Today kicked off the fifth edition of the Saudi Arabian International Championship, presented by the State Investment Fund and sponsored by SoftBank Investment Consulting, featuring some 120 elite golfers, Asia Tour top talent and major championship winners, in addition to the Saudi trio of Othman Al Mulla, Faisal Salhab and Saudi Al Sharif. Mexican leader Avraham Unser competed on the first day of the tournament, held at the Royal Greens Stadium and Club in King Abdullah Economic City, after hitting 7 below average, ahead of Colombian Sebastian Muñoz, who finished second with 6 below average, while the American Cameron Young and Spaniard Sergio Garcia shared South African Louis Ousthuisen in third with 5 under par. While the American Dustin Johnson, the champion of the 2019 and 2021 championships, withdrew from the competition due to an injury.
Unser said: “Very pleased with today’s result, I was able to control all the shots and took advantage of the clear weather in the morning. It was a bit more difficult in the second period, but then you need to be calm and focused.” well, try to score a few shots below par, which I managed to convert today, and I hope to continue at this level until the end.
The tournament was attended by three players from Saudi Arabia, Osman Al-Mulla and a duo that competes in tournament competition after moving to the professional scene, Faisal Salhab and Saud Al-Sharif, as well as a group of talent from the Arab world from Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco.
After scoring two above average goals at the end of the first day of the tournament, Salhab said: “Today is a special day for me and I am very pleased with what I did in the first day competitions as I scored a group of shots below average and I will try to repeat this issue by improving other aspects until the end of the tournament.”
American Patrick Reed, who finished ninth with 3 goals below average, said: “The development of the Saudi Arabian International Championship since its inception so far has been very remarkable and the stadium is in better condition every year and the talent is constantly evolving. and improvement in every version of the tournament and the fans watching the competition and all of this reflects the development of golf in the Kingdom which is unique as spreading golf around the world is a major goal and I feel like we are doing a good job being here.”
Saudi Arabian International Championship competitions will continue on the second day, tomorrow, Friday, February 3rd. Tickets for the Saudi Arabian International Golf Championship, provided by the State Investment Fund and sponsored by Soft Bank Investment Consulting, are available (link). For more information about the tournament, visit the website: www.golfsaudi.com.
