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Four-time major winner Ernie Els to tee it up in Saudi International

Ernie Els will arrive in the Kingdom next year looking to add to his 71 career titles worldwide. (Getty Images)
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Updated 19 December 2019
Arab News
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Four-time major winner Ernie Els to tee it up in Saudi International

  • Former World Number One joins star-studded field following Presidents Cup Captaincy
  • Known for his effortless power and free-flowing swing, ‘The Big Easy’ has been one of the game’s most recognisable and successful golfers for almost three decades
Updated 19 December 2019
Arab News

JEDDAH: Four-time major winner and recent Presidents Cup International Team captain Ernie Els has confirmed his return to the Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers from 30 January to 2 February 2020.

Having come agonisingly close to masterminding an historic win for the Internationals against Team USA in Australia last week, Els becomes the latest golfing icon to join the world-class field at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC).

Not only will he line up against World Number One Brooks Koepka, in addition to Team USA stalwarts Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed, there will also be a number of European Tour stars in attendance, including Sergio Garcia, Shane Lowry and Henrik Stenson.

Known for his effortless power and free-flowing swing, ‘The Big Easy’ has been one of the game’s most recognisable and successful golfers for almost three decades. Having recently turned 50, Els will arrive in the Kingdom next year looking to add to his 71 career titles worldwide, which also saw him ascend to the prestigious position of World Number One in 1997.

“I may have just turned 50, but I still want to tee it up against the best players in the world and the way this tournament is shaping up, it will be the biggest field in golf at the start of next year,” said Els, who made his debut in the event earlier this year. “I have really enjoyed playing in Saudi Arabia previously. The course was in great condition last time and an extremely enjoyable layout with plenty of birdie opportunities. The Saudi Golf Federation is doing a lot to grow the game in the Kingdom and I am pleased to be part of helping their vision to grow the game.”

Els has made a number of visits to Saudi Arabia in recent years to oversee the development under way in the country, including an appearance as part of a golf industry panel at the Future Investment Initiative event, held in Riyadh from 29-31 October. While on-site, he also met Golf Saudi’s new ambassadors, who themselves will be heading to Royal Greens Golf & Country Club next March to compete in a new Ladies European Tour event – the first of its kind in the Kingdom.

Royal Greens Golf & Country Club lies along the spectacular Red Sea coastline and sits amongst a series of stunning residential and recreational facilities. The club boasts a championship golf course, world-class practice facilities and a state-of-the-art clubhouse, which has seen the venue voted the ‘World’s Best Golf Clubhouse 2019’ and ‘Best Course in Saudi 2019’ by the World Golf Awards.

His Excellency Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Chairman of the Saudi Golf Federation and Golf Saudi, said: “Ernie Els is one of the most iconic golfers in the game and to see him play alongside the likes of Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka is an incredible opportunity for the people of Saudi Arabia. Ernie is a leader in the game and watching how he nearly pulled off a fantastic victory with the International Team last week demonstrates exactly how respected he is. We are excited to welcome him back to help us build golf in the region.”

The second instalment of the Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers will place a special focus on families, community, charity and junior development as the Kingdom looks to develop its golfing pedigree, in addition to a unique entertainment offering in the heart of KAEC.

Partner support as the tournament heads into its second year remains as strong as ever with SoftBank Investment Advisers, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), Rolex, Saddik & Mohamed Attar, Saudi Cargo and Invest Saudi all committing to the championship for another year, with Samba joining for 2020.

Enjoy the Ultimate Day Out for golf fans, friends and families with tickets now on sale, priced at 50 SAR per day or 160 SAR for a full tournament pass (four days). Exclusive concert tickets will be available soon.

For more tournament information, visit – https://www.golfsaudi.com/en-us/saudi-international/

Confirmed List of Players:

Ernie Els

Tony Finau

Sergio Garcia

Dustin Johnson

Brooks Koepka

Shane Lowry

Phil Mickelson

Patrick Reed

Henrik Stenson

Topics: Ernie Els Saudi International Royal Greens Golf & Country Club

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Italian gymnastics ex-coach stands trial for bullying

Updated 5 sec ago
AFP
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Italian gymnastics ex-coach stands trial for bullying

Updated 5 sec ago
AFP

ROME: The former coach of Italy’s rhythmic gymnastics team goes on trial Tuesday accused of bullying athletes, fueling questions over the treatment of young athletes as the country hosts the Winter Olympics.
Emanuela Maccarani, a former national team gymnast herself, faces charges of abuse of minors at a court in Monza near Milan, which is hosting part of the Games.
The trial was sparked by explosive claims three years ago by two promising Italian gymnasts, Nina Corradini and double world champion Anna Basta, who claimed they quit the sport while still teenagers as a result of psychological abuse by Maccarani.
Corradini and Basta are civil parties along with two other gymnasts, Beatrice Tornatore and Francesca Mayer, and Change The Game, an Italian association campaigning against emotional, physical and sexual abuse and violence in sports.
Maccarani has denied the charges. Five gymnasts who trained with her submitted statements in her defense at a preliminary hearing in September.
Change The Game founder Daniela Simonetti told AFP the trial throws into “question methods that often cause pain, devastation, and significant consequences for boys and girls in general.”
“This trial is linked to a way of thinking, a way of understanding sport, a way of managing young athletes.
“The expectation is that there will be a real debate around this, whether these methods are right or wrong,” she said.
Episodes of alleged abuse in the discipline have come under growing scrutiny, particularly following a sexual abuse scandal in the late 2010s, which saw former Team USA doctor Larry Nassar convicted of molesting girls.

Vulnerable

The Olympics Committee has given more attention to mental health in recent years in a bid to protect athlete wellbeing.
While the discipline is not featured at the Winter Games, the world’s top gymnasts are preparing for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Coach Maccarani, 59, led Italy to the top of a sport traditionally dominated by countries from the former Soviet bloc.
But during her near three-decade reign at the Italian team’s National Training Center in Desio, not far from Monza, days began with gymnasts being weighed in front of one another.
Often a long way from their families and barely out of childhood, they were vulnerable.
Some took laxatives and weighed themselves obsessively. One world champion reported being berated for eating a pear.
The affair appeared to be over in September 2023 when Maccarani was given a simple warning by the disciplinary tribunal of the country’s gymnastics federation (FGI) and handed back the reins of the national team, nicknamed the “Butterflies.”
But in March last year the FGI, under new president Andrea Facci, sacked Maccarani.
The FGI’s official explanation to AFP at the time of her dismissal was that the organization wanted to “open a new cycle in preparation for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.”
Corradini, whose testimony led the Monza prosecutor’s office to open an investigation, told AFP last year she was happy for “the young athletes who will now join the national team and who will surely have a different experience.”

Topics: Winter Olympics Italy coach gymnastics

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