World No. 1 Lydia to play 2023 Aramco Saudi Ladies International
JEDDAH: World No. 1 Lidia will play at the 2023 Aramco Saudi Ladies International in February.
The Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) has confirmed that Ko, the 2021 champion, will lead a high-quality field at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club from 16 to 19 February 2023 – alongside other leading golfers in January declared.
The groundbreaking event, the first of the LET season, has already announced the promotion of a significant prize purse of $5 million that will be uniquely matched by the men’s event; PIF Saudi International operated by SoftBank Investment Advisors.
The New Zealander was the youngest player ever to reach the number one spot in golf when she reached the top of golf’s standings in 2017 – aged just 17. She returned to the top of the heap last month, eclipsing Nelly Korda as the No. 1 player in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, returning to the top of the world rankings since she last did so in 2017. It is the third time Ko, who has three LPGA Tour wins and nine other top-five finishes in 2022, has been the best player on the planet.
On returning to Saudi Arabia, Ko expressed her happiness and said: “I fondly remember my time at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International, winning the title here a few years ago. I will be back in Saudi Arabia in a few months to build up to my 2022 I look forward to returning.
Ko said: “I am thrilled to see that golf is moving towards equal prize money – it is something I believe all the women on tour are working hard for. I am grateful to all of us who have believed in us and are committed to taking the game to the next level. We are headed in the right direction, and I believe it will only get better for women’s golf from here. Used to be.”
This year’s Aramco Saudi Ladies International, presented by PIF, will be the third on the LET calendar and the first of two visits to the Kingdom’s Tour in 2023, with the popular Aramco Team Series event set to take place later this year. The year.
With the five $1 million events of the Aramco Team Series set to take place again in 2023, with the event’s significant prize money rising to $5 million, this year will be another record-breaking season for the Tour, where players will vie for all A slice of LET’s biggest ever prize pool.
Majid Al Sorour, Deputy Chairman and CEO of Golf Saudi, said: “We are thrilled to compete alongside Lydia, the world’s best golfer, at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by PIF. We look forward to welcoming them once again to be a part of our prestigious event.
“We aspire to inspire homegrown golfers in Saudi Arabia to continually elevate the game of golf locally and globally. The increased prize purse for the upcoming Saudi Ladies International reflects the commitment of Golf Saudi, Aramco and all of the tournament’s sponsors and partners, to advance women’s golf while having a direct impact on the sport here on the field in Saudi Arabia.