World No.1 Korda looks to maintain gold streak at Aramco Team Series in London

World No.1 Korda looks to maintain gold streak at Aramco Team Series in London
World No.1 Nelly Korda is looking to defend her Aramco Team Series title in London. (LET)
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Updated 03 June 2024
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World No.1 Korda looks to maintain gold streak at Aramco Team Series in London

World No.1 Korda looks to maintain gold streak at Aramco Team Series in London
  • A historic start to 2024 for Korda with 6 wins, including Major championship
  • Defending champion is set to compete with strong field ahead of bid to retain gold medal at Olympics in August

LONDON: World No.1 Nelly Korda will be heading to London this summer in imperious form, as the history-making golf superstar defends her Aramco Team Series presented by PIF — London title at Centurion Club, from July 3-5.

Korda has been inspiring in 2024, securing six titles, including five consecutive LPGA titles and her first Chevron Championship. Her visit to London will be the only time to catch the American playing in England this year.

Overcoming grueling conditions in 2023, Korda cemented her win at Centurion Club by scoring an impressive 11-under-par, claiming her first title on British soil and besting home favorite Charley Hull in the process.

With the 2024 Paris Olympics set for August, and the Solheim Cup in September, the 2024 schedule is relentless for Korda, but the opportunity to defend her title in London was one that she could not turn down.

“Winning in London last year was definitely one of the highlights of 2023 for me. I played some really solid golf across the weekend, which showed me that my game was in a good place,” she said.

“I am very proud of the hard work I have put in the past year and it is nice to see some of the results paying off. I am always looking to improve and focus on my next event and I am excited to be coming back to the Aramco Team Series in London.”

The defending Olympic gold medalist has ascended the Rolex Women’s World Golf rankings this year, now looking untouchable at the top — but despite this success Korda is level-headed, and keen to ensure she can use her profile to inspire more young girls to take up golf.

“It is inspiring to be in a position to have a positive influence on the game.

“Making an impact on the next generation is something that is important to me. I try to inspire young girls and boys to encourage them to pick up a golf club for the first time — and the Aramco Team Series is a big part of that, as I’ve seen firsthand how their initiatives can have such a positive impact on the next generation.”

Already announced for the event are English duo Charley Hull and Georgia Hall, each looking to build on positive outings of their own in 2023 — and this time, overcome Korda on their home soil.

The duo will be part of a field that boasts a host of Olympians and Major winners, with the innovative team event attracting a blend of stars from both the LPGA and Ladies European Tour.


Waring holds one-shot Abu Dhabi lead as McIlroy struggles

Waring holds one-shot Abu Dhabi lead as McIlroy struggles
Updated 09 November 2024
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Waring holds one-shot Abu Dhabi lead as McIlroy struggles

Waring holds one-shot Abu Dhabi lead as McIlroy struggles
  • A day after setting a course record 61, the 39-year-old Waring was the only player among the top-29 on the leaderboard to post an over-par score for a total 18-under par 198
  • Fast-rising Dane Niklas Norgaard Moller hit a third round 69 to cut Waring’s five-shot overnight lead

ABU DHABI: England’s Paul Waring shot a one-over par 73 and held a one-shot lead going into the final round of the Abu Dhabi Championship on Saturday as Ireland’s Rory McIlroy continued to struggle.
A day after setting a course record 61, the 39-year-old Waring was the only player among the top-29 on the leaderboard to post an over-par score for a total 18-under par 198.
Fast-rising Dane Niklas Norgaard Moller hit a third round 69 to cut Waring’s five-shot overnight lead.
World number three Rory McIlroy dropped a big number in his closing holes for the second day in a row, this time a double bogey on the par-5 18th after an errant tee shot found water on the left side, to sit five shots off the lead.
On Friday, the Northern Irishman had made a triple bogey on the par-3 17th.
“If you’d given me a one-shot lead going into the final round at the beginning of the week, I would have snatched your hand,” said Waring, who is looking for his first win since the 2018 Nordea Masters.
“A little disappointed, because I felt like I could have really moved forward today and put myself out of sight.
“You’ve got to have an average day, don’t you?“
Three shots back, Ireland’s Shane Lowry (66), the 2019 tournament winner, was tied for third with Englishman Tommy Fleetwood (71), Dane Thorbjoern Olesen (71) and Swede Sebastian Soederberg (68) at 15-under par.
With the wind picking up toward the afternoon and the greens becoming firmer and faster, the conditions were challenging after two benign days.
Waring had taken advantage of the conditions with rounds of 64 and 61 and started the day at 19-under.
An early birdie extended his advantage, but a three-putt bogey on the par-3 fourth hole frayed his nerves, after which he struggled to get his speed and line right with the putter.
British Masters champion Norgaard made his first bogey of the tournament on the ninth hole, but three birdies on the back nine kept him in the hunt for a second title this year.
“Very satisfied with today,” said the 32-year-old, who is almost guaranteed a PGA Tour card next season as one of top-10 players from the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai rankings.
A disappointed McIlroy closed with a three-under-par 69 and dropped to tied 13th position on 13-under-par 203.
He still felt confident of getting his hands on the trophy in Abu Dhabi for the first time in his career.
“Playing the last two holes two-over two days in a row is not ideal. Cost myself a few shots there,” said McIlroy, who is seeking to secure his sixth DP World Tour Order of Merit crown next week in Dubai and match the legendary Spaniard Seve Ballesteros.
“The leaders weren’t getting away, which was nice and I was making a little bit of a charge. And yeah, just one mistake, that drive on 18, and with it playing so much into the wind.
“It was an untimely mistake, just like yesterday on the 17th, and I dug myself a little bit of a hole to get out of, but depending on what the leaders do, I can still go into tomorrow feeling like I have half a chance.
“I just need to put it all together and play the way I’ve been playing and keep the big mistakes and big numbers off my card and if I can do that and post a score, you never know.”


Paul Waring shoots 61 in Abu Dhabi to set 36-hole record on European tour with 19-under par

Paul Waring shoots 61 in Abu Dhabi to set 36-hole record on European tour with 19-under par
Updated 08 November 2024
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Paul Waring shoots 61 in Abu Dhabi to set 36-hole record on European tour with 19-under par

Paul Waring shoots 61 in Abu Dhabi to set 36-hole record on European tour with 19-under par
  • Waring, who opened with a 64 on Thursday, made nine birdies and an eagle in a bogey-free round at Yas Links
  • Rory McIlroy made a triple bogey on No. 17 in his second successive 67

ABU DHABI: Paul Waring hit the shot of his life to complete a career-low 11-under 61 in the second round of the Abu Dhabi Championship on Friday and establish a five-stroke lead heading into the weekend of the European tour’s first playoff event.
The No. 229-ranked Englishman hit a draw with a 3-wood from about 260 yards to inside 4 feet at No. 18 and tapped in the birdie putt to move to 19-under par for the tournament.
The European tour confirmed to The Associated Press that it is the lowest 36-hole score to par in the tour’s history.
Waring, who opened with a 64 on Thursday, made nine birdies and an eagle in a bogey-free round at Yas Links and set a course record.
First-round leader Tommy Fleetwood of England (68), Johannes Veerman of the United States (67) and Danish players Niklas Norgaard (65) and Thorbjorn Olesen (67) were tied for second place on 14 under.
Rory McIlroy made a triple bogey on No. 17 in his second successive 67 and was nine strokes off the lead.
McIlroy can clinch a sixth Race to Dubai title with a win this week.


Fleetwood goes low to lead Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

Fleetwood goes low to lead Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship
Updated 07 November 2024
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Fleetwood goes low to lead Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

Fleetwood goes low to lead Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship
  • The golf tournament is the first event of the DP World Tour Play-Offs
  • ‘I didn’t feel like I swung it perfectly early on and I actually felt like I started playing better as the round got to the back nine,’ Fleetwood said

ABU DHABI: English golfer Tommy Fleetwood carded course record-equalling 10 under par 62 on Thursday to take the first-round lead at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
The Championship is the first event of the DP World Tour Play-Offs and penultimate event of the 2024 Race to Dubai.
Fleetwood, already a two-time winner of this tournament after claiming back-to-back victories in 2017 and 2018, carded eight birdies and an eagle on a low-scoring day at Yas Links to finish one stroke ahead of former Ryder Cup teammate Thorbjorn Olesen and America’s Johannes Veerman.
The 33-year-old, a seven-time DP World Tour winner, was four under after only three holes with a birdie, eagle, birdie start, and he made six further gains as he signed for a bogey-free round, rolling in a final birdie at the last to take the outright lead.
“Just happy to have got off to a great start. I didn’t feel like I swung it perfectly early on and I actually felt like I started playing better as the round got to the back nine,” Fleetwood said.
The wind picked up a little bit, the Englishman said, but overall it was fairly calm. “I think the course, fairways, are playing fast,” he said.
Fleetwood also has an eye on a second Race to Dubai title because he started the week in fifth place on the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex.
A strong performance in Abu Dhabi would give him an outside chance of catching current rankings leader Rory McIlroy at next week’s DP World Tour Championship.
Denmark’s Olesen is seeking a second Rolex Series victory this week to follow from his 2018 Italian Open success. He won his eighth DP World Tour title earlier this year in the UAE, landing the Ras Al Khaimah Championship in January.
Olesen said: “With the conditions of the greens, if you putted really well, you can make a lot of putts. I’m very happy with that. There’s not that much breeze out there, so it definitely feels hot. I think maybe I’m a bit more used to it now after being out here for a couple of years.”
Moreover, Veerman, who won his maiden title at the 2021 D+D REAL Czech Masters, earned his place in the first event of the DP World Tour Play-Offs after finishing T8, T14 and T14 in his previous three starts. He carded eight birdies and an eagle to join Olesen on nine under par.
Veerman said: “It went just about as good as I would have hoped, maybe even better. I got off to a really fast start. The conditions on this course are pure so you’re never going to have a bad lie.”
Four-time Rolex Series winner Tyrrell Hatton shares fourth on eight under with fellow Englishmen Laurie Canter and Paul Waring and Italy’s Francesco Laporta.
McIlroy carded a five under par 67 to finish the day in a share of 18th place. The Northern Irishman will win the Race to Dubai for a sixth time if he finishes more than 2,000 ranking points ahead of his nearest challenger after this event.
“It’s nice to be paired with Thriston (Lawrence) and Rasmus (Hojgaard) because you can sort of keep an eye on what they are doing, as well. It’s been a really good year, very, very consistent,” he said.


Charley Hull triumphs at Aramco Team Series in Riyadh with impressive 18-under finish

Charley Hull triumphs at Aramco Team Series in Riyadh with impressive 18-under finish
Updated 02 November 2024
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Charley Hull triumphs at Aramco Team Series in Riyadh with impressive 18-under finish

Charley Hull triumphs at Aramco Team Series in Riyadh with impressive 18-under finish
  • Englishwoman’s 18-under-par performance gave her a three-stroke lead over Denmark’s Nicole Broch Estrup

RIYADH: England’s Charley Hull stormed to victory at the Aramco Team Series in Riyadh on Saturday, closing with a 66 to secure her first tournament win since 2022.

Hull’s 18-under-par performance gave her a three-stroke lead over Denmark’s Nicole Broch Estrup, marking her sixth professional win and her fourth on the Ladies European Tour.

Hull attributed her success to her sharp play and solid putting. 

“I felt really sharp, I played very solidly today,” she said. “I made a bogey on the par five 17th and the par three, but that was just two three putts. So quite long putts, in all fairness, and they got away from me a little bit, but felt like I held my game together pretty well. And 18-under for three days is a pretty good score.”

Starting the final round two strokes behind Slovenia’s Pia Babnik, Hull quickly took control with an aggressive approach, sinking birdies throughout the front nine. 

Her momentum was especially evident on the par-5 fifth hole, where she drove close to the green, setting up a perfect chip that left her with a simple tap-in birdie.

“I was actually chatting to someone who was quite close to me before I started, and he said, get off to a fast start, try and get ahead,” Hull shared. “That's what I did — and it’s a good job I listened to them.”

Hull maintained her lead despite bogeys on the 14th and 17th, closing with a steady par on the 18th. Her friends Georgia Hall and Annabell Dimmock were there to celebrate as she sank her final putt, capping off a flawless week in Riyadh.

She now turns her focus to the final events of the LPGA Tour in the US before preparing for a major campaign in 2025. 

“I’m going home for a week, before I head back to America for the last two events in the LPGA Tour, which is the ANNIKA event, and then the CME Group Tour Championship. I like the Tour Championship golf course. I won there in 2016, so I’m looking forward to them too, and then home for Christmas, I can’t wait.”

The Aramco Team Series in Riyadh, one of five $1 million LET events hosted by Golf Saudi this season, capped off an impactful year for golf in Saudi Arabia. 

Golf Saudi CEO Noah Alireza praised the tournament, saying: “What an incredible week of golf we’ve enjoyed here in Riyadh — and what fitting and deserving champions we have in both Charley Hull and Team Tamburlini.”

Alireza also highlighted the event’s local influence, noting the participation of ten Saudi amateur players and the success of Golf Saudi’s Go Golf initiative, which has brought 58 new Saudi players into the game. 

“All of these are landmark moments as we continue to grow golf in Saudi Arabia. I’d like to thank all the players and partners who helped make this an unforgettable week of golf and we look forward to the return of the Aramco Team Series presented by PIF next year.”


Pia Babnik cards successive 65s to lead  Aramco Team Series in Riyadh

Pia Babnik cards successive 65s to lead  Aramco Team Series in Riyadh
Updated 01 November 2024
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Pia Babnik cards successive 65s to lead  Aramco Team Series in Riyadh

Pia Babnik cards successive 65s to lead  Aramco Team Series in Riyadh
  • Slovenian sits atop the leaderboard after a seven-under-par on day two at Riyadh Golf Club
  • Chiara Tamburlini makes history as the first team captain to win successive events, after victory in Shenzhen

RIYADH: Consistency has been the name of the game for Slovenian Pia Babnik, as back-to-back bogey free rounds of seven-under-par sees her atop the leaderboard of the Aramco Team Series presented by PIF — Riyadh.

It is a remarkable turnaround for Babnik, who only last week finished up +19 on the Ladies European Tour in India at the Hero Women’s Indian Open.

Her round at the Golf Saudi-organized event included a sensational 18 greens in regulation round Riyadh Golf Club, marking a performance to be proud of for the winner of the Aramco Team Series presented by PIF in Jeddah in 2021.

The round of the day, however, went the way of Fatima Fernandez Cano, who carded a blemish free 10-under-par score of 62 — even going close to equaling the course record of 61, set by Alison Lee in 2023.

Fernandez Cano struggled with injuries last year and almost called it quits and, if not for the help of her doctor, would certainly not be celebrating today’s stellar round.

“In the end, it was just two nerves that were trapped in my right forearm,” the Spaniard said. “The only problem is I took forever to figure out what was wrong with it, because it would only happen when the muscle was contracted.

“I almost stepped away from the game, I was ready to quit. But I went to see one final doctor, and luckily, he knew what to do. It’s been a rollercoaster.”

Despite a bogey early on in her round, England’s Charley Hull rebounded to record a five-under-par score of 67 — aided by a brilliant back nine in which she sunk five birdies to keep her in touching distance of the top.

Meanwhile, it was victory for captain Chiara Tamburlini and her group in the team element of the event — wrapping up the title with ease after a net score of -42 across the first two days of the tournament.

The Swiss rookie, who is in pole position to claim the LET Order Of Merit, becomes the first captain in the series to win the team event in successive events, following her win in Shenzhen at the start of October.

Tamburlini was keen to heap praise on the team spirit in the group, particularly their amateur Tenniel Chu, vice-chairman of Mission Hills Group — the host of the previous event in Shenzhen — who was prophetic on the first tee.

“Tenniel was incredible,” said the victorious captain. “I had met him in China at Mission Hills, and we were joking about the trophy. He said: ‘I don’t see your name on there yet, but it’s fine, they can just do it twice back-to-back,’ and he was right!”

Her group, made up of English starlet Mimi Rhodes and France’s Anne-Charlotte Mora, set an additional record — the largest margin of victory in the team event, an incredible ten strokes.

“It feels pretty cool to have done something that no one has done before,” Tamburlini said. “I just love this format. I think it’s so much fun to play for a team. It’s easy to keep pushing and the format of counting birdies, it’s really motivating. I think it suits my game well to play aggressive and go for the pins.”

Elsewhere, German Helen Briem moved into contention with a second straight day of five-under-par, tied in fifth behind Luna Salbron, who sits in third place on 11-under-par.

This is the final of this season’s five $1 million Aramco Team Series presented by PIF tournaments on the Ladies European Tour, all organized by Golf Saudi, who seek to grow the game of golf domestically and around the world by hosting elite-level golf events.