Written by: Khushi Gupta

Saudi International is now going to come with tons loads of opportunities for the golfers and just as much excitement for the watchers to once again admire their favorite players on the course. The Saudi International, which is going to be the fourth edition of the tournament, is going to start the very next day that is, the 3rd of February 2022, and will be ending on the 6th of the same month. Earlier this tournament was a part of the European Tour but after a short feud, it was then turned into a part of the Asian Tour which now sanctions it as part of the new 10-year agreement. The purse of the tournament to be held will now go up to US $5 million from US $3 million owing to the investment from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). 

It is going to be a huge tournament with the top players competing to stand first on the leaderboard throughout the four rounds of the sport that will be held at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) near Jeddah. The course that was designed by a renowned course architect Dave Sampson is not going to be easy for the players. It is a par 72 course that spreads itself across 7,210 yards while overlooking the beautiful Red Sea.

Saudi International Golf Course

Earlier the winning scores ranged from 12 under par to 19 under par 72. The difficulty level and the tough competition will push the players to play better than they usually do to make it to the top of the leaderboard. The competition is going to be a tough one with the best players making their shots on the course. Dustin Johnson who was the winner of the tournament not only last year but also in the year 2019 will continue to play this year too and will hope to keep up his performance in the sport the way he did last year. Other top players who will be playing the course include Xander Schauffele, Bryson DeChambeau, Cameron Smith, Tony Finau, and many more. 

Till now the Indians who will be fighting for the top positions in the tournament among the players from other countries reach up to a total of seven. These are:

• Shubhankar Sharma

• Khalin Joshi

• Viraj Madappa

• Chikkarangappa S.

• Veer Ahalawat 

• Shiv Kapur

• Rashid Khan

For most of the Indian players, this tournament will be the biggest purse they have ever played. Viraj Madappa who is a 23-year-old and is from Bangalore had rightfully claimed his spot in the tournament by winning the 36-hole qualifier at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club. Khalin Joshi who too had gained a fruitful position at the qualifier at a tie for 14th place will be competing with the others. Apart from them, Rashid Khan, Shiv Kapur, and Veer Ahlawat qualified directly by finishing inside the top-30 of the 2021 Asian Tour Order of Merit. 

Majed Al-Sorour, Deputy Chairman and CEO of Golf Saudi and the Saudi Golf Federation, said, "It's incredibly exciting to enter a new era for the tournament in partnership with the Asian Tour by seeing the elite players from the region take on the world here in Saudi Arabia. There are some brilliant players who have qualified alongside some rising stars of the game across Asia that will have an amazing opportunity and platform next week to showcase their talent, in the strongest field in our history."