Riyadh Golf Club, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Key Facts

• Riyadh Golf Club hosted the opening game of the 2025 LIV Golf season, with Adrian Meronk winning the individual prize and Jon Rahm's Legion XIII taking the team prize.
• Fans were treated to the thrill of night golf, with all three rounds played after dark.
• The course is known as 'the Pearl of the Desert', with lakes, streams and wadis creating a feast for the eyes of spectators.

Full Story

LIV Golf is all about taking golf to the people by bringing it closer to the world’s most electric cities. And nowhere is that truer than in Riyadh.

Riyadh Golf Club, the venue for our 2025 season opener, is situated just 20 minutes from Riyadh city center, making it one of the most urban courses on our schedule. And when you set foot on the turf, you can’t believe the skyscrapers are just around the corner: the golf course is a vast green oasis, measuring 7,000 yards from the pro’s tees.

Known as ‘the Pearl of the Desert’, this is a track that plays fast and fair, while throwing up plenty of obstacles. It’s the perfect venue for our new, global game of golf. And if you weren’t lucky enough to see our amazing debut last year, here’s the low-down.

What happened last time we came?

We saw a thriller on the opening weekend of the 2025 season, with emerging star Adrian Meronk (Cleeks GC) holding off the galáctico Jon Rahm to take the first individual prize of the season. Rahm couldn’t be denied in the team stakes, however: his Legion XIII took home the gold with a dominant start-to-finish display.

(Remember: each LIV Golf event offers both team and individual titles, meaning every single player has a genuine shot at glory).

What makes the course so good?

The course is criss-crossed with beauty, a stunning tribute to designer Duncan Thomson. Look out for the manmade lakes and streams, and the network of wadis (Arabic for a dry valley or ravine).

How does the course play?

This course is a real flyer: the fairways are wide and lightning-quick, so we can expect plenty of low scores. On our previous visit, Legion XIII produced a scorching round of -24 on day 1, which shows you what can be achieved out there.

However, there are some real card-wreckers if the players don’t tread carefully. The 2nd hole, a 630-yard Par 5, could create all kinds of problems, and the island green on 8 will prove a major obstacle if the wind picks up.

Want to see a recap of our last visit to Riyadh and relive the thrill of golf after dark? Check out highlights of the last night here.