Five-time PGA Tour winner Kevin Na, who won the PGA Tour’s Sony Open in Hawaii on Sunday, is the latest American star to enter the 2021 Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers, Royal Greens Golf & Country Club, 4 – 7 February 2021.
The third edition of the Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers sees the strongest field gathered in the Kingdom to date with a healthy serving of world ranking points on offer sealing its position as the strongest event on the Middle East swing. In addition to the World No.1, there are 13 Major winners in the field, 29 Ryder Cup stars with 90 appearances and, collectively, the field has won more than 900 international titles between them.
Na is making his first trip to Saudi Arabia having only played a handful of European Tour events over the last decade, with his last appearance back in 2015. He joins a stellar list of American players flocking to the Kingdom including World Number One and 2020 Masters Champion Dustin Johnson, 2020 US Open Champion Bryson DeChambeau, five-time Major winner Phil Mickelson, 2018 Masters Champion Patrick Reed and World No.18 Tony Finau.
Na commented, “The more I heard about the player field for the Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers, the more I felt like I didn’t want to miss out. The depth and strength of the field in Saudi is what really appealed to me. I haven’t played in many European Tour events in recent years so I am really looking forward to getting back out there and visiting Saudi Arabia for the first time..”
The US players will have their work cut out to become the second American to win the Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers (Johnson in 2019 was the first) as they will face a star-studded European contingent that includes Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Paul Casey, Tommy Fleetwood, Sergio Garcia, Tyrrell Hatton, Martin Kaymer, Ian Poulter, Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood, Bernd Wiesberger, Danny Willett along with defending Champion Graeme McDowell.
With a line-up that looks set to ensure that the third edition of the Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers will not only be its best yet but also one of the strongest events on the 2021 European Tour schedule, golf is well and truly establishing itself within the Kingdom. Following two extremely successful weeks of Ladies European Tour events late last year, Golf Saudi is looking to build on recent momentum and continue to leverage the country’s burgeoning interest in the sport by prioritising a series of ambitious mass participation programmes in order to grow the game for future generations in Saudi Arabia.
The tournament has grown along with a list of premium brand partners helping to bring world-class golf to the kingdom. The tournament partners this year will be SoftBank Investment Advisers, Ministry of Sport, Public Investment Fund, King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), Aramco, SAMBA, Saudia, Invest Saudi, Sky Prime, GIB, STC, Rolex, Saudi Cargo, Saddik & Mohamed Attar, UMA Premium, Mix FM, Nova, Adidas, Al Laith, Luxury Carts, Reza Hygiene and Royal Greens Golf & Country Club.
Majed Al Sorour, CEO of the Saudi Golf Federation and Golf Saudi, said: “As entries are finalised for our third Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers, we are very happy with our line-up of international star players as we are stronger in strength and depth than we have ever been. Our vision is to grow golf across the Kingdom and make it both accessible and enjoyable to all Saudis. So by hosting prestigious tournaments such as these demonstrates that we are able to host the world’s best players as a means of inspiring the next generation of young Saudis and Saudi golfers.
Al Sorour continued: “We are also delighted to have such strong support from all our event sponsors who share our vision in ensuring this tournament is one of the strongest events on the European Tour Schedule. Thanks to the support of our partners, we are able to continue to support golf development in the Kingdom, while helping to support their work showcasing Saudi Arabia as a destination for international business development”
For more tournament information, visit – www.saudiinternational.com
