Global amateur golf competition heads to the Red Sea, Diriyah, and BLVD World as Saudi Arabia expands its sporting ambitions.
By Jude Albuthie, Editorial Desk
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has recently announced it will end its backing of LIV Golf after the 2026 season. The PIF, which invested more than $5 billion into the breakaway tour, says it’s refocusing on domestic projects, though it will cover the rest of the 2026 season to give LIV time to find new partners. The league has reportedly lost upwards of $1 billion since launch, pushing it toward a multi‑partner, independent ownership model instead of relying on a single sovereign backer.
At the same time, Saudi Arabia is placing a different bet on golf. ONEDER SHOT, pitched as the world’s first global amateur golf competition platform, is launching its inaugural season with a $10 million prize and will finish in Saudi Arabia. That move comes as the off‑course golf market, simulator play, entertainment venues and digital competition platforms are already worth more than $5 billion globally and are expected to grow toward $10 billion as technology reshapes how the game is played. Together, these shifts suggest a pivot: away from massive, long‑term sovereign subsidies and toward diversified, tech‑driven opportunities and domestic investment priorities.
Blending golf, entertainment, and technology, the ONEDER SHOT competition has opened qualification to amateur players worldwide through a network of more than 6,500 golf simulator venues powered by TrackMan systems. Players compete on the same qualifying hole, allowing amateurs from different corners of the world to compete under a single standardized format.
The model is straightforward: players pay $10 for five shots, with their best attempt logged onto both weekly and global leaderboards. Those scores then determine progression into a playoff system that will unfold across some of Saudi Arabia’s most recognizable destinations, including AlUla, Diriyah, Qiddiya, and the Red Sea, before narrowing the field to the top 10.
Those final 10 will compete in Riyadh for the full $10 million prize pool, culminating in a single 160-yard shot to a floating green at BLVD World, a final designed to turn competitive golf into a spectacle built for television.
Behind the concept is ONEDER SHOT founder and CEO Anthony Puntoriero, an Australian entrepreneur whose background spans sports entertainment, event strategy, and golf innovation. For Puntoriero, the idea is built around a segment of the game that has long remained outside the spotlight: the amateur player.
The company’s use of simulator technology removes many of the logistical barriers traditionally associated with golf, creating a pathway where anyone with access to a TrackMan bay can compete from virtually anywhere in the world. However, the vision stretches far beyond qualification, centered on building an ecosystem where amateur players, creators, fans, and brands come together through a format that is accessible, exciting, and built for modern audiences, with the ambition of creating the Formula One of golf.
Every shot taken during qualification is automatically ranked and streamed through ONEDER TV, while the platform’s proprietary leaderboard system tracks performances globally.
As the competition progresses into the playoff phase, the verification process intensifies, with additional video validation introduced as players move closer to Riyadh.
The format itself will evolve as it nears its climax. While qualification begins in simulator bays, the playoff rounds will blend virtual competition with live golf events to identify the strongest all-around players.
Saudi Arabia, Anthony says, was always central to that vision.
“I believe Riyadh is the city of the future, and I want to position ONEDER SHOT at the epicenter,” Anthony said. “The US and Europe will likely produce most of the competitors, but bringing the final here shows how far golf can spread and the impact it can have for everyone who plays the game.”
That regional focus extends beyond the international competition. Alongside the global final, ONEDER SHOT is developing a Saudi-only final and a Corporate Challenge format, initiatives designed specifically for the local market.
“The Saudi-only final is something that really excites me,” Anthony told The Saudi Times. “I’m committed to creating Saudi Arabia’s biggest sporting participation event, and now we have the platform to do that.”
The final itself, a single shot onto a floating green at BLVD World, is designed to be the competition’s defining image.
“I’ve always been fascinated by floating greens. Most golfers are. It’s pressure to the max and there’s nowhere to hide,” Anthony said. “I believe the backdrop of the incredible theme park and city as a whole allows this high-stakes amphitheater to be the new benchmark in golf entertainment.”
The event is expected to be broadcast on MBC1 and streamed on Shahid, delivering national prominence and international reach. It is partnered with some of the region’s largest brands across banking, automotive, telco, AI and transport. A limited number of exclusive partnership packages are available, and major players are already showing strong interest. These brands and others are also participating in the ONEDER SHOT Corporate Challenge, the world’s richest corporate golf competition, which will culminate in Riyadh.
“I’m delighted to see so many brands engaging and supporting this initiative. Together, we’re helping put Saudi Arabia on the map as a global hub for sport and entertainment under Vision 2030, and it’s an exciting moment for partners who join us,” said Anthony Puntoriero, CEO of ONEDER SHOT.
At its core, ONEDER SHOT is built on a simple premise: the future of golf will not be built solely around professionals, but around the millions of amateurs who already play the game.
Whether that vision can translate into a lasting sports property remains to be seen. But with its debut season anchored in Saudi Arabia, ONEDER SHOT and its founder, Anthony Puntoriero, are positioning the Kingdom not just as a host, but as the proving ground for a new kind of golf competition. For Puntoriero, whose ambition is to democratize the sport by easing access to golf and making amateur competition more accessible, competitive, and globally connected, the platform is designed to redefine how golf is experienced beyond traditional courses. And for one amateur golfer, that future could begin with a single shot worth $10 million.
With playoff stages extending across destinations including Qiddiya and the Red Sea and a final designed for broadcast audiences, initiatives such as ONEDER SHOT reflect Saudi Arabia’s growing ambition to position itself as a global hub for sport, tourism, and entertainment, bringing destination-led competition from the Kingdom to audiences around the world. Set against the objectives of Vision 2030 and HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s newly defined five-year investment strategy, ONEDER SHOT arrives at a moment of recalibration for Saudi sports. At its core, sport is also about giving back to the community. In accordance with ONEDER SHOT’s “Every Shot Counts” campaign, proceeds from every ONEDER SHOT and Corporate Challenge entry in the Kingdom will go to Abdulrahman’s Oasis. This Saudi non-profit supports the psychological, emotional, and social well‑being of hospitalized children, helping them cope with medical procedures through play, education, and emotional support.
Anthony shared with The Saudi Times: “The work Abdulrahman`s Oasis does to provide child life services, emotional safety, and psychological support for children and families is truly incredible, and I feel honored to support their mission. I am inspired by Chairman Fahad Al-Thenyan, founders Hana Al-Modaimeegh and Fadi Munshi, and their commitment to this life-changing organization”.
With the Public Investment Fund signaling a shift away from large-scale, open-ended golf investment in favor of projects that generate stronger domestic returns and broader economic impact, the emphasis is increasingly moving from financing global disruption to building sustainable industries at home. In that context, ONEDER SHOT reflects a different phase of Saudi Arabia’s sporting ambitions, one focused less on ownership of the game and more on creating platforms that connect sport with technology, media, tourism, and local economic growth. If the Kingdom’s first chapter in golf was about changing where the game is played, the next may be about determining who shapes its future.
Edited & Published by Boudou Gueffai | Editor-in-Chief
