Khalid Walid Attieh continued his impressive form on The International Series at the Black Mountain Championship, making the cut for the second time this year after his historic achievement in Oman where he became the first Saudi amateur to do so in a pro tournament.
The 29-year-old posted a four-under first round of 68 and followed up with a two-under 70 to move into the weekend at the Black Mountain Golf Club in Hua Hin.
In difficult conditions he followed up with four birdies and a bogey from 10 on his front nine, before dropping five shots and picking up a solitary birdie for a one-over 73.
Riyadh golfer Attieh admits he feels pride in representing Saudi Arabia when he competes in the elite-level events that make up The International Series schedule.
He said: “It's such a great event. I am very grateful to the Saudi Golf Federation and The International Series for giving me a spot, and obviously to represent my country. It's been very special.
“Everyone here on the Asian Tour is super nice as well and I got to play with some really nice guys and some good people and then also the people running the tournament are doing an amazing job. So, nothing but positives here!”
The Black Mountain Championship kicks off a hectic stretch of six events in eight weeks on The International Series. Despite the intense competition among the players, Attieh has been impressed by the wonderful atmosphere in Hua Hin.
“A lot of the local players have been impressive, I would definitely say some of the Thai guys are just wonderful people. You don't really get that all over the world, which is a blessing. Everyone's supportive of each other.
“Everyone says hi. Once you play with someone, they are almost your friend for life which is nice. I want to say thanks to The International Series, for setting up such a wonderful event.”
The Saudi national team member finished T69 at International Series Oman back in February. Nearly eight months later, he is happy with his game and gaining even more confidence knowing he can deliver on the big stage.
He said: “It's been great. I've been playing some good golf. So, it's nice finally to see all the hard work pay off. I have put in a lot of time, a lot of effort, and finally I get to see some results.
“I think this week it definitely felt like that. At one stage I thought I could be even further up the leaderboard, and I think it was just a few mental errors on the back nine that cost me a little bit, but I am happy overall where the game is, and I think that moving forward, it's going to give me a lot of confidence.”
The Black Mountain Championship is running from 17-20 October at Black Mountain Golf Club with International Series Thailand taking place from 24-27 October at Thai Country Club the following week.
The International Series is the most prized pathway in golf. It consists of 10 elite tournaments sanctioned by the Asian Tour and offers the year-long Rankings leader promotion to the LIV Golf League
