In an historic announcement for the development of golf in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, plans have been unveiled to welcome the European Seniors Tour to the Kingdom for the first time as part of their 2008 Schedule.
The inaugural Saudi Masters will be played at The Dirab Golf Club from 19-21 March 2008 and will carry a prize fund of £250,000. The European Seniors Tour has previously visited Abu Dhabi and Bahrain in the region while The European Tour also has a long association with Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Qatar, but it is the first time Saudi Arabia will have hosted an event with the PGA European Tour Group.
Dirab Golf Club, one of only three grassed championship courses in Saudi Arabia, is located 40km south west of Riyadh and nestles in the picturesque Dirab Valley. It boasts a 7,280 yard par 72 championship course, featuring lush tree-lined fairways set against the backdrop of the Twaiq Mountains.
The course also offers a driving range and practice facilities, with nine holes of the course being floodlit to allow golf after sundown. It has previously hosted the inaugural Saudi Arabian National Amateur Championship in 2001 and the tenth Annual GCC Golf Championship, and is due to host the 28th Pan-Arab Championship later this month.
The Saudi Masters is the latest new destination on the 2008 European Seniors Tour schedule, following the recent announcement of new events in the Azores, Poland, Russia and the Czech Republic.
Dirab Golf Club www.dirabgolf.com