As the PIF Saudi Ladies International tees off tomorrow, World No.9 Charley Hull is embracing the challenge—not just on the course, but in her athletic pursuits well beyond golf.
The English star is known for her bold approach to the game, yet she’s setting an ambitious goal that might catch her fellow competitors by surprise:
“My main goal actually isn’t on the golf course. I want to try and get my 5k run time down to 20 minutes by the end of the year. It’s around 26 minutes at the moment,” Hull revealed.
“I don’t train in golf. I have zero interest in training in golf. I don’t want to just be a golfer. I want to be an athlete.
I train because it’s good for my mental health and it’s good for me. I just enjoy it as a hobby.”
Hull will tee it up alongside Germany’s Chiara Noja—a familiar face after their thrilling playoff at the 2022 Aramco Team Series presented by PIF – Jeddah—and Maria Fassi. She can’t wait to see what this new team dynamic brings:
“Yeah, she’s super. She’s a really good player. I’ve got Maria Fassi on my team as well.
I think it’s just going to be super fun and it’s nice to have people to chat to out there. I just want to have fun on the golf course and feel like part of a team.”
This unique tournament format features 28 teams of four professionals, where the top two scores on each hole contribute to the team total. Hull sees this as a license for aggressive play:
“You obviously don’t have an amateur so with another professional and the top two scores counting, there’s plenty of chances to make a lot of birdies.”
Beyond the team structure, the PIF Saudi Ladies International has drawn considerable attention for matching the prize fund of the men’s event, the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers—a milestone for the women’s game.
Yin’s Debut in Saudi Arabia
World No.3 Ruoning Yin is making her tournament debut this week and shared her initial impressions of Riyadh Golf Club:
“Well, I think the setup is pretty fair, and like Charley says, it’s a scorable course. If you’re striking it well, you can make a lot of birdies, and I think you’ll see we have a lot of birdie chances. I think the breeze is going to make this course a little bit trickier, but overall, it’s a good test for the field.”
As the field’s highest-ranked player, Yin remains remarkably calm about the spotlight:
“No, I don’t think I feel any pressure. I come out to play each week. I just try to play the best and have fun.”
Kang’s Love of Team Golf
Among the headliners is American Danielle Kang, who has found great success in team formats, including captaining her squad to victory at the 2024 Aramco Team Series presented by PIF – Korea. Her passion for team competition is palpable:
“I’ve always really liked competing in team sports in general. I like the team aspect of golf.
The men have the whole team thing going on with LIV Golf, and they have something to move for that’s a team more than just you.
I don’t know, I think it just brings out the best in me whenever I get to play for someone else.”
This week, Kang joins forces with Ruoning Yin and couldn’t be happier with the pairing:
“It’s the best pairing I could have asked for. She’s like my little sister out here. She got to pick me, and I was actually watching her pick me on her phone.
“I was selfishly thinking that I’ve been going through so much stuff, and she was part of that process for me coming back and having her in the group with me would be really good for me, personally, to play the best that I could play.”
As the first round of the PIF Saudi Ladies International gets underway, the event’s compelling blend of top-tier competition, unique team dynamics, and groundbreaking equality in prize money stands poised to raise the bar for women’s golf.
Expect plenty of excitement, a flurry of birdies, and no shortage of inspiring storylines both on and off the course.
