $500,000 purse, will be held at the same venue from Nov. 17-19.
