This Thursday marks the start of the Aramco Team Series by PIF Riyadh, the penultimate tournament of the Ladies European Tour season and the last regular event. Next up is the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España, the grand finale of the tour with a reduced field of the top 75 from the order of merit plus invitations.
It’s the penultimate chance of the year and there’s a lot at stake, as one would expect. To begin with, there’s the possibility of playing in the Open de España. As we mentioned, there’s a cut in the order of merit and you need to be within that cut. Right now, Carlota Ciganda is outside, although a top 20 finish could be enough for her to get into the top 75. Marta Sanz has a tougher challenge. The Madrid native needs to finish second tied with only one other player, at the very least, to qualify on her own merits for the tournament at the Real Guadalhorce Golf Club.
If they don’t qualify on their own, there’s still a chance both could be invited to play in Málaga, but their goal is to avoid that.
The other major goal is to finish the year in the top ten of the order of merit to compete in the grand final of the LPGA Tour School. At the moment, María Hernández is the only Spaniard in this select group, although her spot is far from secure. She is ninth in the order of merit, so any points gained in Saudi Arabia will be very positive. Similarly, Marta Martín, ranked 15th in the order of merit, Luna Sobrón, ranked 23rd, Ana Peláez, ranked 30th, Nuria Iturrioz, ranked 45th, and Fátima Fernández Cano, who returns to the Ladies European Tour after securing her LPGA card through a great season on the Epson Tour, want to make the most of the stop in Riyadh. Nuria and Fátima wouldn’t reach the top 10 even with a win, but they would give themselves a good chance for the final tournament in Spain.
The ninth Spaniard in Arabia is Carmen Alonso. The Valladolid native has no issues with her card, as she has winner’s status from her victory in 2023, but if she wants to be in the Open de España on her own merit, she will need to finish second alone this week. No other result will suffice. Otherwise, she is likely to receive an invitation to play in Málaga.
Beyond the Spaniards, the three most important golfers at the Riyadh Golf Club are Thailand’s Patty Tavatanakit, who has confessed that her inspiration for motivation on bad days is Taylor Swift, Charley Hull, and Georgia Hall.
Last year, Alison Lee won the tournament with a record score of -29 over three days. Incredible. It seems conditions are a bit tougher this year, with the course slightly longer. In any case, many birdies will be needed. Carlota Ciganda finished second last year with -21.
