England’s Hannah Burke (left), captain Emily Kristine Pedersen (middle) and Finland’s Krista Bakker (right) with their ATS-Jeddah trophy.

By Kent Gray
The coronation of the Queen of Jeddah golf and another ball for a young debutante.

The final day of the LET’s globe-trotting four-event Aramco Team Series produced drama aplenty at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club on Friday as Emily Kristine Pedersen successfully defended her team’s title and 17-year-old Slovenian Pia Babnik snuck off with individual honours.

Team Pedersen needed two holes of extra time to see off Team Lydia Hall for the Aramco Team Series (ATS) –Jeddah title a year after Pedersen had won the Saudi Ladies Team International, the precursor to the ATS.

Team Pedersen – the Solheim Cup star, Hannah Burke of England, Finland’s Krista Bakker and Ahmed Al Subaey, the team’s amateur player, finished on -51 after 54 holes.

Team Hall – captain Lydia, Welsh compatriot Becky Brewerton, Brazilian Luiza Altmann and ex-NFL star amateur team-mate, Victor Green – matched, necessitating a playoff negotiated by the captains on the shores of the Red Sea.

Pedersen and Hall couldn’t be separated on their first play-off attempt down Royal Greens par-five 18th but Hall found the water going for the green in two second-time around. Pedersen pounced, knocking her shot on and draining a 10-foot eagle putt to bag her team $150,000.

“It means a lot to win again,” said Pedersen who also won the inaugural Saudi Ladies International and the individual section of the Saudi Ladies Team International, meaning she has won four of a possible six pieces of Jeddah silverware.

“I came back to Saudi Arabia hoping to get a win again and its just amazing to do it. I obviously love it around here so it’s just great. We had a lot of fun as a team, and it was a big team effort. We kept the energy high and kept each other high, so it was really just a great week.”

On the play-off – which Pedersen also required a year earlier to see off England’s Georgia Hall in 2020’s debut Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by PIF – the 25-year-old added: “Obviously I had a lot of good memories from the play-off last year, even if it was a little bit harder for me to see this time. But it was fun. I feel like I know this course really, really well now, so I was happy.”

Burke only returned to golf last year after a horror Achilles injury, which kept her out for the entire second half of the 2019 LET season.

“It feels really, really good – kind of a bit surreal. I’ve had a couple of tough years, so this is absolutely amazing and I’m loving it.

“The injury in 2019 took its toll, not really just physically but mentally, financially – I kind of had a year out, made zero money, spent a lot to rehab to get back to where I needed to be, it was mentally draining. It’s been a massive battle, really – I’ve been close to calling it a day, truthfully. So this is big. I’ve had massive support back home from all my family, friends and from my coach Brian here, who has backed me all the way. Thanks to everyone.”

Pia Babnik with the individual silverware.

Babnik’s individual triumph, meanwhile, was even more dramatic than Team Pedersen’s victory.

Germany’s Olivia Cowan headed into 18 with a two-shot lead, where a par five would have almost certainly earned her a first career title – on a hole where a day earlier she found the water attempting to reach the green in two.

However, it proved to be Groundhog Day for the 25-year-old, as her attempt to set up an eagle putt once again found water. Cowan eventually scribbled a seven on her card to finish -15, leaving the door suddenly ajar for Babnik.

Playing in the group behind Cowan, Babnik needed a par to seal a play-off but went one better, lasering a wedge to eight-foot before rolling in what proved to be the winning putt for a birdie four and -16.

“It feels amazing to have won,” said Babnik who is suddenly second in the LET’s Race to Costa Del Sol rankings after adding the Jeddah title to her breakthrough Jabra Ladies Open victory in France in June. Not bad for rookie whose team only missed the ATS- Jeddah playoff by a stroke.

Babnik celebrates the birdie that helped her pip Germany’s Olivia Cowan for the individual crown.

“I must admit I didn’t know what was going on in the group ahead, so I was just trying to play my game coming down 18. It was my amateur who came and told me that I had the putt to win, but I wanted to make it anyway for the team.

“The whole format of the Aramco Team Series is very relaxed and it’s definitely more fun. I was out there just trying to make birdies for the team.

“I’m really happy with my game and how I played today and over the last two weeks. I’ve loved playing out here in Saudi Arabia and look forward to coming back.”

The Aramco Team Series – Jeddah was the last of four new $1million team tournaments added to the Ladies European Tour this season and followed events in London, Sotogrande and New York.

Olivia Cowan.