US superstar Thompson relishing UK trip to star-studded Aramco Team Series London

Golfing golden girl Lexi Thompson says she's relishing a hop across the pond to descend on this summer's star-studded Aramco Team Series London showpiece.

And the Florida flyer reckons the addition of the innovative, team-based and amateur-championing event to the Ladies European Tour (LET) is the perfect way to inspire new girls to pick up a club for the first time.

The LET elite including Thompson, Anna Nordqvist, Emily Kristine Pedersen and Georgia Hall will tee off at St Albans' Centurion Club on July 8 for the first of five events sponsored by Aramco.

The unique team format gives UK amateurs the chance to join forces with the leading LET lights and Thompson, the world No.9, is buzzing for a trip to one of her favourite golfing venues.

The 26-year-old, who in 2010 became the youngest ever golfer to compete at the US Women's Open, said: "It is really exciting to have not only a brand-new format of event to look forward to, but to have another big event on the LET schedule in the UK.

"It's a place I love to visit and play golf, so I can't wait to get going in July."

Players will duke it out on the fairways for a prestigious $1million prize pot, with UK amateurs having the once-in-a-lifetime chance to hole an event-winning putt on the LET.

And that would scoop the likes of Thompson, Nordqvist, Pedersen and Hall valuable prize money during a crucial summer of golf on the globetrotting tour circuit.

The London leg kicks off a set of five LET events sponsored by Aramco, with the decorated field later taking to courses at salubrious venues in the USA, Spain and Saudi Arabia.

The LET field will take to courses in Sotogrande (August 5 to 7), New York (October 14 to 16) and Jeddah (November 10-12), with the Jeddah event taking place just days after the Aramco Saudi Ladies International - presented by Public Investment Fund - from November 4 to 7.

The Aramco-sponsored events run from July through to November and will see 36 captains lead teams of four players - who together will compete to shoot the lowest combined score over three days of golf.

A distinctive draft system will bring together three elite LET players, with the truly unique format offering an amateur player the once-in-a-lifetime chance to join them in a four-pronged team.

The special position is open to all golfers in the UK and gives them the sought-after chance to play alongside 2014 ANA Inspiration champion Thompson, two-time major winner Nordqvist, Race to Costa del Sol champion Pedersen and 2018 Open winner Hall.

The format was first trialled at the Saudi Ladies Team International in November and Alexandra Armas, Ladies European Tour CEO, added: "As a Tour, we are always more than happy to do things a little differently - take risks, try new things and mix up the way we play and experience golf. That's certainly what the Aramco Team Series - London promises to do.

"The Aramco Team Series - London and the subsequent team events are a massive moment of elevation for the women's game, and to have a field as strong as we do is fantastic.

"The action at Centurion will open an exciting new chapter in women's golf and one we see as playing a massive role in the continued growth of the game."

Lexi Thompson, Anna Nordqvist, Emily Kristine Pedersen and Georgia Hall will compete in the Aramco Team Series - London, the first of five 2021 Ladies European Tour (LET) events sponsored by Aramco. For more information, visit aramcoteamseries.com