Staff WriterIf you wanted a Thursday reminder that momentum in golf can be as contagious as a cold in a packed lift, England’s Mimi Rhodes provided it in style at the PIF Saudi Ladies International — and she did it with the kind of calm that usually belongs to people who’ve already seen the ending.
At Riyadh Golf Club, the 24-year-old backed up her opening-day brilliance with a hard-nosed 69 to reach 11-under-par, edging one clear of South Africa’s Casandra Alexander and Japan’s Chizzy Iwai.
Rhodes, the Ladies European Tour (LET) 2025 Rookie of the Year, has spent the first two rounds playing like she’s not waiting for permission to belong on the biggest stages — she’s rearranging the furniture. One-shot back sits a familiar closer in Spain’s Carlota Ciganda (now a 12-time professional winner), tied for fourth alongside Japan’s prodigious Rio Takeda.
A little further down the road, a traffic jam is forming: eight players are tied for sixth, while England’s Charley Hull sits four off the lead alongside former champion Patty Tavatanakit. In other words: the weekend has teeth.
Rhodes: “Holing putts is my main goal out there…”
Rhodes’ tone has been as telling as her scorecard — focused, upbeat, and refreshingly free of the usual “I just need to execute” wallpaper.
Reflecting on her mindset, and how she has approached the week so far, Rhodes said: “Honestly, I was so excited. Having two months off competitive golf, it’s so long, but I just got back into the swing of things. Holing putts is my main goal out there and having the greens rolling really nicely is definitely an advantage for that. I’m just taking it chill out there and being patient.
“I wasn’t putting too much pressure on myself, but obviously it’s a big event, one of the PIF Global Series, so I wanted to do well, and start with a cut made, I’ve done more than that. I think I can be proud of myself and now just see what happens. I’m happy.”
That’s not the voice of someone hoping to survive the weekend. That’s the voice of someone who’s planning where to put the trophy.
The chasing pack: Ciganda, Takeda, Hull — and plenty of company
The leaderboard behind Rhodes reads like a reminder that golf is a polite sport played by people who have absolutely no intention of being polite on Sunday.
- Casandra Alexander and Chizzy Iwai are closest, just one behind.
- Carlota Ciganda — a veteran with a punchy win record — is a shot further back, tied with Rio Takeda.
- Charley Hull is lurking at four back, with Patty Tavatanakit close enough to make memories (good or bad) happen quickly.
With conditions and confidence both in play, the PIF Saudi Ladies International is set up for a weekend where one hot stretch can turn “contender” into “problem.”
Investors in women’s sport: Golf Saudi takes the spotlight beyond the ropes
Round two wasn’t just about who made putts and who made excuses. The day also highlighted Golf Saudi’s wider investment in the future of women’s sport — not only staging an elite tournament, but building a broader ecosystem around leadership and opportunity.
At Riyadh Golf Club, the WiMENA (Women in Middle East and North Africa) panels were boosted by the presence of pioneering Saudi athletes, including Kariman Abuljadayel, along with Razan Al-Ajmi, Saudi Arabia’s first female skydiver, the Saudi National Rugby Team and other prominent Olympians and sports figures.
The message was clear: this event is being positioned as more than a week of golf — it’s a platform for visibility, inspiration, and professional development.
As the support continues to grow for Saudi sports development, Ameerah Marghalani, a Saudi Rugby National Team member confidently said: “I want to see the support for sports grow exponentially across the country. My vision is to see more young girls and women joining the sporting community, not just in major cities, but across every corner of Saudi Arabia.”
“Go Golf” clinics bring the next generation onto the tee line
On site at Riyadh Golf Club, more than 200 young students got hands-on experience through Golf Saudi’s team of PGA Professionals during Go Golf clinics, using sport as a catalyst for long-term change.
It’s the kind of scene golf needs more often: juniors learning the game while elite players chase titles nearby — a living reminder that the sport’s future doesn’t arrive fully formed; it’s coached, encouraged, and occasionally bribed with a goodie bag.
Tickets and event information
Tickets for the PIF Saudi Ladies International remain on sale and can be purchased at: webook.com/en/events/pif-golf-ladies-int
For more information on the PIF Global Series and the upcoming Saudi Ladies International please visit: www.pifglobalseries.com
