Staff WriterIf the PIF Saudi Ladies International is supposed to ease everyone gently into the new season, somebody forgot to tell Mimi Rhodes and Hye-Jin Choi. Under a big desert sky at Riyadh Golf Club, the prodigious Brit and the accomplished South Korean tore the curtain down rather than raised it, trading matching 8-under-par 64s to share the lead in the 2026 PIF Global Series opener on the Ladies European Tour (LET).
They didn’t so much negotiate Riyadh’s fairways as bully them into submission. Behind them, a tightly packed chasing mob – Japan’s Chizzy Iwai, Belgium’s Manon De Roey and 2024 champion Patty Tavatanakit – is lurking within striking distance, but for one day at least, the marquee lights belonged to Rhodes and Choi.
Twin 64s Light Up the Desert
For Mimi Rhodes, this was the sort of bogey-free opening salvo that makes a winter’s worth of grind feel instantly worthwhile. She produced a spotless card, finishing with a late burst of birdies to jump up alongside Choi and grab a share of the top spot at the PIF Saudi Ladies International, the first instalment of the PIF Global Series in 2026.
While the scoreboard makes it look routine, nothing about it felt that way for the 24-year-old, who played all PIF Global Series events in 2025 and arrived with expectations quietly humming in the background.
“Clearly a lot went well for me today. Having had so much time off [over the winter break], I was a bit nervous at the start.
“I left a few putts short, but the game felt solid. I missed a few greens on the front nine, but I made up-and-downs. On the back nine, I just forgot about my score, and I was trying to make as many birdies as I could. I don’t think I missed a green on the back nine, so everything was feeling good. My putting was on point.
“I think the course is the best that’s it’s ever been. The greens have improved so much, they’re rolling so nice and I just got used to the speed of them early on and focused a lot on the practice rounds. I was looking at breaks and the speed of the greens, and it paid off today.”
Rhodes has the look of a player who has figured out that confidence doesn’t come from waiting for it to arrive — it comes from hitting wedges stiff and holing six-footers when your hands still remember Christmas.
Choi’s “Crazy” Putter Leads the Charge
If Rhodes painted her masterpiece in steady brushstrokes, Hye-Jin Choi went straight for neon. The three-time LET winner blasted out of the blocks, posting a remarkable six birdies over her first nine holes to sit atop the leaderboard for most of the day.
The 26-year-old, who already has seven top-ten Major finishes to her name, has clearly brought her LPGA form with her into 2026 after finishing inside the top 30 in her last six tournaments of 2025. Here in Riyadh, her long game was good, but the putter was absolute mischief.
“My shots didn’t feel that good, but my putting was crazy. I made two long putts and then after that I felt better and much more confident, so that’s why I feel I played well.
“I played really well last year, and have only started well today, so I don’t know what the future holds yet, but I’ll just give it my best shot.”
If that’s Choi when her shots “didn’t feel that good”, the rest of the field might reasonably be a little concerned about what happens when they do. Making her PIF Global Series debut, she looked entirely at home, gliding around Riyadh Golf Club like she’d been sneaking in practice rounds here for years.
Rhodes Revels in Riyadh’s Refined Greens
One of the quiet stories of the week is just how good the playing surfaces have become at Riyadh Golf Club – and Rhodes was more than happy to put the spotlight where it’s due.
Her iron play on the back nine was laser-guided, but it was the way she trusted those newly-slick greens that allowed her to turn a solid start into an 8-under statement at the PIF Saudi Ladies International.
“I think the course is the best that’s it’s ever been,” she said, backing up what many in the field have been whispering. With improved conditioning, truer rolls and speeds that reward a confident stroke, the greens have turned into a stage where good putters can look great and great putters can look downright rude.
For Rhodes, who admitted to early nerves after the winter break, settling into that rhythm early – reading breaks, adjusting to pace and committing to her lines – turned a tentative opening into a round that has her right in the thick of contention.
Spanish Ace: Ciganda’s Hole-in-One Steals the Roar
Of course, no opening day fireworks display is complete without at least one explosion, and Carlota Ciganda obliged in typically dramatic fashion. The Solheim Cup stalwart rifled a nine-iron straight at the 157-yard par-three 8th and watched – or rather, didn’t watch – as it disappeared for a stunning hole-in-one on her way to an impressive five-under-par 67.
“I had 144 metres, and I played a par three a couple of holes before that, hit a nine [iron], and it was pretty good. So, I just hit the same club, the wind was very similar, and it just went straight to the pin. We couldn’t see, so I didn’t know what happened, and then the camera guy told us that it went in, so it took us a few seconds to realise. I am very happy to have a hole in one and start the day like this.”
As you might expect from someone who has seen just about everything the women’s game can offer, Ciganda kept the celebration classy, but the shot itself was as loud as anything all afternoon. Her 67 keeps her firmly in the slipstream of the leaders and injects more major-pedigree menace into an already stacked leaderboard.
Growing the Game: Sustained Futures Brings 370 Young Fans Inside the Ropes
Beyond the birdies, eagles and aces, this week is also about what happens off the scorecard. The PIF Saudi Ladies International is again leaning hard into legacy through Sustained Futures, one of the event’s flagship initiatives designed to inspire and educate the next generation via direct engagement with the sport.
The 2026 programme launched today with 370 students set to pass through the gates over the four-day tournament, giving young people a close-up look at elite women’s golf and the wider conversations around sustainability and opportunity.
Golf Saudi continues to use the PIF Global Series as a bridge for local talent, aiming to create not just a memorable event, but a lasting footprint for the game within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. For those leading the charge, the mission goes well beyond birdies and trophies.
“Leading this youth engagement initiative is profoundly meaningful to me, as it represents an opportunity to foster dialogue, empowerment, and positive development among young people,” said Iven Ilievska, spokesperson from Sustained Futures.
“Seeing so many bright young people looking to the future, capturing innovative ideas, and stepping forward as advocates for change makes me incredibly proud.
“Sustained Futures is using sport as a powerful platform to raise awareness about environment consciousness and help bridge the green skills gap. It’s an honour to lead this engagement and to connect with such inspiring young minds.”
Ciganda, who has been a regular visitor, can see the difference with her own eyes.
“Every time I come to Saudi I see more people here, more kids, more women, everyone enjoying themselves. I know golf is a pretty new sport here, but I think the more we play and the more we come, the more normal is going to be so I’m very happy to be playing here, and hopefully we can make an impact.”
It’s hard to argue with her. The sight of school groups lining fairways and crowding around practice greens is becoming less novelty, more new normal.
Tickets, Series and What Comes Next
With Rhodes and Choi out in front, Ciganda buzzing after an ace, and a chasing pack of proven winners piling in behind, the stage is set for a cracking week at Riyadh Golf Club as the PIF Global Series roars into 2026.
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, visit: www.pifglobalseries.com
If day one is any indication, this isn’t just the start of another season – it’s the start of a story worth following shot-by-shot.
