LIV Golf: Harold Varner III returns to scene of finest hour as invitational series goes home for Jeddah event
- Harold Varner III won the Saudi International tournament in February, which propelled him into the world’s top 50
- Graeme McDowell and Dustin Johnson have also won at the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in past three years
LIV Golf has returned home this weekend, with the breakaway tour stopping in Jeddah for the first time in its inaugural season, and three former Saudi champions are aiming to recreate past glories at the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club.
Dustin Johnson won the Saudi International on the same course in 2019 and 2021, while Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell claimed victory there in 2020, and American Harold Varner III took this year’s title in February with a stunning 92ft putt for eagle on 18.
All three are part of the 48-man field, as the new Saudi-backed circuit makes its Middle East debut in King Abdullah Economic City.
For McDowell and Varner, it is a return to a place where their respective victories, two years apart, kick-started their careers, or in McDowell’s case rebooted it.
“When I won here in 2020 it was the same as Harold [Varner], it got me back in the top-50 in the world, got me back in the Masters and got me back doing all the things I had missed for a few years,” McDowell said. “It was a huge win for me at the time and something I was proud of.”
In comparison, Varner’s win was the biggest of his career, lifting him to 45 in the world rankings and earning him a first appearance at the Masters.
The 32-year-old joined the LIV set up before last month’s event in Boston, where he finished tied 31st. He then improved to tie 21st two weeks later in Chicago, before his best result of a tie for 6th at the LIV Invitational Bangkok, last week.
