World No.1 Dustin Johnson and reigning Masters champion Patrick Reed have been confirmed as the latest stars to compete in the new European event in Saudi Arabia.
The pair join World No.15 Paul Casey and Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn for the inaugural edition that will take place between January 31 to February 3.
Both players are looking forward to playing in the Kingdom. “I am excited to make my first trip to Saudi Arabia and support this historic new event. It sounds like some amazing things are happening there, including big plans for junior and family golf development,” said Johnson. “It’s an honour to be part of Saudi Arabia’s golf journey from the onset.”
Reed added: “It’s been a crazy few weeks since I won at Augusta and so much fun. “I had not, at this stage, finalised anything in my schedule for next year but when I heard about the ambitious plans for golf in Saudi Arabia, I committed straight away.”
Although the event name will be revealed in the coming weeks, the competition will be held at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club.
Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, said: “We are delighted to have Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Paul Casey and Thomas Bjørn in the field for our first professional golf tournament in Saudi Arabia.
“Royal Greens Golf and Country Club is a spectacular venue, with world class facilities, and our players are going to absolutely love playing there.
“We are a global Tour and this is an exciting opportunity for us to play in a new country which has a strong focus on golf as part of its vision for the future. Our thanks go to His Royal Majesty, Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for this vision, and to the Saudi Arabia General Sports Authority, the Saudi Arabian Golf Federation and everyone at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club and the King Abdullah Economic City for their commitment to this inaugural tournament.”
