Charley Hull (-19) has won the PIF Saudi Ladies International this Saturday, the first tournament of the season of the Ladies European Tour, with a final card of 65 strokes at the Riyadh Golf Club.Carlota Ciganda (-17) finished in fourth position.
The Englishwoman flew under the radar all week and saved the best of her repertoire for the end, almost when no one expected her. She made seven birdies and an eagle today, with a truly devastating sequence in the final part. She signed an amazing six under in the last eight holes. That was when she cooked up the victory. She climbed back to leave her rivals without a response.
Hull sealed the triumph with a magnificent birdie on the 18th hole, sinking a tricky putt, from left to right, about seven metres long. It was at that moment, finishing before the last matches, when she really smelled like a champion.
The South African Casandra Alexander (-18) was the only one who really had a chance to at least force a playoff with Hull. Beyond being the tournament leader at some point during the day, just like the Japanese Akie Iwai (-18), Alexander had a chance to tie with Hull with a final birdie on the 18th hole. Not only did she make par, but she also came from making a costly bogey on the 17th. Alexander and Iwai finished in second place, one stroke behind Hull. It is Alexander’s second consecutive runner-up after losing the playoff a couple of weeks ago at the inaugural tournament of the Sunshine Ladies Tour.
Carlota Ciganda (-17) finished in fourth position, tied with the Korean Hye Jin Choi, leader after the third round. The Navarrese really had no chance of winning or, at least, let’s say they completely faded when she made a double bogey on the 7th hole, after starting with two birdies in her first six. That stumble made the situation very uphill for her, although she managed to recover and, with a birdie on the 9th and three consecutive ones on holes 15, 16, and 17, she managed to finish very high. A high note for the Spaniard in her debut in 2026. They were four rounds under 67 strokes.
As for the rest of the Spanish players, good performance by Nuria Iturrioz (-11), Blanca Fernández (-10), and Carolina López Chacarra (-9). All three finished among the top 30 of the tournament with all their rounds at par or better. Julia López (-5) could not climb back in the final round with a round of 72 strokes.
Charley Hull arrived in Saudi Arabia as the tournament’s main reference, the woman of the world ranking, fifth position, and quickly confirmed her status as favourite with a sensational final round. It is her second victory in Riyadh, the fifth in the Ladies European Tour, and the eighth of her career.
