Virginia Elena Carta will be the only Italian competing in the Aramco Saudi Ladies International Presented By Public Investment Fund (February 16-19), the first of six races in the same series and the only one in which the prize money was raised from one million to five million dollars (first coin of 750,000 dollars), equating it to that of the men’s PIF Saudi International supported by the same Investment Institute.
Prize money which is third in the competitions on the Ladies European Tour calendar after those of the two Majors held in Europe (AIG Women’s Open, August 10-13, $7,300,000, and Amundi Evian Championship, July 27-30, $6,500 .000).
Aramco Saudi Ladies, schedule
On the course of the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club, in King Abdullah Economic City in Saudi Arabia, in the third event of the LET 2023 which is attended by 120 competitors representing 31 nations, the field is of great quality and includes twelve players among the top 20 of the Rolex Ranking, the world ranking, and eleven Major winners.
In the fourth edition of the competition, the three previous winners will be on the field: the Danish Emily Kristine Pedersen (2020), the New Zealander Lydia Ko (2021), number one in the world, and the English Georgia Hall (2022), who defends the title.
In a scenario that promises great plays and entertainment, we mention, among other important participants, the Thai Atthaya Thitikul (n. 4), the American Lexi Thompson (n. 7), the Koreans In Gee Chun (n. 8) and Hyo -Joo Kim (#9), Nasa Hataoka of Japan (#10), Leona Maguire of Ireland (#11), Celine Boutier of France (#12), Charley Hull of England (#13) , Chinese Xiyu Lin (No.
14), American Danielle Kang (No. 17) and Australian Hannah Green (No. 19). Among the Major Champions, in addition to In Gee Chun, there will also be the Swedish Anna Nordqvist, the naturalized Japanese Filipina Yuka Saso and the South African Ashleigh Buhai.
And again in the field the Swedish Linn Grant, first in the Race to Costa del Sol 2022 (order of merit) and second last week in the Lalla Meryem Cup in her seasonal debut, the Indian Aditi Ashok, immediately in the proscenium with the success in Magical Kenya Open, the third place in Morocco and the leadership in the money list, the South African Lee-Anne Pace and the Spanish Carlota Ciganda.
Positive start to the season for Virginia Elena Carta, in the top ten (ninth) in Kenya and then with a decline in Morocco which may be fine in the running-in phase.
