JEDDAH: Golf Saudi CEO Majed Al-Sorour has hailed the launch of The Line, a zero-carbon urban-development project, as being the Kingdom’s most ambitious project to date. Al-Sorour said the announcement from Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman about The Line, as well as other big projects including NEOM, was a blessing for world tourism and investment. It was also good news for the future of golf because the sport was associated with beaches, smart cities, and high-end tourism, he added. “The clean, high-tech environment that The Line will create will no doubt allow golf courses to flourish due to their aesthetics, environmental development and consideration for health and nature in conjunction with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. Turning the Red Sea Coastline into a hub for golf.” Al-Sorour, who was formerly a professional footballer in the Saudi Premier League, had a career with Al Nassr before moving to the US in 1990 to pursue a business career. The change brought him into close contact with golf. He competed in domestic golf tournaments as an amateur, going on to qualify for the Golf World Cup in 2012 in South Africa and winning the Saudi Canadian Golf Championship in 2015. In 2018 he was appointed CEO of Golf Saudi and the Saudi Golf Federation, and tasked with overseeing the development of a multibillion-dollar investment in the sport’s development and its commercial opportunities. The next stage of the journey is the third Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers. It will be a major event on the Saudi sporting calendar, with some of the European Tour’s best golfers taking part. Al-Sorour said: “We are now just a fortnight away from hosting one of the largest golf tournaments in the world for the third time at King Abdullah Economic City. Looking back on my earlier career, who would have imagined that this high-value sport would find itself in such a distinguished place in Saudi Arabia? Add to that, who would have expected that the best top-ranked golf players in the world would compete to take part in it? I say with great pride that this would not have come about without the vision that the crown prince has spearheaded.” The Saudi International is a permanent fixture on the Desert Swing, with Golf Saudi working closely with the European Tour to implement mass participation programs.