“They’ve really pioneered and pushed forward in growing the game”
As the 2024 season closes its curtain on another successful year for the Ladies European Tour’s Aramco Team Series, it was Golf Saudi Ambassador Charley Hull who shone the brightest in Riyadh, as she took the spoils for her first victory since 2022.
After a near flawless week, England’s Hull signed for a tournament winning final score of 18-under-par, a victory that inspired not only Charley, but hopefully a movement that will be felt across the Kingdom.
“The work that Golf Saudi continue to do in introducing more women and girls to the game through these events and beyond is inspiring,” said Charley. “The legacy they are creating is one I’m incredibly grateful to be a part of. The sport has grown leaps and bounds here,” she observed. “Last year, we saw the move of the tournaments to Riyadh which I think really shows the Kingdom’s increasing passion for the sport, with more and more fans coming to watch us.”
Golf Digest Middle East caught up with Charley’s fellow ambassadors, American Alison Lee and France’s Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, on how pivotal the Golf Saudi run tournaments have been for them both on and off the course at first hand , and what an inspiration victories like Charley’s can make.
“It’s amazing, for Golf Saudi to partner up with the Ladies European Tour and have all these Aramco Team Series events,” said Lee, the former Number One Ranked World Amateur Golfer. “There are not really any other companies out there investing so much into women’s golf, it’s just really great to see and it’s cool to be part of this movement.
“I feel like a lot of big companies have been writing big cheques and supporting female professional sports but not delivered. With Golf Saudi and the Aramco Team Series, they’ve really pioneered and pushed forward in growing the game for us and giving a lot of us girls what they deserve.”
Roussin-Bouchard agreed, “It’s honestly massive,” said the 2023 Aramco Team Series Singapore champion. “Financially it’s huge and it really makes a difference because we (Golf Saudi Ambassadors) can actually focus on golf and not have any financial pressure.
“What Golf Saudi are doing in Saudi Arabia with golf and the image of golf, just takes it to another level.
“I think it’s just freaking amazing that they can do this and that they’re supporting so many women to grow the game. They are able to give so many opportunities and I’m really lucky to be a part of it with these women ambassadors.
“I’m really proud to wear their logo and play these tournaments where they’re so important.”
Mark Runnacles/Ladies European Tour
Both Alison and Pauline have tasted success on the Aramco Team Series stage, Alison a two-time champion at Sotogrande in 2021 and more recently in 2023 in Riyadh. While Pauline got her hands on her maiden Aramco Team Series silverware in Singapore last year when she held off major-winner Danielle Kang in a four-shot victory to earn her biggest title to date.
“My Aramco Team Series win in Singapore was really cool because my boyfriend was on the bag at the time and it was a great win,” said the 24-year-old.
“I just love Singapore, everything about it is great – the place, the food, the people, the crowds and the vibrant atmosphere to these tournaments I just really enjoy. It’s great to open up the world to golf and see the different countries in honestly the best run tournaments that we actually play.
“I think a lot of all the other tours should learn from these tournaments! These Aramco Team Series events are world class tournaments and they’re amazing to play.”
Away from the professional side of the game, Golf Saudi has numerous initiatives in supporting the growth of the game of golf across all ages and skill levels. Alison has seen this impact in person with her own eyes, this now being her fifth time visiting the Kingdom.
“I heard a statistic that when we had our first professional ladies’ event here in Saudi Arabia, around 1000 women signed up to be part of the “ladies first” initiative. That’s super cool and that’s what we want to do, that’s the whole point of us travelling over here and playing these events.
“Since becoming a Golf Saudi Ambassador, I’ve heard that the number of participants has grown in the last few years and hopefully it continues to grow even more.
“For me, when I was a little girl, I started playing golf at the age of five and I feel like I’ve learned so much because of golf. I feel like it’s allowed me to learn so much about myself and allowed me to travel to really interesting places and meet a lot of really cool people. I would really love to have other people start at a young age.
“You learn patience, you learn etiquette, you learn sportsmanship, you learn how to deal with other people and I think it just overall makes you a better person. I would love for more women everywhere to learn how to play golf, especially at a place like here where traditionally not very many people play.”
I think it’s safe to say that Golf Saudi is paving a way for a healthy future in golf.
Main image: Tristan Jones/Ladies European Tour
