With the end of season in sight the Ladies European Tour (LET) is in Riyadh this week for the fifth and final Aramco Team Series presented by PIF event of 2024.
Staged at Riyadh Golf Club for the second time, 84 players from 27 nations will tee up vying for their share of US$1,000,000 in both the team and individual competitions.
Before play gets underway in Saudi Arabia, here are five storylines to look out for…
Superstars in Saudi
For the second straight year a magnificent field will be teeing up at Riyadh Golf Club. Leading the way are Team Europe’s trio of Charley Hull, Georgia Hall and Carlota Ciganda.
Hull is the highest ranked player in the field sitting 15th in the Rolex Rankings. The Englishwoman has a fantastic record in Saudi Arabia finishing T3 in this event last year, runner-up at this event in 2022 at Royal Greens, and T3 on this course at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International in February. Hull will be looking to end the season on a high and pick up a first win since 2022.
Elsewhere, Hull’s Solheim Cup rival Alison Lee returns after crushing the history books at this event in 2023. The American carded consecutive rounds of 61 (-11) on day one and two last year to equal the low 18-hole score twice on the LET. With a winning score of -29, Lee would go on to break the 54-hole scoring record and become only the second player in history to win an LET tournament without dropping a single shot (Italy’s Diana Luna recorded the other at the 2011 UniCredit Ladies German Open).
Last but not least, Thai Major winner Patty Tavatanakit returns to Riyadh eight months on from cruising to victory at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International on this course. The 25-year-old brought her A-game to Riyadh Golf Club back in February winning by seven shots.
Tamburlini on the brink
After a sensational debut season Switzerland’s Chiara Tamburlini can win the Order of Merit in Riyadh this week.
The 24-year-old has already clinched the Rookie of the Year accolade after winning three times this season. Tamburlini hoisted silverware at the Joburg Ladies Open, Lacoste Ladies Open de France and Wistron Ladies Open just a few weeks ago.
With four more top-five finishes to her name on top of such triumphs, Tamburlini leads the OOM by 773.23 points and can win the season-long competition with a tournament to spare if Manon De Roey fails to win in Saudi Arabia.
Even with a victory, a third place finish or better would still guarantee the OOM for Tamburlini. A 19th finish or better does the same even if her rival finishes outright second. If De Roey finishes third place or lower, Tamburlini can officially become the first Swiss winner of the competition.
Battle on the Bubble
With just two events left in 2024, this week is a crucial one for many stars vying to keep their full LET card for next season.
The top-70 in the standings following the conclusion of the Andalucia Costa Del Sol Open De Espana Presented By OYSHO will earn Category 4 status for next year, with the season ending event capped at 63 players (as well as 11 invites) based on position in the standings.
This means those competing in Riyadh who are currently outside the bubble face a make or break week if they are to compete in Spain in a few weeks and cement their full status.
Those in question facing big battles include Ellie Givens (67th), Maha Haddioui (73rd), Sanna Nuutinen (78th), Sara Kjellker (79th), Madelene Stavnar (82nd), and Sarah Schober (83rd).
Red-Hot Rhodes
One rising star to keep an eye on this week is England’s Mimi Rhodes. The 22-year-old is one of 11 sponsor invitations in Riyadh and will be teeing up hot in form after sharing medalist honours at the second stage of LPGA Q-Series last week.
Rhodes has had a fantastic 2024 being part of the winning GB & I team at the Curtis Cup. She also claimed victory at the Lavaux Ladies Open on the LET Access Series (LETAS). The Englishwoman has since turned professional and makes her full LET debut this week.
Unique Format
Once again the format is the same as other ATS events with Individual and Team competitions being played simultaneously. The Team competition will be played over 36-holes over the first two days with the best two scores counting. The Individual is a 54-hole stroke play competition with the last round just having the top-60 professionals and ties competing.
There are 84 professionals teeing it up this week and there will be 28 teams contending for the top prize. Each team will consist of three professionals and one amateur with the captains decided based upon position in the Rolex Rankings. The draft will take place on Tuesday and will see captains pick in reverse order of ranking.
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