Debuting in 2020, the Aramco Team Series comprises five worldwide events sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour (LET).
It's the first team event series of its kind on any professional tour and the only event in world golf where an amateur contributes to the final score in the team competition.
Competing across three continents, each tournament will see the world’s best players teaming up with amateur golfers to vie for a $1 million purse, with the prize money for the winning team being split between its three professional members — though, I’m sure a bottle of champagne might find its way to the victorious amateur.
The teams are selected through a draft system, where the team captain will pick one professional teammate before being allocated another via a random draw. Finally, one lucky amateur makes up the fourth, teeing it up alongside some of the best female golfers in the world.
As well as competing for the team trophy — played over two rounds — the professionals will also battle it out for the individual title over 54 holes, with Rolex World Ranking, LET Order of Merit, Race to Costa del Sol rankings and Solheim Cup points up for grabs.
There’s no doubt the injection of cash plays a part in its early success, with a $1M prize fund available at each event — $500,000 for the team event and $500,000 for the individual.
When you take into account that the average purse for a 2024 Ladies European Tour event — excluding the Aramco Team Series and majors — works out around $336,400, it proves a good bit more than what's usually on offer.
The appeal of the event is evidently widespread, with some of the top names in golf having already etched their names to the Aramco Team Series honour list, such as Nelly Korda, Charley Hull, Lexi Thompson, Alison Lee, Carlota Ciganda and Alexandra Försterling.
The second leg of the five-part series pitches up at the idyllic New Korea Country Club in Seoul — 10-12 May — which has opened its doors to the public for the first time in 38-years, where England’s Charley Hull, USA’s Danielle Kang and South Korea’s very own Hyo-Joo Kim headline the field.
From every angle, the series seems to be growing in strength. With strong fields and handsome prize funds, the new, innovative format is shaking up the standard dynamic of competition play, bringing both a refreshing and engaging approach to the sport.
