Saudi International (golf)
The Saudi International (branded as the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers for sponsorship reasons) is an Asian Tour golf tournament held at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia.[1] The title sponsor of the tournament is Public Investment Fund, a Saudi government sovereign wealth fund.[2]
 | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia |
| Established | 2019 |
| Course(s) | Royal Greens Golf & Country Club |
| Par | 70 |
| Length | 7,010 yards (6,410 m) |
| Organized by | IMG |
| Tour(s) | Asian Tour European Tour |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Prize fund | US$5,000,000 |
| Month played | February |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 261 Dustin Johnson (2019) |
| To par | −19 as above |
| Current champion | |
 Harold Varner III | |
| Location Map | |
  Royal Greens G&CC Location in Saudi Arabia | |
History
Established in 2019 as a European Tour event, it was the first European Tour event to be played in Saudi Arabia and was one of six European Tour events staged in the countries on the Arabian Peninsula. The event has drawn criticism due to the involvement of Saudi Arabia's government in the event, based on their record of human rights within the country and their ventures of sportswashing. This included paying large appearance fees to some of the world's top players.[3]
The tournament ceased to be a European Tour event after the 2021 edition, and later that year it was announced that as a result, the PGA Tour would not allow their members to compete in future editions, with the European Tour expected to do the same.[4][5] In September 2021, it was announced that it would become part of the Asian Tour's schedule. This involved a ten-year deal starting in 2022, with an increased prize fund of US$5,000,000.[6] In October, it was announced that the event would become the flagship event of the Asian Tour.[7] In December, the PGA Tour revealed that they would grant their members releases to play in the event in 2022; on the condition that they committed to play in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in some form in the following years.[8]
In January 2022, it was announced that the Saudi Public Investment Fund had become the new title sponsor of the event.[2]
Winners
| Asian Tour (Flagship event) | 2022 | |
| European Tour (Regular) | 2019–2021 |
| # | Year | Tour[lower-alpha 1] | Winner | Score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up | Winner's share ($) | Purse ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisors | |||||||||
| 4th | 2022 | ASA | Harold Varner III | 267 | −13 | 1 stroke | Bubba Watson | 1,000,000 | 5,000,000 |
| Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisors | |||||||||
| 3rd | 2021 | EUR | Dustin Johnson (2) | 265 | −15 | 2 strokes | Tony Finau Justin Rose | 572,778 | 3,500,000 |
| 2nd | 2020 | EUR | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Graeme McDowell | 268 | −12 | 2 strokes | Dustin Johnson | 583,330 | 3,500,000 |
| 1st | 2019 | EUR | Dustin Johnson | 261 | −19 | 2 strokes |  Li Haotong | 583,330 | 3,500,000 |
- ASA − Asian Tour; EUR − European Tour.
References
- "Inaugural Saudi Arabia Golf event". PGA European Tour. 28 April 2018.
- "Saudi International attracts more stars". Asian Tour. 3 January 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- Garside, Kevin (31 January 2019). "Golf is just tip of the iceberg in West's dealings with Saudi Arabia – so why the sudden outrage?". inews. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
- Lynch, Eamon (28 July 2021). "Exclusive: PGA Tour will deny stars permission to play controversial Saudi International". Golfweek. USA Today. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
- Leonard, Tod (28 July 2021). "Report: PGA Tour will deny players permission to play in Saudi International". Golf Digest. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
- "Saudi International and Asian Tour confirm historic 10-year partnership". Asian Tour. 20 September 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- "Greg Norman officially announced as head of Saudi-backed golf series". Golf Channel. 29 October 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
- "PGA Tour allows players to compete at Saudi International". Irish Times. 21 December 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.