The Leading Logic In Sports Handicapping |
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msudogs
Moderator
Registered: Nov 2005
Posts: 65535
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The Saudi International is in its fifth year of existence but became a flagship event on the Asian Tour last year. The event is held in King Abdullah Economic City, located along the coast of Red Sea. This event is never without controversy as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s political and human rights issues have been well-documented. Nevertheless, it has not stopped many big-time names in golf from traveling there and scooping up some extra appearance fees.
The tournament ceased to be a European Tour event after the 2021 edition, and later that year it was announced that as a result, the PGA Tour would not allow its members to compete in future editions, with the European Tour expected to do the same. In September 2021, it was announced that it would become part of the Asian Tour's schedule. This involved a 10-year deal starting in 2022, with an increased prize fund of $5 million. In October, it was announced that the event would become the flagship event of the Asian Tour. In December, the PGA Tour revealed that it would grant their members releases to play in the event in 2022 on the condition that they committed to play in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in the following years.
This all changed, though, as Greg Norman, with the backing of the Public Investment Fund (owned by the Saudi Arabian government), started LIV Golf officially last summer.
The Royal Greens Golf & Country Club was built in 2017 and designed by Dave Sampson of Euro Golf Design. The track plays as a par-72 for members but will play as a par-70 for the players this week as the par-5s on the ninth and13th holes are converted to par-4s for a 7,010-yard layout. There are 12 par-4s on this track that only average around 420 yards and four of them measure less than 380 yards. The course is built around four lakes with some holes playing toward and alongside the Red Sea. As well as the water, native desert areas and waste areas await poor shots as well as drainage ditches. There are several doglegs, too, so the course will demand some strategy. The course features Royal Paspalum Dynasty grass throughout. Nevertheless, this is a shorter layout, so wind has the be the primary defense.
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02-01-23 11:14 PM |
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