Historic golf week in Morocco: Legends tee off for Hassan II Trophy & Lalla Meryem Cup
One of the most unique tournament weeks in global golf is set to take place in Morocco, where the Moroccan Golf Federation will host the PGA Champions Tour and the Ladies European Tour (LET) concurrently.
The two 54-hole tournaments, each part of their respective tours, will be played on different golf courses and will tee off on Thursday, February 6, 2025.
The Trophée Hassan II for senior men on the PGA Champions Tour features a $2.5 million purse and marks the second event on the 2025 PGA Tour Champions calendar.
This year, the tournament will be played from the Red Tee Course. It will be the fourth time the PGA Champions Tour visits Morocco and the third time at this venue.
Jeev's invitation
India's Jeev Milkha Singh, who earned an invitation from the Moroccan Golf Federation, will be eager to impress following his missed cut at last week's $2 million Asian Tour International Series – India, presented by DLF at DLF Golf & Country Club in Delhi.
Marquee players in the men's field include Thomas Bjorn (Den), Paul Broadhurst (Eng), Stewart Cink (US), David Duval (US), Ernie Els (RSA), Retief Goosen (RSA), Padraig Harrington (Ire), Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain), Colin Montgomerie (Scot), Jose-Maria Olazabal (Spain), and YE Yang (South Korea).
This will be the only time all season that the PGA Champions Tour ventures into the MENA region.
The legends of senior golf are here this week—a field full of the sport's great characters.
GCC Potential
Wouldn't it be exciting to see these PGA Champions Tour players in the UAE and the wider GCC region? An enhanced Pro-Am format could prove popular with the corporate world in the Middle East.
With proper planning by an experienced promoter, a sustainable financial model could make it a reality.
Now, there's a thought!
On the LET side, a strong field will compete from the Blue Tee Course for a $450,000 purse.
The 108-player field includes 11 invites and 97 LET members, among them two LET Order of Merit winners: Switzerland's Chiara Tamburlini (2024) and Thailand's Trichat Cheenglab (2023).
This week's field features 11 tournament invitations, including Mexican star and LPGA player Maria Fassi, who finished T3 in 2024, and Portuguese amateur Ines Belchior.
Players from 34 nationalities will compete, including five Moroccans playing on home soil: Ines Laklalech, who represented Morocco at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Maha Haddioui, Lina Belmati, Malak Bouraeda, and 15-year-old Sofia Cherif Essakali, the youngest player in the field.
Rookie Debut
Among the 20 rookies making their season debut is Ecuador's first LET member, Daniela Darquea, who secured a one-stroke victory at Lalla Aicha Q-School in December.
Also competing is 16-year-old Anna Huang from Canada, who recorded five top-10 finishes in 2024, including T2 finishes at The Glencoe Invitational, Nike Junior Invitational, and Mizuho Americas Open.
The field also includes past champions: Klara Davidson Spilkova (2017), Nuria Iturrioz (2016, 2019), and defending champion Bronte Law (Eng).
In total, the female field boasts 32 tour winners with a combined 57 career victories.
Follow us this week in Khaleej Times Golf, as our Khaleej Times Golf Writer is on-site in Morocco to bring you LIVE updates from the course and Media Centre.
For LIVE Scoring on the PGA Champions Tour, VISIT: PGA TOUR Champions - Tournament Schedule
For LIVE Scoring on the Ladies European Tour, VISIT: ladieseuropeantour.com
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