The second edition of the most innovative new format in golf, the Aramco Team Series – Sotogrande, contested on 5-7 August 2021 at the prestigious and stunning La Reserva Club, Spain, welcomed some of the world’s best female golfers who were, once again, teamed up with amateurs to compete for the $1M prize fund.
Just a matter of weeks before the 2021 Solheim Cup, which will take place itself in Andalusia in 2023, the Aramco Team Series – Sotogrande starred several of the likely European professionals. These included Brits Georgia Hall, Charley Hull, and Bronte Law.
Taking full advantage of the event’s Draft – where 36 of the highest ranked players are invited to select another professional to team up with them in an NFL-style selection process – Law turned the tables on European Solheim Cup Captain Catriona Matthew and picked her for her fourball.
US contingent included 2021 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship runner-up and four-time US Solheim Cup player Lizette Salas, former world number two Paula Creamer and Alison Lee who topped the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
The team prize though, was ultimately secured by tour professionals Stacey Lee Bregman and Hayley Davis, captained by Ashleigh Buhai – who were joined by amateur Ignacio Morillo, a G650 Fleet Manager for Gama Aviation from Barcelona.
Meanwhile the US’s Alison Lee set pulses racing in the blistering Mediterranean heat, with two opening rounds of 65 to lead the individual prize by seven shots, going into the third round. The 26-year-old secured her first win as a professional with a final round of -15 under par.
The Aramco Team Series celebrates more in golf than merely the winners however, and gender equality and female empowerment were also championed as the Andalusian Golf Federation was given €11,490 to help fund further development of women’s golf across southern Spain.
In addition, women representing golf clubs from across the region, who have been enlisted as Solheim Cup Ambassadors for the 2023 event, which takes place at nearby Finca Cortesin, were invited to #BringTheEnergy to their clubs and communities by European Captain Catriona Matthew; and two local teenage golfers, who have aspirations of a life on tour themselves, were given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to caddie for tour pros taking part in the tournament – giving vital support to some of the golfers who otherwise don’t travel with a full time caddie.
Overall, the Aramco Team Series continues to highlight an overall appetite for the game to continue growing and gives women’s golf a heightened platform that it deserves.
The series moves on now to New York, home of Lady Liberty – what greater symbol for female empowerment is there than that?
