A NEW FRONTIER

With Saudi Arabia dominating the golfing headlines of late, we take a look at the plans and motivations of the sport’s new kid on the block

- MICHAEL WESTON

There’s a picture that does the rounds at the start of every year. You’ve probably seen it – that Dubai one, Emirates Golf Club then and now. In 1990, it was just a course surrounded by baron desert. Today, the skyscrapers of this thriving metropolis make for one of the most iconic backdrops in golf. A lot can happen in the space of 30 years, and a lot more will – certainly in the Middle East, where neighbouring Saudi Arabia has huge plans for golf.

Fours years ago, the European Tour (now DP World Tour) announced that it would visit Saudi Arabia for the first time. For the Kingdom itself, hosting the Saudi International was seen as one of the key ingredients in delivering the country’s much-lauded ‘Vision 2030’ – the plan to showcase its desire to expand its business, leisure and tourism industries.

The tournament, the first in a three-year partnership, took place early in 2019 at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City. America’s Dustin Johnson made the trip over to take the spoils, and plenty more of the game’s best players have followed since. Now, the PIF Saudi International is the flagship event on the Asian Tour, and this year it attracted its strongest field to date with a whopping $5 million prize fund up for grabs.

This is only the beginning of the Saudi golf revolution, and hosting a world-class tournament is just one piece of the jigsaw. Golf has never been part of its culture, but there are ambitious plans to change this.