Defending champion Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand, the world's top-ranked player who won last year's PIF Saudi Ladies International, will not compete in this year's tournament, leaving the $5 million Ladies European Tour season opener without its title holder.
The tournament runs for four days starting February 11 at Riyadh Golf Club (par 72) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
England's Charley Hull, ranked fifth globally, leads the field as the only top-10 player competing. Japan's Rio Takeda (14th), Nasa Hataoka (16th), and South Korea's Hye-jin Choi (17th) round out the top entrants.
Of the 38 players ranked within the world's top 100 competing in this event—the richest outside LPGA's five majors and the CME Group Tour Championship—13 are South Korean, representing more than one-third of the elite field.
Beyond Choi, Korean competitors include So-mi Lee (39th), Hyun-jo Yu (40th), Jeong-min Hong (48th), Shin-sil Bang (49th), Hee-young Yang (52nd), Min-sol Kim (63rd), Yi-na Yun (69th), Dong-eun Lee (72nd), Ji-won Ko (81st), Gyo-rim Seo (94th), Da-som Ma (97th), and Yun-ji Jeong (98th).
Six additional Korean players—Hye-jun Park (103rd), So-hyun Bae (104th), Min-sun Kim 7 (109th), Si-hyun Kim (118th), Bo-gyeom Park (139th), and Chae-eun Lee 2 (197th)—all rank within the world's top 200, making all 19 South Korean entrants legitimate title contenders.
First-round pairings feature notable matchups for Korean players. Yun, who ranked 13th on the LPGA Tour's driving distance rankings last year at 272.94 yards, will play alongside LPGA's longest hitter Julia Lopez Ramirez of Spain, who averaged 285.42 yards. The two LPGA rookie classmates from 2024 have frequently competed together, including at the AIG Women's Open and Maybank Championship first rounds in the latter half of last year.
Choi, LPGA's highest career earner without a tour victory, will tee off with Shannon Tan of Singapore, last year's LET Player of the Year, and Japan's Akie Iwai.
The 19 South Korean women will begin their pursuit of the $750,000 winner's prize when competition begins.