Latest news with #LadiesEuropeanTour
Khaleej Times
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Khaleej Times
Saudi golf ambitions soar: Sir Nick Faldo to design championship course at Qiddiya City
Saudi Arabia's momentum in global golf continues to surge with the announcement of a new Sir Nick Faldo signature-designed golf course at Qiddiya City, a major future-forward destination just 40 minutes from Riyadh. Scheduled for completion in 2026, the project will include a world-class clubhouse, a golf academy, and expansive practice facilities, due by 2028. The 18-hole championship layout is set to stand out with its distinctive '3-hole return' routing system, making it more accessible and playable for golfers of all skill levels. Positioned against the towering 200-meter cliffs of the Tuwaiq Mountains, the setting alone promises to deliver one of the region's most visually striking golf experiences. In a move to support grassroots development, Qiddiya City has also announced it will become a global partner of the Faldo Series, the renowned international development pathway for young golfers, founded by Sir Nick nearly 30 years ago. Backing Future Golf Stars The partnership aims to enhance junior golf across the Kingdom and beyond, reinforcing Saudi Arabia's ambition to nurture homegrown talent and introduce more boys and girls to the sport. 'This is a unique opportunity to become involved in one of the most exciting cities being developed today,' said Sir Nick Faldo. 'Our partnership with Qiddiya City brings together the golf community with a whole nation bubbling with energy to be active and try new sports.' Sir Nick is no stranger to the region. His design portfolio includes the popular Faldo Course at Emirates Golf Club in Dubai and Katameya Dunes in Cairo, Egypt, both acclaimed for blending traditional golf strategy with contemporary aesthetics. At Qiddiya, his latest design will integrate innovative features, including floodlights for night play, multiple tee decks for varying skill levels, and a forward-thinking blend of entertainment and competition that appeals to new golfers as much as seasoned players. Qiddiya's Bold Sports Vision The course is part of a broader, ambitious sports and cultural blueprint for Qiddiya. Also on the horizon: the Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Stadium, which will play host to events such as the 2034 FIFA World Cup; a Speed Park Track for motorsports; and a landmark Performing Arts Center - all combining to make Qiddiya a multi-disciplinary global hub. Adding to the Kingdom's growing golf footprint, Golf Saudi has also announced a strategic partnership with Five Iron Golf, a global leader in high-tech, indoor golf experiences. The first Saudi location is set to open in early 2026, joining Five Iron's existing 30 venues across four countries, including the UAE. These ventures are tightly aligned with Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia's national transformation plan, which sees sports, including golf, as central to a diversified, innovation-driven future. The Kingdom has already cemented its international golf presence through partnerships and investments in tournaments with LIV Golf, the Ladies European Tour (LET), and other high-profile events and venues. With this latest wave of development—from elite courses to immersive entertainment spaces—Saudi Arabia is positioning itself not just as a player in global golf, but a leader. As construction moves forward and partnerships deepen, the world will be watching closely. The Qiddiya project and other upcoming ventures represent not just a vision for golf—but a statement of intent for the Kingdom's sporting future.
Independent Singapore
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Independent Singapore
English golfer Lottie Woad wins Women's Scottish Open at the age of 21
Photo: NORTH BERWICK, SCOTLAND: Twenty-one-year-old Lottie Woad started her professional golfing career with an impressive three-stroke win at the Women's Scottish Open. The young athlete made her pro debut recently after earning her LPGA Tour card, when she finished tied for third at this year's Evian Championships. The athlete's victory at the Women's Scottish Open kicks off her professional career with a prize of over US$450,000 (S$607,500). She has also guaranteed media attention ahead of the final major of the year, the Women's Open at Royal Porthcawl. Moreover, Woad also won the 2025 Women's Irish Open. However, her amateur status hindered her from collecting the prize money from both tournaments, which totals $603,100. Making history Lottie Woad made history by becoming the first player to clinch a win on her professional debut on the Ladies European Tour (LET), since Shannon Tan of Singapore won the 2024 Magical Kenya Ladies Open. She is also the first to achieve this milestone on the LPGA Tour since Rose Zhang at the 2023 Americas Open. Furthermore, she became the first English golfer to win the Women's Scottish Open since Trish Johnson in 2014. With this, Woad expressed: 'It's great to win here. Links golf is really fun; I don't get to play it too often. It's my first time since the Women's Open last year, so I wasn't sure how it would go.' Highlights of the match During the competition, Woad got off to a great start with birdies on the second and third holes. She then made nine straight pars and added more birdies on the 13th and 14th holes. She had her third bogey of the week on the 16th hole but finished strong with a birdie on the 18th, winning with a total score of 21 under par. On social media, Woad shared: 'I guess that's a pretty good first week at work.. Really happy to win the ISPS Handa Women's Scottish Open! 🏆🏴Thank you to everyone for an amazing week!' Netizens expressed their support in the comments section by saying: 'Amazing well done! Nothing like jumping straight in for a win 👏👏👏,' 'Absolutely amazing Lottie. You are a pleasure to watch. So calm and composed under pressure. What a supa star ⭐. We are all so proud of you,' and 'Unreal golf young lady.. No. 1 is coming. Well played !👏👏👏.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lottie Woad (@lottie_woad) Korea's Hyo Joo Kim won second place with a final score of 18 under par, shooting a 68 in the last round at Dundonald Links. The next tournament for the LET is the Women's Open. It will be held at the Royal Porthcawl from Jul 31 to Aug 3. () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });
Canada News.Net
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Canada News.Net
Canadian teen, American Brianna Do among AIG Women's Open qualifiers
(Photo credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images) American Brianna Do and Canadian Anna Huang were among the 17 players to earn spots in this week's AIG Women's Open via Monday's 18-hole qualifier. The AIG Women's Open begins Thursday at Wales' Royal Porthcawl. Huang, the youngest player on the Ladies European Tour at 16, posted the low round Monday with her 4-under par 67 at Pyle and Kenfig Golf Club. She was followed by Ireland's Anna Foster and Thailand's Arpichaya Yubol at 3 under. 'I'm delighted with my score,' said Huang, who is No. 521 in the Rolex Women's Rankings. 'I don't play links golf, so it took a couple of practice rounds to get used to it, but I think I handled it pretty well. I played in the U.S. Open this year so this will be my second major championship. I learned a lot from that week and bringing more patience into this week will be really helpful.' Do, 35, tied for eighth at 1 under. The 2011 Women's Amateur Public Links champion will play in her first Women's Open since 2016. Ranked 351st, she is coming off a T23 in June at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship and a T59 three weeks ago at the Evian Championship. 'A few years ago, I was first alternate for the Evian, and I didn't get in, so I came over to Scotland and played quite a bit of golf,' Do said. 'I played the Old Course, Prestwick, Elie, so I played quite a bit for fun, and it was amazing. I learned quite a bit there but not in a tournament sense.' Among the five Americans who fell short in qualifying was 2017 major champion and four-time United States Solheim Cup player Danielle Kang, who shot a 73. Despite failing to qualify for her 13th Women's Open, Kang said she is not disappointed. 'Not even a little bit,' she said. 'I met unbelievably great people here. I got to play with a bunch of members at Porthcawl, and I got to know everybody at Pyle and Kenfig. It's been great.' Australia's Hira Naveed (69) and New Zealand's Momoko Kobori (70), teammates at Pepperdine from 2017-19, both qualified. All 17 qualifiers for this week's 144-golfer field finished under par.
NBC Sports
a day ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
One American, 16-year-old Canadian among AIG Women's Open qualifiers
AIG Women's Open final qualifying began Monday morning with 107 players vying for berths into the year's final major, which starts Thursday at Royal Porthcawl. It ended with 17 players qualifying. Canada's Anna Huang led the way as medalist in the 18-hole qualifier at Pyle and Kenfig Golf Club, a Harry Colt design that is located about a mile from this week's Open site in Wales. Huang, who is just 16 years old and the youngest member of the Ladies European Tour, shot 4-under 67. This will be her second major of the year, following the U.S. Women's Open, where she missed the cut. 'I'm delighted with my score,' Huang said. 'On the front nine, I just stayed really patient, I didn't miss any fairways and the putts were dropping. I don't play links golf, so it took a couple of practice rounds to get used to it, but I think I handled it pretty well. I played in the U.S. Open this year so this will be my second major championship. I learned a lot from that week and bringing more patience into this week will be really helpful.' Ireland's Anna Foster, who played college golf at Auburn, and Thailand's Arpichaya Yubol tied for second at 3 under. Florida State alum Morgane Metraux was among four players to tie for fourth at 2 under, and her twin sister, Kim, was first reserve at even par. Brianna Do was the lone American to qualify. The 35-year-old former U.S. Women's Public Links champion has made the cut in two majors already this year, the KPMG Women's PGA and Evian Championship. She had missed 11 of 12 career major cuts prior to this year. Do's 1-under 70 included a 45-foot eagle make on her ninth hole. 'It was nice to get an early tee time, so the wind was calm for a lot of my round,' Do said. Five other Americans did not qualify, including 2017 Women's PGA champion Danielle Kang, who shot 73, and Louisville product Lauren Hartlage, a final qualifier last year who carded 71 but missed out reserve status in a playoff. Also qualifying at 1 under was a group that included Stanford alum Aline Krauter, who qualified for and tied for 28th at this year's U.S. Women's Open despite being penalized for slow play in her qualifier, and current Cardinal standout Meja Ortengren, an amateur from Sweden. Another Swede, former Arizona State player Linnea Strom, birdied her final hole to shoot 70 and move the cut line, ensuring no playoff for the 17 qualifying spots. For the full list of qualifiers and results, click here.
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Anna Foster wins qualifying spot for AIG Women's Open at Royal Porthcawl
The Dubliner (23) was one of 17 players to come through Final Qualifying at nearby Pyle & Kenfig, carding a three under 68 to finish a shot behind leading qualifier Anna Hung (16) of Canada. 'The 4am alarm this morning was definitely something else!' said Foster, who is enjoying an impressive rookie season on the Ladies European Tour. 'But once I saw the draw, I was really pleased that I was out first, with the fresh greens and the calmer conditions. 'I was delighted to be able to take advantage of playing early and do the simple things effectively, like playing the par-5s well.' Foster went off in the first group at 6:45am and qualified in joint second with Thailand's Arpichaya Yubol. 'I was first reserve for the ISPS HANDA Women's Scottish Open last week but didn't get in,' added Foster, who is 28th in the LET's Order of Merit. 'I drove down from there on Friday and got to play here at Pyle & Kenfig on Saturday and Sunday, so that definitely helped. 'I played in the AIG Women's Open in 2023 at Walton Heath, and it was quite an overwhelming experience as an amateur, but now I feel I have more confidence in myself.' Amateurs Aine Donegan and Beth Coulter shot a two-over 73s to share 45th in the 107-strong field and miss out by three strokes. Olivia Mehaffey shot 74, Annabel Wilson a 75 and Sara Byrne a 78 to finish further down the field.
