KING ABDULLAH ECONOMIC CITY: As history beckons with the start on Thursday of the first-ever women’s golf tournament in Saudi Arabia, the man chiefly responsible for making it happen thanked the government for the opportunity and support to deliver the event despite the coronavirus pandemic.
“First of all, we have to thank the crown prince for giving us the opportunity to deliver the event,” Majed Al-Sorour, CEO of Golf Saudi and the Saudi Golf Federation, told Arab News on Wednesday.
Al-Sorour said the interior minister “has appointed to us a security committee that comprised all the bodies that we need so we have major security around the event and a major health assessment around the area.”
The historic women’s golf week starts with the first round of the Aramco Saudi Ladies International tournament at the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club.
The Ladies European Tour, featuring some of the biggest names from the world of women’s golf, will vie for prizes totaling a record $1 million, and will be broadcast over four days to an estimated 340 million homes worldwide.
It is the first-ever women-only professional golf tournament in the Kingdom, presented by the Public Investment Fund.
Capping the week will be the $500,000 Saudi Ladies Team International on Nov. 17-19.
“Watch Saudi Arabia transform. We’re ready to go. We’re ready for business. We’re open to the world. And it’s only going to get better from here on out,” Al-Sorour said. “Welcome everybody. We’re looking forward to seeing you.”
He added: “We’re trying to do as much as we can to accommodate all our guests and deliver a great event. Everything is going smoothly.”
Al-Sorour said: “The pandemic did impact us, but with great adversity our purveyors in the Kingdom have given us so many opportunities.”
Golf Saudi CEO: KSA is ‘open to the world’
https://arab.news/g74wg
Golf Saudi CEO: KSA is ‘open to the world’
- His comments come on the eve of the first-ever women’s golf tournament in the Kingdom
Guardiola hails Man City’s ‘massive’ win over Newcastle
- Guardiola’s second-placed side closed the gap on leaders Arsenal to just two points with their tense victory at the Etihad Stadium
MANCHESTER, United Kingdom: Pep Guardiola labelled Manchester City’s 2-1 win over Newcastle on Saturday as a “massive” moment in the Premier League title race.
Guardiola’s second-placed side closed the gap on leaders Arsenal to just two points with their tense victory at the Etihad Stadium.
Nico O’Reilly put City ahead in the first half and restored the lead before half-time after Lewis Hall had equalized.
City weren’t at their best in the second half, but they held on to pile pressure on spluttering Arsenal, who travel to Tottenham for the north London derby on Sunday.
Guardiola knew it was essential to make Arsenal sweat.
“Massive. Newcastle is an incredible team, awesome in physicality and speed they have up front. Physicality in the middle. Really tough but the team was unbelievable,” he said.
“It’s coming in best part of the season. Every single game will be similar to today.”
After finishing without a trophy last season, City are back in the hunt for the seventh English title of Guardiola’s reign.
They will have a game in hand on Arsenal after this weekend and are guaranteed to win the title if they win their last 11 league matches.
Guardiola has embarked on an expensive overhaul of City’s squad in the last 12 months, shedding aging stars like Kevin De Bruyne, Ederson and Kyle Walker and bringing in the likes of Marc Guehi, Antoine Semenyo and Rayan Cherki.
The Spaniard is well aware that his new generation largely lacks the experience of winning under the pressure of a title race, which made their gritty success against Newcastle even more meaningful.
“70 percent of the players have never been in that situation, and I don’t play. So we have to live it, they know that every game will be like this,” he said.
“Especially at home, with five home games left. Today was the best crowd of the year, it was unbelievable with our people, really proud to be manager of these incredible people and fans.
“Of course in terms of points it’s important, but we have to improve to have chance to compete until the end. Now we deserve three more days off. Then another battle in Leeds.”
Guardiola singled out O’Reilly for praise after the young England midfielder’s pair of clinical finishes showed he won’t be affected by the strain of chasing Arsenal.
“Nico give us in the middle that physicality that we need. He now plays in his position,” he said.
“He has always played that, he is so complete and so young. I am really pleased the academy produced these incredible players, Nico, Phil (Foden), Rico (Lewis).”
