Photo: Tristan Jones

Major winners Georgia Hall and Anna Nordqvist are looking forward to the testing conditions at this week’s Aramco Saudi Ladies International. It is the third edition of the tournament, which is held at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in KAEC and will see 108 players from 27 countries tee it up in the LET’s second event of the year.

Nordqvist, who won the 2021 AIG Women’s Open, believes the wind will be a factor in the tournament with strong gusts predicted throughout the week :“I love coming here, it’s my third time now and this is probably as good as I’ve ever seen the golf course, it’s very lush out there,” said the Swede, who finished ninth in the 2021 Race to Costa del Sol.

“It’s probably as windy as I’ve ever seen it, so it’s going to be a challenge because it’s early in the year. Normally when you come here you have quite a few months of tournament play behind you, so that’s going to add a little extra challenge this year.”

And Nordqvist is excited to see the new rookies on the LET this year and the record-breaking schedule that is ahead of them in 2022: “There’s been a lot of good tournaments added to the Ladies European Tour schedule this year, so I’m excited to play a few with the girls,” said the number 16 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.What’s so great about the Ladies European Tour is players from all over the world come to compete, and they also play all over the world, so that diversity and everything about the Ladies European Tour makes people feel at home.”

While fellow Solheim Cup winner Hall, who was runner-up in the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2020, is hoping to thrive in the tough conditions.

The English star will tee it up with two-time LET winner Pia Babnik and Finland’s Sanna Nuutinen, who finished fourth in last year’s Race to Costa del Sol :“I really enjoy the golf course, it’s in really good condition and the win can get up a lot which I don’t mind, but it’s a really enjoyable place to be and I love it here,” said the 2018 Women’s Open winner. I feel quite comfortable playing in the wind, I feel like I’m used to it a bit more than other players. I think it will be fairly windy this week, but the greens are in good condition and not too fast, so I think the ball should hold. In the afternoons, you have to prepare for a lot of wind and how it changes the ball flight, but the most important thing is to stay patient.”

The duo will be joined in the field by 2020 Race to Costa del Sol champion and 2020 Aramco Saudi Ladies International winner Emily Kristine Pedersen who is playing alongside Steph Kyriacou and Olivia Cowan.

Plus, Dutch star Anne Van Dam, Spain’s Carlota Ciganda, South Africa’s Lee-Anne Pace, and Norway’s Marianne Skarpnord will all be hoping to gain more success this week.

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