Tag: Riyadh Golf Club

Patty Tavatanakit wins first title in three years at 2024 Aramco Saudi Ladies International

Tavatanakit routed the field at Riyadh Golf Club, winning by seven shots.

Her three-year wait is over.

Patty Tavatanakit shot a final-round 65 on Sunday to win the 2024 Aramco Saudi Ladies International for her first individual victory since she won the 2021 Chevron Championship. She routed the field at Riyadh Golf Club, winning by seven shots.

Tavatanakit was part of the winning Team Thailand at the 2023 Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown, where each team had four players but Sunday marks her first individual title since winning at Mission Hills Country Club, which closed the chapter on the long-standing women’s major in the California desert.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve played this good,” Tavatanakit said. “It’s very emotional, I’m very emotional right now with how I have overcome that and looking back it was just one day at a time, keep working hard.”

Those emotions showed on the 18th hole after she putted out.

Esther Henseleit finished shot a 69 to earn solo second. Minami Katsu and Charley Hull tied for third.

Backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, the Aramco event has a purse of $5 million, which is the same as the men’s Saudi International.

In addition to this event, the 2024 Ladies European Tour schedule also features the Aramco Team Series, comprised of five events staged across the globe. The LET’s Saudi-backed events remain controversial given the wide-ranging human rights abuses Saudi Arabia has been accused of, especially toward women.

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Patty Tavatanakit looking to go wire-to-wire at 2024 Aramco Saudi Ladies International

If Tavatanakit holds on to win, it would be her first title in more than three years.

Patty Tavatanakit shot 3-under 69 on Saturday at Riyadh Golf Club in Saudi Arabia, continuing to hold on to her lead at the 2024 Aramco Saudi Ladies International.

She has led after every round of the tournament, and sitting at 11 under following three rounds, she had a three-shot advantage heading to the final round.

“Overall, I was pleased with the mentality out there,” Tavatanakit said. “I feel like I had a really good mindset with how the round started. It was just kind of slow. I feel like I didn’t miss-hit a shot today. But on one hole, I went over the green, I just hit it too good.”

Germany’s Esther Henseleit is in second at 8 under after a stellar 7-under 65 on Saturday. The 25-year-old, who won the 2019 LET Order of Merit and Rookie of the Year titles, has improved each day after a round of 74 and 69 the first two days.

Charley Hull is in third at 7 under, tied with Emily Kristine Pedersen.

If Tavatanakit holds on to win, it would be her first title in more than three years.

Patty Tavatanakit halfway to first win in more than three years at 2024 Aramco Saudi Ladies International

The PIF-backed event has a purse of $5 million, which the same as the men’s Saudi International.

With the LPGA off for a third straight week, many of the top golfers in the women’s game are at Riyadh Golf Club in Saudi Arabia for the 2024 Aramco Saudi Ladies International.

Backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, the Aramco event has a purse of $5 million, which is the same as the men’s Saudi International.

Patty Tavatanakit, whose last individual win came at the 2021 Chevron Championship, is in good position after two rounds with scores of 68 and 70. She is sitting at 8 under and holds a two-shot lead after 36 holes. She has 10 birdies and just two bogeys so far. Tavatanakit was part of the winning Team Thailand at the 2023 Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown, where each team had four players.

Nicole Broch Estrup and Manon De Roey are tied for second at 6 under. Leona Maguire bounced back from an opening-round 76 with a second-round 64, the best score of the week so far by three shots.

Lexi Thompson is tied for 36th at 1 over. Defending tournament champ Lydia Ko is not in the field.

In addition to this event, the 2024 Ladies European Tour schedule also features the Aramco Team Series, comprised of five events staged across the globe. The LET’s Saudi-backed events remain controversial given the wide-ranging human rights abuses Saudi Arabia has been accused of, especially toward women.

Lexi Thompson, Linn Grant and Leona Maguire among Solheim stars at Aramco Saudi Ladies International

Here are the stars teeing it up next week.

Lexi Thompson headlines next week’s Aramco Saudi Ladies International field on the Ladies European Tour. The event, held this year at Riyadh Golf Club Feb. 15-18, offers a purse of $5 million, the same as the payout of the men’s PIF Saudi International.

The 28-year-old Thompson, whose last worldwide victory came at the 2022 Aramco Team Series event in New York, last teed it up at the LPGA Drive On event in January where she tied for 16th. She is not listed in the fields of the LPGA’s upcoming Asian swing.

“The Aramco Saudi Ladies International signifies a significant step forward in advancing the sport,” Thompson said in a release, “not just in Saudi Arabia but on a global scale, and it’s a privilege to be part of an event that advocates for equal prize funds in golf.”

Defending champion Lydia Ko, who won the LPGA season-opening Tournament of Champions and lost the Drive On in a playoff to Nelly Korda, is not in the field in Saudi Arabia. Ko’s next event will be the HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore.

Korda, who went to Prague immediately after the Drive On to visit her grandparents, is in the midst of a seven-week break from competitive golf.

In addition to the Aramco Saudi Ladies International, the 2024 LET schedule also features the Aramco Team Series, comprised of five events staged across the globe. Winners of those events last year include LPGA players Alison Lee, Xiyu Lin, Carlota Ciganda, Pauline Roussin, and Korda.

The LET’s Saudi-backed events remain controversial given the wide-ranging human rights abuses Saudi Arabia has been accused of, especially toward women.

Here’s a list of noteworthy players in this year’s field:

19-year-old Denwit Boriboonsub wins first Asian Tour title by three shots over LIV Golf’s Henrik Stenson

The phenom from Thailand shot 7-under 64 to win the Saudi Open on Sunday.

Denwit Boriboonsub of Thailand made his first Asian Tour title Sunday his third win in three weeks.

The 19-year-old shot 7-under 64 to win the Saudi Open on Sunday to finish at 18 under and win by three shots over LIV Golf’s Henrik Stenson. The season-ending tournament was held at the at the Riyadh Golf Club.

Boriboonsub won the Aramco Invitational two weeks ago on the Asian Development Tour and then claimed the Thailand Open.

“It is an unbelievable feeling because it is incredible winning three weeks in a row. It is like magic,” Boriboonsub said.

Stenson is a former champion of the tournament.

“I came in with two months off, so it was a good opportunity for me to kind of see where we’re at and what needs to be worked more on when we start preparing for next year in the middle of January,” he said.

Travis Smyth of Australia finished third.