Golf Saudi: More LPGA-European tour co-sanctioned events in North America likely

NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Shadow Creek was selected as the first site in which the LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour would co-sanction an event in the United States — brought together by Golf Saudi — and there likely will be plans to expand this arrangement elsewhere in the country.

The $4 million purse for a nonmajor attracted 38 of the top 40 players to the Aramco Championship, which also has drawn noticeably larger crowds than in previous years to this exclusive course hidden away in the Las Vegas suburbs.

Players receive points that count toward the LPGA Tour and LET, and the tournament also is part of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund Global Series. Golf Saudi and the PIF collaborate to promote and invest in the sport.

Golf Saudi chief investment officer Thomas Rudy called the tournament "a strong case study” to expand this arrangement to other parts of the U.S.

“We haven’t finalized our 2027 schedule yet — that usually happens later in the year — but I’d be surprised if we don’t have events in North America again,” Rudy said Saturday during the third round of the Aramco Championship. “We’re exploring all options, especially working in conjunction with LPGA and LET. Given the success here, we’d love to replicate it in the future.”

Rudy was quick to say the PIF Global Series and Golf Saudi were not looking to replicate a women's version of LIV Golf, which through its large financial promises has lured away top PGA Tour players and created a split that still hasn't been resolved.

“First, we’re not LIV Golf," Rudy said. "We want to support the best women’s golfers with amazing tournaments around the world.

“Our job is not to run another league or disrupt existing organizations. I think you see that clearly here by bringing sanctioning bodies together. We’re focused on putting out a great product and promoting what’s happening with golf in Saudi Arabia.”

That country began to get heavily involved in women's golf in 2020 when the Saudi Ladies Team International was created. It has since become the Aramco Team Series and part of the LET schedule.

Aramco series tournaments have been played regularly in the U.S., but as stand-alone events and not in cooperation with the LPGA, though that tour's players have competed.

“Strategically, we have two objectives,” Rudy said. “One is to be as connected as possible to the overall world of women’s golf. The second is to tell the world that Saudi is open for business. We’re building great golf courses and an amazing ecosystem.”