January 30 - February 02
Royal Green G&CC, King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia
$3,500,000
Round 2, Round 3, Round 4
Gavin Green and Graeme McDowell share the first-round lead of the second annual Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers, after shooting rounds of six-under-par 64 at King Abdullah Economic Cityโs Royal Greens Golf & Country Club.
Malaysiaโs Green, in completely contrasting conditions to McDowell, enjoyed the best of a sunny and calm morning. The 26-year-old led from the start of the tournamentโs opening day, with a birdie at the first hole as part of the first group out at 7.15am. Green continued as he started to set the pace, carding eight birdies and dropping only two shots on his way to a 64 to take the early clubhouse lead.
Northern Irelandโs McDowell faced a different golf course altogether with a stiffening breeze picking up throughout the afternoonโs play. Known for grinding in tough conditions his 64 came courtesy of eight birdies and a double bogey, including four birdies in a row from the second hole, with a further three birdies to close out his round.
After the round Green said; โI hit lots of fairways, lots of greens, and putted really well. I got off to a good start, 5-under through nine and I played the hard holes well.โ
First man out. Leading early. ✍️#SaudiIntlGolf @Workday https://t.co/ANw5Hpo6DK
โ The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) January 30, 2020
Joint leader McDowell added: โIโve had a new injection of motivation and focus since the summer last year. Got a new coach (Kevin Kirk) and heโs got me practicing better and thinking better and preparing myself better. I was playing with Phil (Mickelson) last year at Pebble Beach in the US Open and was taken aback how motivated he was and how much he wants it out here. Heโs 49 trying to get better and win golf tournaments and thatโs what I want. I got off to a great start which is important to do on this course and hung in well on the back nine.โ
Playing partner Phil Mickelson, who made his Saudi debut, was equally as impressive throughout the blustery afternoon with a remarkable 6-under-par back-nine of 29, to shoot 66. The multi-major winner fought back from 2-over par after five holes to finish only two shots off the lead.
Americaโs Mickelson commented: โOn the back nine, things really started to come together. Meaning I hit a lot of good shots. I started making the putts, and made a lot of birdies, and it was just a good back nine that gave me a good chance heading into tomorrow. I feel like my game is a lot sharper than I've been scoring, so it was nice having that back nine.โ
Behind Green and McDowell, a packed leaderboard of international stars await with eleven players sitting within two shots of the leaders. Swedenโs former Open champion Henrik Stenson is third alongside fellow countryman Sebastian Soderberg, Spainโs Adri Arnaus, Franceโs Victor Perez and Venezuelan, Jhonattan Vegas who all took advantage of a benign morning to finish five-under-par, one behind the lead.
151 yards. Into wind. 30ft target.
โ The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) January 30, 2020
Phil the Thrill 🎯@PhilMickelson #SaudiIntlGolf pic.twitter.com/JwfSAJ7eUI
Stenson, playing in one of the morningโs marquee groups alongside Lee Westwood, winner two weeks ago in Abu Dhabi, and defending champion Dustin Johnson, fired a 65 courtesy of six birdies and one bogey. Playing partner Johnson will be satisfied with a steady three-under-par opening round, 67, to lie in 14th position at the end of opening day.
Stenson, who โ with Soderberg โ missed the cut last year, said: โI certainly putted well. It was a lot of fighting and a lot of scrambling and some really good two-putts and chip shots around the greens. Probably the scorecard is a little tidier than I feel I played out there today.
โI think you've always got to stay patient when you're out there playing golf, but I was just trying to be the best I could at each one of the shots out there. I guess when you have a good attitude and a good short game to rely on, you can post a nice score, even though you don't feel you play your best.โ
Local interests centred upon the three Saudi players featured amongst the world-class field, Saudi Arabiaโs one and only professional Othman Almulla and amateurs Saud Alsharif and Faisal Salhab. On a challenging day for all three players it was Almulla who faired best to shoot five-over-par, 75.
"If you're not nervous you're not human."@ShaneLowryGolf offered Saudi's leading amateur Saud Al Sharif some tips ahead of the #SaudiIntlGolf.
โ The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) January 30, 2020
🎥: @Golf_Saudi pic.twitter.com/hrRwzw0SMv
After the round Almulla said: โIt was an interesting day. This was actually the first time in a long time Iโve felt comfortable on the golf course. Having a nightmare last week actually put me in a much, much better position mentally to go out and perform this week. Obviously five-over par still isnโt good enough, but I can take a lot, a lot of positives from today โ especially in how I struck the ball. If I can go out and continue to put myself in a position where I feel comfortable with my ball-striking, and I give myself opportunities, I think I can take another step up in my career."
While the live golf takes centre-stage, the Saudi Internationalโs off-course Entertainment Zone will be packed with interactive, family fun experiences, plus a delicious selection of food trucks and pop-ups over its remaining three days โ ensuring that the whole weekend provides โThe Ultimate Day Outโ.
Once the sun sets, Fridayโs golf will be followed by two unforgettable live concerts. Canadian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams will rock-out, after Grammy Awardโwinning DJ Zedd whips the crowd into a frenzy.
Flamenco favourites the Gipsy Kings and Puerto Rican music sensation Luis Fonsi โ the man behind global megahit โDespacitoโ โ will all take to the stage on Saturday night.
Tickets are now on sale for the Saudi International, priced at 50 SAR per day or 160 SAR for a full tournament pass (four days). Exclusive concert tickets start at 75 SAR.
For more tournament information, visit www.saudiinternational.com
Pos. |
Player | Nat |
To Par |
R1 |
T1 |
Gavin Green | MAS |
-6 |
64 |
T1 |
Graeme McDowell | NIR |
-6 |
64 |
T3 |
Adria Arnaus | ESP |
-5 |
65 |
T3 |
Henrik Stenson | SWE |
-5 |
65 |
T3 |
Jhonattan Vegas | VEN |
-5 |
65 |
T3 |
Sebastian Soederberg | SWE |
-5 |
65 |
T3 |
Victor Perez | FRA |
-5 |
65 |
T8 |
Aaron Rai | ENG |
-4 |
66 |
T8 |
Andy Sullivan | ENG |
-4 |
66 |
T8 |
Phil Mickelson | USA |
-4 |
66 |
T8 |
Ross Fisher | ENG |
-4 |
66 |
T8 |
Ryan Fox | NZL |
-4 |
66 |
T8 |
Tom Lewis | ENG |
-4 |
66 |
T14 |
Dustin Johnson | USA |
-3 |
67 |
T14 |
Francesco Laporta | ITA |
-3 |
67 |
T14 |
Joost Luiten | NED |
-3 |
67 |
T14 |
Lucas Herbert | AUS |
-3 |
67 |
T14 |
Marcus Kinhult | SWE |
-3 |
67 |
T14 |
Sebastian Garcia | ESP |
-3 |
67 |
T14 |
Soren Kjeldsen | DEN |
-3 |
67 |
T21 |
Adrian Meronk | POL |
-2 |
68 |
T21 |
Alexander Bjoerk | SWE |
-2 |
68 |
T21 |
Christiaan Bezuidenhout | RSA |
-2 |
68 |
T21 |
David Howell | ENG |
-2 |
68 |
T21 |
Fabrizio Zanotti | PAR |
-2 |
68 |
T21 |
Jazz Janewattananond | THA |
-2 |
68 |
T21 |
Justin Harding | RSA |
-2 |
68 |
T21 |
Matthieu Pavon | FRA |
-2 |
68 |
T21 |
Renato Paratore | ITA |
-2 |
68 |
T21 |
Scott Hend | AUS |
-2 |
68 |
T21 |
Sean Crocker | USA |
-2 |
68 |
T21 |
Shubhankar Sharma | IND |
-2 |
68 |
T33 |
Abraham Ancer | USA |
-1 |
69 |
T33 |
Adrian Otaegui | ESP |
-1 |
69 |
T33 |
Alexander Levy | FRA |
-1 |
69 |
T33 |
Connor Syme | SCO |
-1 |
69 |
T33 |
James Morrison | ENG |
-1 |
69 |
T33 |
Jeff Winther | SWE |
-1 |
69 |
T33 |
Matthias Schwab | AUT |
-1 |
69 |
T33 |
Nicolas Colsaerts | BEL |
-1 |
69 |
T33 |
Pablo Larrazabal | ESP |
-1 |
69 |
T33 |
Rafael Cabrera Bello | ESP |
-1 |
69 |
T33 |
Richard Bland | ENG |
-1 |
69 |
T33 |
Richard McEvoy | ENG |
-1 |
69 |
T33 |
Sergio Garcia | ESP |
-1 |
69 |
T33 |
Shane Lowry | IRL |
-1 |
69 |
T33 |
Victor Dubuisson | FRA |
-1 |
69 |
T48 |
Brooks Koepka | USA |
Par |
70 |
T48 |
Chris Paisley | ENG |
Par |
70 |
T48 |
Guido Migliozzi | ITA |
Par |
70 |
T48 |
Haotong Li | CHN |
Par |
70 |
T48 |
Jack Singh-Brar | ENG |
Par |
70 |
T48 |
Lee Westwood | ENG |
Par |
70 |
T48 |
Matt Wallace | ENG |
Par |
70 |
T48 |
Maverick Antcliff | AUS |
Par |
70 |
T48 |
Maximilian Kieffer | GER |
Par |
70 |
T48 |
Raphael Jacquelin | FRA |
Par |
70 |
T48 |
Rasmus Hoejgaard | DEN |
Par |
70 |
T48 |
Richie Ramsay | SCO |
Par |
70 |
T48 |
Sam Horsfield | ENG |
Par |
70 |
T48 |
Sebastian Heisele | GER |
Par |
70 |
T48 |
Stephen Gallacher | SCO |
Par |
70 |
T48 |
Thomas Pieters | BEL |
Par |
70 |
T64 |
Andrea Pavan | ITA |
1 |
71 |
T64 |
Ashun Wu | CHI |
1 |
71 |
T64 |
Benjamin Hebert | FRA |
1 |
71 |
T64 |
Calum Hill | SCO |
1 |
71 |
T64 |
Darius van Driel | NED |
1 |
71 |
T64 |
Dean Burmester | RSA |
1 |
71 |
T64 |
Edoardo Molinari | ITA |
1 |
71 |
T64 |
Erik Van Rooyen | RSA |
1 |
71 |
T64 |
Jack Senior | ENG |
1 |
71 |
T64 |
Jamie Donaldson | WAL |
1 |
71 |
T64 |
Jordan Smith | ENG |
1 |
71 |
T64 |
Justin Walters | RSA |
1 |
71 |
T64 |
Matthew Southgate | ENG |
1 |
71 |
T64 |
Mikko Korhonen | FIN |
1 |
71 |
T64 |
Robert Rock | ENG |
1 |
71 |
T64 |
Romain Langasque | FRA |
1 |
71 |
T64 |
Steven Brown | ENG |
1 |
71 |
T81 |
Akshay Bhatia | USA |
2 |
72 |
T81 |
Alvaro Quiros | ESP |
2 |
72 |
T81 |
Antoine Rozner | FRA |
2 |
72 |
T81 |
David Micheluzzi | AUS |
2 |
72 |
T81 |
Ernie Els | RSA |
2 |
72 |
T81 |
Haydn Porteous | RSA |
2 |
72 |
T81 |
Ian Poulter | ENG |
2 |
72 |
T81 |
Nacho Elvira | ESP |
2 |
72 |
T81 |
Kalle Samooja | FIN |
2 |
72 |
T81 |
Nino Bertasio | ITA |
2 |
72 |
T81 |
Paul Waring | ENG |
2 |
72 |
T81 |
Robert MacIntyre | SCO |
2 |
72 |
T81 |
Zander Lombard | RSA |
2 |
72 |
T94 |
Ashley Chesters | ENG |
3 |
73 |
T94 |
David Drysdale | SCO |
3 |
73 |
T94 |
Grant Forrest | SCO |
3 |
73 |
T94 |
Jeung-Hun Wang | KOR |
3 |
73 |
T94 |
Jorge Campillo | ESP |
3 |
73 |
T94 |
Lorenzo Gagli | ITA |
3 |
73 |
T94 |
Martin Kaymer | GER |
3 |
73 |
T94 |
Masahiro Kawamura | JPN |
3 |
73 |
T94 |
Matthew Jordan | ENG |
3 |
73 |
T94 |
Oliver Farr | WAL |
3 |
73 |
T94 |
Oliver Fisher | ENG |
3 |
73 |
T94 |
Patrick Reed | USA |
3 |
73 |
T94 |
Scott Jamieson | SCO |
3 |
73 |
T94 |
Tapio Pulkkanen | FIN |
3 |
73 |
T94 |
Thomas Aiken | RSA |
3 |
73 |
T94 |
Thomas Bjorn | DEN |
3 |
73 |
T94 |
Thomas Detry | BEL |
3 |
73 |
T111 |
Benjamin Poke | DNK |
4 |
74 |
T111 |
David Horsey | ENG |
4 |
74 |
T111 |
Gaganjeet Bhullar | IND |
4 |
74 |
T111 |
Joachim B. Hansen | DEN |
4 |
74 |
T111 |
Michael Lorenzo-Vera | FRA |
4 |
74 |
T111 |
Min-Woo Lee | AUS |
4 |
74 |
T111 |
Ricardo Santos | POR |
4 |
74 |
T111 |
Sebastian Crampton | USA |
4 |
74 |
T119 |
Ahmed Marjan | MOR |
5 |
75 |
T119 |
Bernd Wiesberger | AUT |
5 |
75 |
T119 |
Cormac Sharvin | NIR |
5 |
75 |
T119 |
David Law | SCO |
5 |
75 |
T119 |
Joakim Lagergren | SWE |
5 |
75 |
T119 |
Julien Guerrier | FRA |
5 |
75 |
T119 |
Oliver Wilson | ENG |
5 |
75 |
T119 |
Othman Al Mulla | KSA |
5 |
75 |
127 |
Wade Ormsby | AUS |
6 |
76 |
128 |
Brandon Stone | RSA |
8 |
78 |
T129 |
Callum Shinkwin | ENG |
9 |
79 |
T129 |
Jamie Elson | ENG |
9 |
79 |
T131 |
Faisal Alsalhab | KSA |
12 |
82 |
T131 |
Saud Al Sharif | KSA |
12 |
82 |