Saudi Arabia is sponsoring four new events on the 2021 Ladies European Tour (LET) schedule.
Saudi Arabia has just announced the formation of the LET-sanctioned Aramco Team Series, featuring four global team events held in New York, London, Singapore and Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi Ladies International, held last October, marked the first time that Saudi Arabia had ever hosted a women's professional golf tournament.
Following on from the success of this event, this new partnerships firmly cements Saudi Arabia as one of the biggest supporters of the European women's game.
The team format
The Aramco Team Series will feature four events held in New York, London, Singapore and at King Abdullah Economic City (near Jeddah in Saudi) for the season finale.
The prize money is incredible too, with each tournament carrying a USD$1 million purse.
Like the Saudi Ladies Team International, each event on the new series will see teams of four compete over 54 holes.
Captains will recruit one fellow Tour pro through a draft system similar to the NFL and NBA while another Tour professional will be selected at random and the final spot will be taken by an amateur player. Prize money for the winning team will be split between its three pro members.
Saudi and the LET
LET CEO, Alexandra Armas, said: “Today marks the beginning of a new journey in the history of the Ladies European Tour. This brand new Aramco Team Series takes golf and the sport to a whole new level and I am incredibly excited by all four events.
"Last November, the LET made history in bringing the first-ever professional women’s golf event to Saudi Arabia, and this announcement only builds on that.
"By adding four new team events to our schedule for 2021, the Ladies European Tour will add a whole new dynamic for both the players competing and the spectators, taking golf to newly engaged audiences across the globe.”
The LET are yet to release the full schedule for 2021, but this is now expected to be revealed over the next few weeks.
Speaking about the collaboration, his Excellency Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Chairman of the Saudi Golf Federation and Golf Saudi, said: “This is fantastic news for global sport, for women’s golf and for Saudi Arabia. Following the success of the Aramco Saudi Ladies International, we are committed to building the women’s game and promoting female participation in sport in Saudi Arabia. I hope this series inspires people of all cultures and backgrounds to take up the sport and generate enthusiasm for the great game of golf.”
Fresh opportunities
This news coincides with the start of the European Tour's Saudi International.
England's Annabel Dimmock and Wales' Amy Boulden both played in the Pro Am today, with Annabel teaming up with World Number 1 Dustin Johnson and Amy with Rose Ladies Series founder Justin Rose.
You can find out more about the Aramco Team Series HERE.
