RIYADH — The Asian Tour has postponed its flagship $5m PIF Saudi International, scheduled for 18-21 November at Riyadh Golf Club, amid security concerns in Saudi Arabia. The Tour confirmed the season finale will not go ahead following "an assessment of the organisational and logistical challenges associated with hosting the tournament".
The decision follows heightened political tension and attacks on Riyadh's international airport by the Iran-backed Houthi group from Yemen. The country remains on high alert after the last attack on 10 October, which killed at least 13 and injured more than 300, and the Tour said it had been monitoring the situation before deciding not to stage its biggest tournament. The $5m purse far outweighs usual prize funds on the Asian Tour schedule.
Asian Tour commissioner and CEO Cho Minn Thant thanked partners and stressed the event's long-term importance. “We would like to thank Golf Saudi for its continued support and valued partnership," he said. "The PIF Saudi International is one of the most important events on the Asian Tour calendar and we look forward to seeing our players compete in Riyadh in the future.”
The Asian Tour said it "remains in direct contact with its players and members regarding the schedule and next steps" but gave no indication the tournament would be rescheduled. It is another significant blow in a difficult season that saw the Tour's lucrative partnership with LIV Golf come to an end, a split Cho Minn Thant told Golf Monthly had been "devastating to our tour", with remaining International Series events cancelled after the loss of LIV funding.
The Saudi International had been due to take place the week after the DP World Tour's closing Tour Championship in Dubai, but both that event and the preceding Abu Dhabi Championship are still set to go ahead as planned, with Sotogrande in Spain lined up as a back-up plan if needed. Following the collapse of LIV funding, the Asian Tour has signed a deal with the DP World Tour and PGA Tour to co-sanction historic national opens, leaving the future scope of the Saudi PIF's involvement in the Asian Tour unclear.