For the third year in a row, the European Tour is settling down in Saudi Arabia.
More precisely to the economic city of King Abdullah located on the shores of the Red Sea, 100 kilometers north of Jeddah.
Two years ago, for the first, the organizers proposed a very tough field with the presence of several top American players: Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed, Bryson DeChambeau.
Johnson, not yet world No. 1 at the time, won while DeChambeau, who had just won the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, took sixth place.
Last year, just a few weeks before the health crisis linked to Covid-19, the Americans, with the exception of DeChambeau but with Phil Mickelson as a bonus and a few foreign sizes of the PGA Tour such as the Mexican Abraham Ancer or the Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas , had once again responded to the invitation, well helped it must be said by very attractive starting bonuses (in 2019, the Spaniard Sergio Garcia had pocketed the modest sum of 580,000 euros).
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Saudi International's 2021 plateau, with a $ 3.5 million endowment, is even more impressive.
Twenty players from the world's top 50 are indeed at the start.
Starting with the current n ° 1, Dustin Johnson, a must now.
In its wake, numbers 7, 8 and 10, namely the Englishman Tyrrell Hatton, winner two weeks ago in Abu Dhabi, Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed.
The latter has just won at Torrey Pines, at the Farmers Insurance Open, in front of the Norwegian Viktor Hovland (n ° 12) and Tony Finau (n ° 15), also present.
Englishman Paul Casey, world n ° 16, solid winner of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic last Sunday, is also the Englishman Tommy Fleetwood (n ° 21), the American Kevin Na, n ° 25, victorious in January of the Sony Open in Hawaii (PGA Tour), or the Mexican Abraham Ancer (n ° 27).
Also worthy of note is Sergio Garcia, sixth last weekend in Dubai, the English Lee Westwood, Justin Rose and Matt Wallace, the Swede Henrik Stenson, the legendary Phil Mickelson, 3rd in 2020, fifty but always so dashing, the Japanese nugget, Takumi Kanaya, and the Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas, return to the Arabian Peninsula.
Most of this impressive aeropage has an Appearance Fee, higher or lower depending on the status.
We are talking about a global envelope of… 15 million dollars!
It's #SaudiIntlGolfweek pic.twitter.com/csMJRNMceo
- The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) February 2, 2021
Eleven tricolor golfers participate in the party.
Ninth Sunday in Dubai, Alexander Levy and Antoine Rozner are the fit men of the moment.
In 2020, they had taken here at the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club respectively the 38th and 70th final places.
Also in 2020, leader after two laps, Victor Perez had unfortunately cracked the weekend (38th), leaving Victor Dubuisson to shine brightly, finishing in sixth place, five points behind the winner, the Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell.
35th in the world on January 31, 2021, Victor Perez will be associated in the first two rounds with the American Kevin Na and the German Martin Kaymer.
Saudi International (European Tour) - 2,907,350 euros endowment
Players to watch
Graeme McDowell (IdN), Dustin Johnson (USA), Bryson DeChambeau (USA), Tyrrell Hatton (Ang), Patrick Reed (USA), Viktor Hovland (Nor), Tommy Fleetwood (Ang), Tony Finau (USA), Abraham Ancer (Mex), Paul Casey (Ang), Jason Kokrak (USA), Lee Westwood (Ang), Justin Rose (Ang), Kevin Na (USA), Sergio Garcia (Esp), Matt Wallace (Ang), Laurie Canter (Ang ), Henrik Stenson (Sue), Martin Kaymer (All), Brandon Stone (AfS), Rafa Cabrera-Bello (Esp), Robert MacIntyre (Eco), Adrian Otaegui (Esp), Rasmus Hojgaard (Dan), Mikko Korhonen (End ), Justin Harding (AfS), Kurt Kitayama (USA), David Lipsky (USA), Phil Mickelson (USA), Jhonattan Vegas (Ven), Jayden Schaper (AfS), Takumi Kanaya (Jap), Matthias Schwab (Aut), Jason Scrivener (Aus), Adri Arnaus (Esp), Thomas Detry (Bel), Kalle Samooja (End), Garrick Higgo (AfS).
The French engaged
Victor Perez, Antoine Rozner, Romain Langasque, Alexander Levy, Benjamin Hébert, Mike Lorenzo-Vera, Matthieu Pavon, Victor Dubuisson, Julien Guerrier, Raphaël Jacquelin, Joël Stalter.
To follow the Saudi International (European Tour) on television:
Thursday 04 February, 1st round: 9 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. (Golf +)
Friday February 05, 2nd round: 9:00 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. (Golf +)
Saturday 06 February, 3rd round: 10:30 am (Golf +)
Sunday 07 February, 4th round: 10:30 am (Golf +)