RIYADH: Chile’s Joaquin Niemann will take a narrow one-shot lead into Saturday’s final round of the PIF Saudi International after firing a six-under 65 on Friday to move to 17-under-par.
Niemann leads Americans Peter Uihlein (66) — who is heading The International Series’ rankings list and has proved his winning pedigree with two victories already this season — and 20-year-old Caleb Surratt, who smashed the course record at Riyadh Golf Club with a 10-under 61 on Friday.
Behind them lurk a host of world-class talents and proven winners, including Britain’s three-time European Ryder Cup player Tyrrell Hatton (66), who shares joint fourth spot with two more Americans — Jason Kokrak and Logan McAllister — on 15-under.
It is still anyone’s guess who will emerge as Saturday’s winner at the Golf Saudi event, and Niemann said afterwards that he knew he would need to be at the top of his game again to take away the handsome silver trophy.
He said: “I don’t know what score would do it. All I know is that it will have to be lower than the others.”
The Chilean has so far been a model of consistency this week, sandwiching first and third rounds of 65 with a 66 on Thursday. On Friday he needed to stay patient, having to wait 10 holes before he added another birdie to his opening two at the first couple of holes.
His round really caught fire on the par-5 15th with an eagle three, and he finished off in style with a birdie at the last to take the slimmest of leads.
Earlier, the focus had been firmly on American Surratt, who only turned professional at the start of the year but has already shown considerable promise in his first handful of tournaments.
That rich potential was translated into a string of eight birdies and an eagle at the long 12th hole to leave him 16-under-par.
The young prospect from Indian Trail, North Carolina, who has yet to win a professional tournament, could hardly believe his own sizzling form, especially on a course that he had never played until this week.
His score could have been even more impressive but his chip just off the green for birdie at the par-4 18th hit the pin and rolled just a couple of inches away.
Surratt said: “It would mean everything (if I win). I don’t have half the experience a lot of these guys do, so I need to keep my head together and play like it’s with my friends back home.”
Saturday’s final round should be a feast of thrilling golf for the sellout crowd at Riyadh Golf Club.
Joaquin Niemann takes 1-shot lead into final round of PIF Saudi International
https://arab.news/r8qms
Joaquin Niemann takes 1-shot lead into final round of PIF Saudi International
- The Chilean has been model of consistency this week, sandwiching first and third rounds of 65 with 66 on Thursday
- Focus earlier had been firmly on American Caleb Surratt
Saudi football leaders shift focus from big names at WFS
- Privatization and community building is focus of Saudi officials
- Al-Kholood’s success under Ben Harburg seen as benchmark
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is recognized as one of football’s fastest-rising nations, but there was a noticeable shift in tone on the first day of the World Football Summit, which returns to Riyadh for the second consecutive year.
Instead of conversations about which global superstar would arrive next, speakers touched on the foundations of Saudi football — infrastructure, governance and sustainable growth.
WFS brings together leaders from around the world to explore how football can evolve, from ticketing systems to artificial intelligence models offering deeper player insights. Yet it was the future of Saudi football — particularly its trajectory in the lead-up to the 2034 FIFA World Cup — that dominated the main stage.
The event’s first panel, “Saudi Sport — A Changing Landscape with a Bright Future,” moderated by Ben Jacobs, featured Ibrahim Al-Moaiqel of the Ministry of Sport. He emphasized the Kingdom’s privatization program was not simply about selling clubs but “bringing partners with the know-how to develop them.”
Privatization has been a defining topic around the Saudi Pro League, especially after Ben Harburg’s acquisition of Al-Kholood, making him the first-ever foreign owner of a Saudi football club. Harburg’s impact has been immediate, with Al-Kholood making the King’s Cup final four for the first time in their history just six months into his tenure.
But while privatization dominated early discussion, it quickly shifted to whether the SPL could one day rival Europe’s top five leagues — particularly England’s Premier League. Al-Moaiqel downplayed the comparison, highlighting the long-term work still required to reach that level.
SPL CEO Omar Mugharbel expanded on the theme, stressing the importance of building communities and developing stadiums capable of supporting a broader football ecosystem.
The SPL has seen its revenues triple since 2023, but it didn’t stop Mugharbel saying things were just getting started. “How do we build something for Saudi that we can export to the world?” he asked.
This sentiment was also shared by club management. Al-Hilal CEO Esteve Calzada said that while their heroics at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup highlighted the SPL’s rising competitiveness, the club’s priority moving forward was sustainable revenue generation.
“We want to put the best products possible in front of our fans,” he said, a statement that encapsulated the day’s theme: The future lies not solely in marquee signings, but in building clubs, communities and systems that endure.
This shift in rhetoric marks a defining moment for Saudi football as it approaches its next major milestone — the AFC Asian Cup 2027, the first of several flagship events on the Kingdom’s long-term football roadmap.
If Day 1 of the WFS made anything clear, it was that Saudi Arabia’s footballing ambitions are no longer measured by the stars they attract, but by the structures they build.
