The Aramco Team Series, a new addition to world golf, this week makes its second of four stops with a tournament in Spain. Here are the details.
What is it?
The Aramco Team Series – Sotogrande, is the second of four $1-million, 54-hole events on the Ladies European Tour, in what is the series’ inaugural run. The opening tournament took place in London last month, with the third to come in New York in October and the finale playing out in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the following month. The events feature both professionals and amateurs. Golf Saudi own the series.
When is it?
August 5-7
Where is it?
La Reserva Club de Sotogrande, Spain.
Who’s playing?
The field is headlined by the likes of European Solheim Cup stars Georgia Hall, Charley Hull and Bronte Law, while 2019-winning captain Catriona Matthew will be able to run the rule over potential picks for Europe’s defence of the trophy against the United States in September. The US will also be represented in Sotogrande, with 2021 KPMG Women's PGA Championship runner-up and four-time US Solheim Cup player Lizette Sala competing, together with compatriots Paula Creamer and Alison Lee. The tournament adheres to Covid-19 protocols, alongside local and governmental guidelines.
What is the format?
Each Aramco Team Series event consists of 36 teams of four players, who together compete to shoot the lowest combined score across three days. The best two scores from all 54 holes count for each team.
All teams feature three Ladies European Tour (LET) players paired together via a draft system, which takes place on Tuesday with the 36 captains first choosing one player each. They are then randomly assigned another, while the fourth player on each team is an amateur golfer. The Aramco Team Series represents the only event in world golf where an amateur contributes to the final result in the main competition. The winning team receives $800,000 in prize money, which is split between the three pros, while the remaining $200,000 is divided between the week’s lowest scoring individuals. Individual performances count towards the LET’s Race to Costa Del Sol and the Solheim Cup rankings.
How the first leg played out
The inaugural event in London, hosted at the Centurian Club from July 8-10, was won by Team Cowan, captained by Germany’s Olivia Cowan. Her side also featured fellow German Sarina Schmidt, India’s Diksha Dagar and male amateur Andy Kelsey. Norway’s Marianne Skarpnord sealed the individual competition by defeating Atthaya Thitikul in a play-off - her fifth tournament win on the LET.
