DP World Tour golfer Eddie Pepperell says Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) wants to take over one of England’s most prestigious golf courses.
Wentworth bosses charge a membership fee of up to £175,000, with an additional £16,000 a year, and a one-off green fee of up to £360 in peak season. Founded in 1922, the club hosts the BMW PGA Championship – one of the DP World Tour's largest annual events.
Pepperell claimed that the Saudi sovereign wealth fund would buy the Surrey course and that they were also interested in Berkshire's exclusive Sunningdale Golf Club.
“Talk about Saudi Arabia,” he told Chipping Forecast. “I've had people tell me this week that they know they're buying Wentworth. The PIF is definitely going to buy Wentworth. That's what I've been told.
“They were interested in buying Sunningdale. It's more of a rumor now, but Wentworth…”
In recent years, Saudi investment has shaken the golf world, with some well-known stars withdrawing from the PGA and DP World Tours to enjoy lucrative salaries at LIV. Pepperell, a two-time DP World Tour winner and top-six finisher at the 2018 British Open, was not among the defectors.
Wentworth has been owned by Chinese investment group Reignwood since 2014, when it acquired the club for £135m. It remains to be seen whether the Saudis strike a deal for a similar price, or whether the course has appreciated in value in the decade since it was last sold.
Reignwood's takeover initially caused controversy among Wentworth members, who were forced to rejoin the club and pay a fee of £100,000. Meanwhile, details of Xiangyang’s membership structure are kept strictly confidential.
The Saudi PIF is said to have invested more than £1.5bn to make LIV a force in golf. Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm are all stars on the PGA Tour, while the likes of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy remain Loyal to the PGA Tour.
Saudi PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan recently revealed that the sovereign wealth fund is looking to scale back its future investments in major sports projects, which currently account for 30% of its investment portfolio. Al-Rumayyan said the Middle Eastern country's new target is 18% to 20%.