Five-time PGA Tour winner Kevin Na, who won the PGA Tour's Sony Open in Hawaii on Sunday, is the latest American start to enter the 2021 Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers.
The third edition of the Saudi International, which will again be played at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club from February 4-7, will see 13 Major Champions, 29 Ryder Cup stars and a field with more than 900 combined international titles.
Na is making his first trip to Saudi Arabia and will be playing in his first European Tour event since 2015. He joins a list of American players which includes World Number One and 2020 Masters Champion Dustin Johnson, 2020 U.S. Open Champion Bryson DeChambeau, five-time Major winner Phil Mickelson, 2018 Masters Tournament champion Patrick Reed and World Number 18 Tony Finau.
"The more I heard about the player field for the Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers, the more I felt like I didn't want to miss out," said Na. The depth and strength of the field in Saudi is what really appealed to me.
"I haven't played in many European Tour events in recent years, so I am really looking forward to getting back out there and visiting Saudi Arabia for the first time."
Na and his compatriots will be vying to become the second American to win the Saudi International after Dustin Johnson in 2019, but will face stiff competition from a star-studded European contingent that includes Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Paul Casey, Tommy Fleetwood, Sergio Garcia, Tyrrell Hatton, Martin Kaymer, Ian Poulter, Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood, Bernd Wiesberger, Danny Willett along with defending Champion Graeme McDowell.
Following two successfull weeks of Ladies European Tour events last year, Golf Saudi is looking to build on recent momentum and continue to leverage the country's burgeoning interest in the sport by prioritising a series of ambitious mass participation programmes in order to grow the game for future generations in Saudi Arabia.
The tournament has grown along with a list of premium brand partners helping to bring world-class golf to the kingdom. The tournament partners this year will be SoftBank Investment Advisers, Ministry of Sport, Public Investment Fund, King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), Aramco, SAMBA, Saudia, Invest Saudi, Sky Prime, GIB, STC, Rolex, Saudi Cargo, Saddik & Mohamed Attar, UMA Premium, Mix FM, Nova, Adidas, Al Laith, Luxury Carts, Reza Hygiene and Royal Greens Golf & Country Club.
Majed Al Sorour, CEO of the Saudi Golf Federation and Golf Saudi, said: “As entries are finalised for our third Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers, we are very happy with our line-up of international star players as we are stronger in strength and depth than we have ever been. Our vision is to grow golf across the Kingdom and make it both accessible and enjoyable to all Saudis. So by hosting prestigious tournaments such as these demonstrates that we are able to host the world’s best players as a means of inspiring the next generation of young Saudis and Saudi golfers.
“We are also delighted to have such strong support from all our event sponsors who share our vision in ensuring this tournament is one of the strongest events on the European Tour Schedule. Thanks to the support of our partners, we are able to continue to support golf development in the Kingdom, while helping to support their work showcasing Saudi Arabia as a destination for international business development”
