NEW DESTINATION
Royal Greens on the
The 1st hole of Royal Greens Golf and Country Club
Sand
Kevin Murray
Ernie Els, Andrew ‘Beef ’ Johnston and stars of the Ladies European Tour on hand for a historic weekend at Saudi Arabia’s first championship golfing destination, Royal Greens Golf and Country Club, writes Louie Chan.
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The 18th hole of Royal Greens Golf and Country Club
Paul Severn
Ernie Els with His Excellency Yasir bin Othman Al-Rumayyan during the Grand Opening Ceremonial Tee Shot 64
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pros were joined by Othman A lmulla, a prominent member of the Saudi National Team and Claude Harmon III, one of the world’s leading coaches. Together, the group delivered clinics for beginner golfers and were treated to a taste of both traditional and modern Saudi culture at a grand gala dinner, where they were greeted by Saudi ardha dancers. A fter the Grand Opening Ex hibition Match, in which Ernie Els and Haddioui were narrowly defeated by A lmulla and Boulden in a fun three-hole scramble, the South African Hall-of-Famer, said: “The opening of Royal Greens Golf and Country Club is a landmark moment for golf in Saudi Arabia. This golf course is spectacular and, with its setting upon a stretch of pristine Red Sea coastline, I’m sure it will quickly b e come one of t he mo st re cog n i sable a nd most popu la r dest i nat ions on a ny worldwide tour.” Royal Greens has been chosen by the Saudi Golf Federation to host Saudi Arabia’s first ever European Tour event, which will HKGOLFER.COM
welcome the great and good of the game in January 2019. The Federation announced t h e e ve nt at t h e G r a n d O p e n i n g a n d confirmed the participation of top players, including World No.1, Dustin Johnson; Masters Champion, Patrick Reed; Ryder Cup Captain, Thomas Bjorn; and World No.13, Paul Casey. Home to a state-of-the-art Golf Academy and extensive long and short-game practice areas, Royal Greens also cemented its status as a pillar of the sport’s development in the country with the signing of an MOU with the Saudi Arabian Golf Federation. This agreement will see Royal Greens and master developer Emaar the Economic City work with the Federation to attract more novice players to the game, support the elite National Team via access to its outstanding f a c i l i t i e s a s S a u d i ’s f l a g s h i p g o l f i n g destination and consult on the development of new golfing facilities in The Kingdom. ‘The Grand Opening of Royal Greens Gol f a nd C ou nt r y Club signa ls t he beginning of a new era for golf in Saudi HKGOLFER.COM
Arabia and we are delighted to introduce it to the world,’ said Fahd AlRasheed, Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Emaar the Economic City (EEC), the master developer of King Abdullah Economic City in which the club is located. ‘This facility will be regarded amongst golf ’s very best and will become a launch pad for the next generation of Saudi golfers looking to make their mark in the game.’ Ma naged by Troon , Roya l Green s G ol f a nd C ou nt r y Club is undoubtedly one of the most impressive facilities in golf, both on and off the course, boasting an impressive 9,820m sq. clubhouse, including ballroom, health club and award-winning spa, as well as fine dining restaurants and an elegant tea room. Please go to www.royalgreens.net for more information.
ABOUT KING ABDULLAH ECONOMIC CITY King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) is the largest privately-funded new city in the world. Situated on the west coast of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KAEC covers an area of 181km sq. of land, approximately the size of Washington DC. KAEC comprises King Abdullah Port, the Coastal Communities residential districts, the Haramain Railway district and the Industrial Valley. The city is under development by Emaar, The Economic City, a publicly listed Saudi joint-stock company established in 2006.
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Kevin Murray
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o rld gol f ’s newe st championship venue, Roya l Greens Golf and Country Club, celebrated its official Grand Opening over an action-packed weekend, as golfing stars, celebrities and senior members of the Saudi Government congregated to mark the historic occasion. Four-time Major winner and President’s Cup Captain, Ernie Els, was joined by Europea n Tour wi n ner, A nd rew ‘ Beef ’ Johnston, to witness the first tee shot over the spectacular European Golf Design, par72 layout, struck by His Excellency Yasir Bin Othman Al-Rumayyan, President of the Saudi Golf Federation. He was closely followed by European Tour Chief Executive, Keith Pelley, Els and Johnston themselves, and Ladies European To u r p l ay e r s A m y B o u l d e n , C a m i l l a Lennarth and Maha Haddioui in taking to the first tee for the very first time. During an action-packed weekend, the
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