Many Korean male and female golf stars are participating in tournaments held in Saudi Arabia. This is because the prize money is so large that it is incomparable to domestic competitions, and it is advantageous to obtain world ranking points.
The Korean players scheduled to participate in the Ladies European Tour (LET) ‘Aramco Saudi Ladies International’, which will be held in Saudi Arabia from the 16th, are Jeon In-ji, Kim Hyo-joo, Lee Jung-eun, Kim A-rim, Lee So-mi, Lim Hee-jung, Yoo Hae-ran, Song Ga-eun, Seong Yu-jin, Jung Yun-ji, Hong Jung-min, There are 15 members, including Lim Jin-hee, Hwang Jeong-mi, and Ha Min-song. Until a week ago, there were only 10 Korean players, but as of the 1st, 5 more players have increased. Here, Lee Seung-yeon, Hong Ji-won, and Hwang Yoo-min were put on the waiting list.
The biggest reason Korean players participate in this tournament is prize money. This tournament is a special event with a total prize money of 5 million dollars (approximately 6.15 billion won), and the winning prize alone is 750,000 dollars (927 million won). It is 5 to 6 times the total prize money of the Korea Women’s Professional Golf (KLPGA) tournament, and the largest amount on the American Women’s Professional Golf (LPGA) tour, excluding major tournaments.
For this reason, last year’s winner, Georgia Hall, as well as world No. 1 Lydia Ko, Lexi Thompson, Yuka Sasso, Daniel Kang, and Hannah Green will also participate in this year’s event. 스포츠토토
Besides the prize money, domestic players have one more advantage. It is that you can check your skills and experience overseas during the off-season. A KLPGA official said, “In the past, a lot of players who entered the LPGA participated, but this time, it seems that many players who are active in Korea are thinking of going abroad.” Explained.
Not only female athletes, but also male athletes are heading to Saudi Arabia. Kim Bio, a former ‘Asian Tour Rookie of the Year’, will be held at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club (par 70, 7048 yards) in King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia for four days from the 2nd (local time). 5 million dollars). In addition to Bio Kim, 8 players including Park Sang-hyun, Moon Kyung-jun, Lee Tae-hee, Kim Young-soo, Lee Geun Lee, Ok Tae-hun, and Kim Min-gyu will compete in Saudi Arabia.
Although the tournament is sponsored by the Saudi National Wealth Fund (PIF), because it is an Asian Tour event, it is not subject to sanctions from the American Professional Golf (PGA) Tour, which is a rival of LIV Golf. Since it is an Asian Tour event, it is also good for gaining world ranking points. For this reason, not only Korean players but also LIV golf players who cannot participate in PGA Tour events stand out. Last year’s Open winner and world No. 4 Cameron Smith, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Bryson Dishambo were also on the list.