The Saudi International Golf Championship will start tomorrow (Thursday), where 132 players from different countries of the world will compete for the title, as one of the largest golf tournaments this year and is part of the European Tour. The press conference of the championship was held yesterday, presented by Softbank and hosted by the Royal Greens Golf Course and the Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City, in the presence of a group of media professionals and golf representatives, where the CEO of the Saudi Golf Federation, Majid bin Mohammed Al Surour, spoke about the Kingdom hosting the Saudi International Golf Championship for the second time in a row and said that we are very happy to host the tournament for the second year in a row and we hope that this year's version will live up to the aspirations of everyone, and the list of players participating this year includes the elite of world players and we will witness intense competition for the title. He also added that it will present an excellent opportunity for Saudi people to participate in, as it is the goals of the Saudi Golf Federation to promote interest in this sport and increase the number of participants around the kingdom. The CEO of King Abdullah Economic City Ahmed Lingawy spoke about the facilities of the highest international standards and said that, "We have placed a great focus on the sports and entertainment sector in King Abdullah Economic City, where the Royal Greens and the Country Club are among the best golf courses in the world, and In the near future we will provide the facilities with the highest international standards and specifications for other sports." Last year's champion, the world's fifth-ranked world champion, US player Dustin Johnson, also spoke and said, "I played well here last year. I like this golf course so much and excited to be in the kingdom again. Winning the championship title on the grounds of Royal Greens and the country club does not mean that I will win. Once again, I have to work hard to achieve this. " While his compatriot and world number one Brooks Koepka said: "I had a three-month hiatus, and I thought I'd come back to compete again, it's a great feeling. I felt it in Abu Dhabi, and I felt it in Dubai, and I feel it now here in the kingdom." World champion Dustin Johnson, world number one Brooks Koepka, will return to Saudi Arabia to participate in the second edition of the Saudi International Golf Professionals Tournament, held this weekend, under the auspices of Softbank Investment Consulting Group. Golf stars from America also lead the strongest lineup of game champions from around the world coming to the Middle East to compete in the championship, which is part of the European Golf Tour and witness the participation of the elite golfers this weekend to compete for the cash prize of 3.5 million USD, at the Royal Greens Golf Course and Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City. Saudi national team player Othman Al-Mulla spoke about his ambitions to participate in the tournament saying, "We participate in this tournament after receiving an invitation and not by ranking, and we look forward to participating in such international tournaments to gain experience until the day comes when we become one of the world ranked players, and we lack nothing to achieve this dream, support exists and we have the drive. We do not want to become professional players only, but we want to become successful professional players to raise the name of the home country high." His teammate in the Saudi national team Faisal Salhab spoke about how he felt in his first participation and said, "I hope that we will present distinguished levels that the Kingdom is proud of and that we will pave the way for everyone who wants to enter the world of golf." Their teammate, Saud Al-Sharif, spoke about golf and encouraging the Saudi community to adopt it, saying, "I would like to thank Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal and the General Authority for Sports for their continuous support for sports in general and golf in particular, and I would also like to thank Yasser Al-Romayyan and all the employees of the Saudi Golf Federation for everything they offer us. Golf is constantly growing and establishing such tournaments and the presence of the elite international players in the Royal Greens will give this sport the necessary boost it needs to enter the hearts of the Saudis." The world number one Koepka returns to the Kingdom after a great season last year, when he won his fourth title in a major golf tournament. The talented 29-year-old is keen to get back into the field of competition after a knee injury that left him out for three months at the end of last year's season. Johnson, ranked fifth in the world, won an overwhelming victory by winning his first title in the European Tour at the Saudi International Championship last year, which included the second round 61, which is a record on the field. The two stars, Johnson and Koepka, will be joined by American stars Phil Mickelson and Patrick Reed, as well as a group of the biggest names from Europe, including Sergio Garcia, Shane Lowry, Henrik Stenson and Lee Westwood, who recently won the Abu Dhabi HSBC championship for golf. The tickets are still available for sale. Ticket prices start from 50 Saudi riyals per day, and 160 Saudi riyals for the full tournament (four days). The tournament will feature concerts by the most famous international singers and DJs such as Marco Carola, Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike (on January 30), Zaid and Bryan Adams (on January 31), Luis Fonsi and the Gypsy Kings band (on February 1). party tickets are available at prices starting from 75 Saudi riyals.
