Ladies European Tour brings Saudi Arabian ‘sportwashing’ into spotlight

Graeme McDowell won the second Saudi International tour event against a global field while Rory McIlroy declined

One lone female professional spoke up against the decision: the 25-year old Englishwoman, Meghan Maclaren. Photo: PA

An announcement by the Ladies European Tour last month reignited a controversy about professional golf tournaments taking place in Saudi Arabia.

It may seem the horse has already bolted following the European Tour’s Saudi International golf tournaments of 2019 and 2020, but the Ladies European Tour is also involved. The original plan was for the ladies’ event to take place in March 2020, two months after the men, but Covid-19 put a stop to that. Until now. Last month, the Ladies European Tour announced not one but two ‘landmark’ tournaments for November, the first beginning tomorrow, with prize money of $1.5m (€1.27m) on offer.