PIF Saudi International: As a matter of fact
The PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers brings the season to a close on The International Series, while it is the third from last stop on the Asian Tour calendar.
Boasting prizemoney of US$5million it is the most lucrative event of the year, where much will be decided.
The leading two players from The International Series Rankings at the end of the week will book their places on next year’s LIV Golf League, while the event will play a significant role in determining who claims the Asian Tour Order of Merit title.
The tournament first became part of the Asian Tour in 2022, and regularly attracts the strongest field of the year with a glittering array of stars.
First played in 2019, it has been won on two occasions by American Dustin Johnson while Chile’s Joaquin Niemann is the defending champion.
The event was held at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in Jeddah for the first five years before moving to Riyadh Golf Club last year.
General view of the !8th hole at Riyadh Golf Club.
Tournament Information
- Tournament: PIF Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers
- Date: 19 – 22 November
- Venue: Riyadh Golf Club
- Par/Yards: 71 / 7,411 yards
- Purse: US$5million (First place US$1million)
- Previous Winner: Joaquin Niemann (CHI) – won play-off against Cameron Smith (AUS) and Caleb Surratt (USA)
- Previous winning score: 263 (-21)
- Asian Tour leg: 19th
- The International Series leg: Ninth
- Edition of tournament: Seventh (Asian Tour 2022, 2023 and 2024, DP World Tour 2019, 2020, 2021)
- Total number of players: 120
- Format: Stroke play tournament over four rounds of 18 holes with a cut after 36 holes to leading 65 pros plus ties.
- Social media hashtags: #TimeToRise # InternationalSeries #ThisIsEverything
Sergio Garcia.
Field Breakdown
- Order of Merit winners: John Catlin (2024), Jazz Janewattananond (2019), Scott Hend (2016), Kiradech Aphibarnrat (2013)
- Nationalities: 30
- Top contenders: Tyrrell Hatton (ENG), Joaquin Niemann (CHI), Cameron Smith (AUS), Dustin Johnson (USA), Patrick Reed (USA), Tom McKibbin (NIR), Scott Vincent (ZIM), Kazuki Higa (JPN), Miguel Tabuena (PHI), Sergio Garcia (ESP), Yosuke Asaji (JPN)
- Highest ranked player on OWGR: Tyrrell Hatton #20
- Highest ranked player on 2025 Asian Tour Order of Merit: Kazuki Higa (JPN) #1
- Highest ranked player in 2025 International Series Rankings: Scott Vincent (ZIM) #1
- Number of amateurs in the field: 6
- Number of Saudi players in the field: 7
Graeme McDowell.
Tournament Notes
- Englishman Tyrrell Hatton is the highest ranked player in the field this week, after a successful season in which he won the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, finished runner-up at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and had a T5 at the BMW PGA Championship on the DP World Tour. He also finished T4 at the U.S. Open, his seventh career top 10 in a Major. He has won eight DP World Tour events, including one BMW PGA Championship and five Rolex Series events, and one PGA Tour event, the 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational. He is also a four-time Ryder Cup player for the European side. Playing on the LIV Golf League as part of John Rahm’s Legion XIII squad he has recorded one individual win which came in 2024.
- Defending champion Joaquin Niemann from Chile won an incredible five individual titles in the 2025 LIV Golf League season, as well as one team tournament as captain of the Torque GC team. This year he also recorded his first top-10 in a Major, finishing T8 in the PGA Championship. Prior to joining LIV Golf he recorded two wins on the PGA Tour, the 2019 A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier and the 2022 Genesis Invitational, and he also won the 2023 ISPS Handa Australian Open on the DP World Tour. Niemann was the number one ranked golfer in the World Amateur Golf Ranking for 44 weeks, from May 2017 to April 2018 when he turned professional.
- Australian Cam Smith was one of the two players in the play-off for this tournament last year that was eventually won by Niemann. He famously won the Open Championship in 2022, and during this career-best season he also picked up the winning trophies at the Players Championship, Sentry Tournament of Champions, Fortinet Australian PGA Championship, a T3 at the Masters Tournament and a T4 at the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers. As captain of Ripper GC on the LIV Golf League he has won three individual titles since joining in 2022.
- Dustin Johnson of the U.S. is a two-time Major champion, having won the 2020 Masters and 2016 U.S. Open. He was ranked number one in the world from February in 2017 and he held that position for 64 straight weeks, the 5th longest run as number one. He returned to the number one spot in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 and has been at number one for a total of over 130 weeks. Currently playing on the LIV Golf League as captain of the 4Aces, he has won one tournament each season there in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Johnson has won 24 PGA Tour events during his career and been part of five Ryder Cup teams and three Presidents Cup squads.
- American Patrick Reed has been in fine form this season in world-wide events, with a win at LIV Golf Dallas, a third-place finish in the Masters, and a T3 in the BMW PGA Championship. On the Asian Tour he was runner-up the International Series Macau presented by Wynn in March. On the DP World Tour he also recorded two other top-10’s while on LIV he posted five other top 10’s, finishing seventh in the individual standings. He won last year’s Link Hong Kong Open, his first title on the Asian Tour.
- Tom McKibbin from Northern Ireland won the Link Hong Open wire-to-wire three weeks ago for his first Asian Tour and International Series titles, after setting the tournament scoring record by six shots. Playing on the LIV Golf League as part of Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII team he posted four individual top-10s and four team wins this season. On the DP World Tour McKibbin has posted three top-10s this year, with a T3 at the Porsche Singapore Classic as his best result.
- Japan’s Kazuki Higa has led the Order of Merit since his T2 at the International Series Philippines four weeks ago, after earlier winning the Yeangder TPC and Shinhan Donghae Open in back-to-back weeks in September. He also had a strong start to his 2025 campaign, going T8, T5 and T2 in the Smart Infinity Philippine Open, International Series India Presented by DLF and New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sports respectively. On the Japan Tour he has recorded seven top 10’s this season, including wins at the Shinhan Donghae Open and at the ISPS HANDA Explosion in the Summer in mid-August.
- Scott Vincent from Zimbabwe tops The International Series Rankings after a win at the International Series Morocco in July, a runner-up at the Jakarta International Championship three weeks ago and a T10 at the International Series India presented by DLF earlier this season. He now sits in second place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit after Higa passed him with a T2 in the Philippines, and among Vincent’s other strong finishes are T2 at the Shinhan Donghae Open in September, T4 in the Kolon Korea Open and T8 at the Smart Infinity Philippine Open. In addition to his good results on the Asian Tour this season he has also posted three top-fives on the Japan Tour, the most recent at the Sansan KBC Augusta Golf Tournament in late August.
- Miguel Tabuena from the Philippines had a story-book week at home last month, winning the International Series Philippines on his home course for his fourth Asian Tour victory. Starting out the 2025 season with a T5 in the Smart Infinity Philippine Open he also added another T5 at the Yeangder TPC in September. With his win at Sta Elena, along with a T11 in the Jakarta International Championship a T14 in the International Series Macau presented by Wynn and a T21 in the Link Hong Kong Open, Tabuena sits in third place on both the Asian Tour Order of Merit and The International Series Rankings.
- Sergio Garcia of Spain has won 38 tournaments as a professional notably the 2017 Masters Tournament and the 2008 Players Championship. In addition to his Masters win Garcia has recorded an impressive 22 other top 10s in Major championships, including two second place finishes and two T2s. He has represented Europe in the Ryder Cup 10 times, on the winning side on six occasions, and he holds the Ryder Cup record for Most Overall Matches Won with 25, Most Overall Points Won with 28.5 and Most Wins in Foursome Matches with 12. His highest ever rank on the OWGR was second, which he reached in late 2008. Captaining the Fireballs GC team on the LIV Golf League Garcia won two individual titles, the 2025 LIV Hong Kong and 2024 LIV Andalucia.
- Japan’s Yosuke Asaji won the Moutai Singapore Open two week’s ago for his second Asian Tour and first International Series title, a fortnight after finishing T2 in the International Series Philippines. After these two great finishes he is now in second place on The International Series Rankings. On the Japan Golf Tour Asaji has recorded a win at The Crowns in early May and a T2 at the Kansai Open Golf Championship two weeks later as his best results this season.
- Major winners in the field this week: Martin Kaymer, Patrick Reed, Louis Oosthuizen, Graeme McDowell, Sergio Garcia, Cameron Smith, Dustin Johnson
- Current LIV Golf League players in the field this week: 40
- Past champions in the field this week: Joaquin Niemann (2024), Abraham Ancer (2023), Harold Varner III (2022), Dustin Johnson (2021, 2019), Graeme McDowell (2020)
Pictures by Ian Walton/Asian Tour.
Joaquín Niemann has revealed the secret to his success this year: playing tournaments with “less expectations” but practicing beforehand with high expectations, like he means to win.
The Chilean spoke about his winning formula today ahead of the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers – which starts tomorrow at Riyadh Golf Club.
He won the tournament last year and will try to become the first player to successfully defend it, while he is also looking for win number six this season – having claimed five individual titles on the LIV Golf League.
It has been the finest season of his career and at the age of 27 his approach to the game shows maturity beyond his years.
“Obviously, I like to go out and play with the less expectations the better,” said Niemann, who won LIV Golf events in Adelaide, Singapore, Mexico, Virginia, and UK this season.
“I feel like all I have to do is prepare myself the best I can during very good preparation weeks, so I can get to the tournament and just play golf. Everything else I feel like is going to take care by itself. Yeah, my expectations during practice are big, I practice to win. Yeah, that’s one of the reasons that I’m here.”
Joaquin Niemann pictured winning LIV Golf Singapore in March. Picture by Thananuwat Srirasant/Getty Images.
He made a brilliant birdie to win here last year at Riyadh Golf Club on the second hole of a sudden-death play-off against American Caleb Surratt and Cam Smith from Australia.
An exquisite lob shot to a foot set up that winning birdie and it is a safe bet such flair will be on display this week.
The victory also saw him secure The International Series Rankings title, as like this year, it was the final event of the season on The International Series.
“I feel like the game is in a good spot at the moment. I feel like I’m working towards the right direction. I did a few changes on my team which I’m pretty happy about it. So, I got really big expectation of myself,” he said.
“So, yeah, it’s nice to have a good team that I can be surrounded with. I got, I think, the best support system that I could have and I got the best of the best on every aspect so I’m pretty happy where I am.
“I think the key is also the consistency of good quality work with my team. I feel like I said before I’m really happy to have the people that I have on my bag. You know, I know that they work hard and try to make me a better person, better player.”
He has been paired with American Dustin Johnson, winner of this event in 2019 and 2021, and Tom McKibbin from Northern Ireland, who claimed the Link Hong Kong Open earlier this month, for the first two days.
They are all LIV Golf players and will be joined on the franchise by the leading two players on The International Series Rankings at the end of the week.
Scott Vincent from Zimbabwe currently leads the Rankings, with 325.59 points, ahead of Japan’s Yosuke Asaji in second, on 285.3. Miguel Tabuena from the Philippines holds third place, having earned 232.28 points.
With the winner this week set to earn 324 points the race is wide open, with a wealth of players in with a chance.
The US$5million tournament, the richest of the season, is also the third from last stop on Asian Tour calendar and will play a significant role in helping to determine who wins the Tour’s Order of Merit title. Japan’s Kazuki Higa currently leads the Merit list, with Vincent second, and Tabuena third.
With this season’s International Series Rankings race going down to the wire this week, Japan’s Yosuke Asaji is taking inspiration in many different forms from the big-name stars he is plotting to join on the LIV Golf League next season.
Asaji currently sits second behind The International Series Rankings leader Scott Vincent from Zimbabwe going into the final marquee event of the campaign, the US$5 million PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers which starts tomorrow at Riyadh Golf Club. The top two players will make it through to the LIV Golf League.
The 32-year-old Asaji shot up the rankings after putting together a late-season run that included an impressive T2 at International Series Philippines and a stunning play-off win over Jeunghun Wang of Korea at the Moutai Singapore Open two weeks ago.
With this week’s Saudi showpiece offering elevated points, Asaji has a great chance to capitalise and secure a life-changing place on the LIV roster for next season.
Vincent leads the Rankings on 325.59 points, Asaji is on 285.3, while Miguel Tabuena from the Philippines holds third place, having earned 232.28 points. With the winner this week set to earn 324 points the race is wide open.
Yosuke Asaji after winning the Moutai Singapore Open two weeks ago. Picture by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.
Asaji should know what he must do to stay on track with his nearest rivals as he has been drawn in a group with Vincent and Tabuena.
Ahead of the Riyadh Golf Club event, Asaji admitted he had taken advice from “his best friend” on LIV Golf – and was constantly looking to learn technical aspects from some of the most famous names in world golf lining up in an elite-level field this week.
He explained: “Jinichiro Kozuma (the Japanese Iron Heads GC player) is my best friend, and he always says to me that LIV Golf is the best. At this week’s event we will be playing with a lot of LIV Golf players, and it is very important for me to experience that level and standard of golf every day.”
Asaji has already experienced life at the elite level – he finished second in the Philippines, behind Tabuena and tied with his compatriot Kazuki Higa, ahead of a stacked field that included former world No.1 Dustin Johnson and Major champions Patrick Reed, Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen.
However, there are specific players he will be looking out for this week in Saudi. Asaji singled out Ripper GC skipper Cameron Smith, the 2022 Open champion for his putting prowess. He also highlighted Torque GC captain Joaquin Niemann, the defending champion this week and a five-time winner on LIV Golf this season as a must-watch. Asaji praised Niemann, the reigning International Series Rankings champion, for his perfect swing technique.
He said: “I always want to learn more skills from the top LIV Golf players, and I always watch them on TV for technique. I watch a lot of Cameron Smith on Instagram – I am always checking his putting technique on there. Putting is actually something I am working more on at the moment anyway, I have been putting more focus on it than ever before. And with Joaquin Niemann, I think his swing is on a different level – his swing and process is always perfect.”
Ekpharit Wu from Thailand and Chinese Taipei’s Hung Chien-yao were in a class of their own on Sunday at the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open.
Wu chased down the overnight leader Hung on the back nine to post a five-under-par 67 verses Hung’s 70 to take the victory by two. They were eight and six shots respectively clear of Guatemala’s Jose Toledo and Charlie Lindh from Sweden in tied-third.
Wu’s touch on the Taifong Golf Club greens was exquisite, and he led the field in Putts per Round, together with Filipino Lloyd Jefferson Go, with 26 and topped the Putts per GIR list on his own with a 1.528 average.
He was also highly accurate off the tee and into the greens, ranking fourth in Fairways Hit with 69.64% and T5 in GIR with 73.61%.
Both Wu and runner-up Hung topped the list for Birdies made during the week with 23, two more than Toledo and three more then Lindh, and Wu also led the field in Eagles with two.
Hung Chien-yao.
Hung was in great form during the week and produced rock-solid ball striking stats, leading both the GIR category and Fairways Hit categories with 83.33% and 78.57% respectively. He also performed well on the greens and was T7 in Putts per GIR with a 1.65 average.
Of the two joint third-place finishers Lindh and Toledo, Toledo had better stats on the greens ranking T6 in Putts per Round with 26.75 and sixth in Putts per GIR with 1.646.
Lindh was better off the tee and into the greens, and was fourth in GIR 75% with and T12 in Fairways Hit with 60.71%. He also led the field in the Bounce Back category with 66.67%.
Statistics Categories leaders at the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open (of players making the cut):
- Putts per Round – Ekpharit Wu (THA), Lloyd Jefferson Go (PHI): 26
- Putts per GIR – Ekpharit Wu (THA): 1.528
- GIR – Hung Chien-yao (TPE): 83.33%
- Fairways Hit – Hung Chien-yao (TPE): 78.57%
- Driving Distance – Roberto Lebrija (MEX): 327.8 yards
- Most Eagles – Ekpharit Wu (THA): 2
- Most Birdies – Hung Chien-yao (TPE), Ekpharit Wu (THA): 23
- Fewest Bogies or Worse – Siddikur Rahman (BAN): 4
- Scrambling – Siddikur Rahman (BAN): 86.67%
- Bounce back – Charlie Lindh (SWE): 66.67%
Scott Vincent is in pole position to take one of two spots on LIV Golf next season as he tops The International Series Rankings race, with just one tournament remaining – this week’s PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers.
The Zimbabwean is taking nothing for granted as he looks to secure his return to the big league, having enjoyed two seasons with Iron Heads GC after winning the first ever Rankings race in 2022.
With two LIV Golf spots on offer this season via the Rankings race, he has carved out a healthy lead thanks to his victory at International Series Morocco and narrow play-off loss to Wade Ormsby at the Jakarta International Championship.
Going into this week’s US$5 million event – the final tournament of the season on The International Series, which offers elevated Rankings points – Vincent is changing nothing, simply sticking to his tried and tested formula of concentrating on the moment.
Scott Vincent with the International Series Morocco trophy. Picture by Steve Bardens/Asian Tour.
He said: “I never focus too much on leaderboards – to me it is more important to concentrate on every single shot, to make sure I give it my best. I practise this every day, and I try to stay in the moment during my practise so I can do the same out on the golf course.
“Of course there will be competition out there, but I can’t really worry too much about that – I just need to trust in my process and continue to try and improve and get better every day and every time I stand over the golf ball.”
Vincent leads the standings ahead of Japan’s Yosuke Asaji — who won the Moutai Singapore Open and finished T2 in the Philippines — and International Series Philippines champion Miguel Tabuena from the Philippines.
International Series India presented by DLF winner Ollie Schniederjans sits in fifth place, followed by Jakarta champion Ormsby in sixth and Japan’s Kazuki Higa in 10th. The remaining positions inside the top ten are held by four LIV Golf players.
Vincent, winner of the International Series England in 2022, has been paired with Asaji and Tabuena in the first two rounds.
Just when you thought the 2024 season had come to an end on the Asian Tour and The International Series, there was actually more to come. Story from 2024 Asian Tour Yearbook.
Chile’s irrepressible star Joaquin Niemann claimed the season-ending PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers, and The International Series Rankings, but not nearly as easily as was expected following a memorable and completely unexpected play-off victory, filled with drama, against Cam Smith and Caleb Surratt.
Niemann made a brilliant birdie, off the back of an exquisite lob shot to a foot, on the second play-off hole to triumph at Riyadh Golf Club, after both Smith and Surrat missed theirs from close range.
All three birdied the first hole of the play-off – played on the par-four 18th – soon after Niemann and Surratt, paired in the last group, both surprisingly bogeyed the last to fall back into a tie with Smith on 21-under.
Joaquin Niemann pictured with the PIF Saudi International and The International Series Rankings trophies on Saturday last year.
Niemann, the leader at the start of the day by one, closed with a four-under-par 67, Surratt shot a 66 while Smith, seemingly completely out of the running playing in the sixth from last group, stormed through with a 62.
“I enjoy being in that position, but there’s times sometimes that it takes a little bit longer. It was a good day. Caleb and me, we played great,” said Niemann, who plays on the LIV Golf League for Torque GC.
“Never thought we were going to be in a play-off with Cam Smith. He was early. An hour before us when he was done. I thought we were going to stay away from the 21-under, but you never know in golf.”
He got off to the perfect start with birdies on the first three holes and appeared on course for the win before dropping a shot on 14. On the 18th he found trouble off the tee and hacked his second out of some small trees and into the fairway before missing a tricky five footer for the outright win. Surrat made bogey after pushing his tee shot into the lake on the right. It was a calamitous finish in contrast to Smith who made birdie there.
He added: “Yeah, it’s a really good way to wrap up the season. I’m really excited for what’s coming next season on LIV and hopefully get into a few Majors.”
Caleb Surratt.
His success meant American Peter Uihlein and Ben Campbell from New Zealand finished second and third on The International Rankings, respectively.
It also marked his second win of the season in Saudi, as he claimed the LIV Golf Jeddah in March shortly after winning LIV Golf Mayakoba.
Said Smith: “I think it was a bonus to even get in there, to be fair, sitting down for an hour and a bit. It was fine. I did what I had to do. Obviously, a shame to miss the putt there, but it is what it is.
“I was thinking my percentage of having a top five was very slim. Yeah, it’s a weird game sometimes. It’s kind of lucky that there wasn’t any beers in the clubhouse because I would have had a few, I think. It’s a weird game sometimes, and you never really know what’s going to happen.”
Surratt, just 20-years-old, was attempting to win for the first time as a professional.
The bogey on 18 was his only dropped shot and meant yet another narrow miss on the Asian Tour, following joint third and second place finishes in International Series events in Morocco and England earlier in the year.
“Yeah, it’s a tough pill to swallow,” said the American, who plays for Legion XIII on the LIV Golf League.
“I’ve been really close a few times this year in The International Series, and I really fought hard this week because I didn’t get off to a great start.
“I did all I could do. I hit six perfect golf shots in the playoff, and I didn’t really find my way this time, and hopefully one day it does.”
Cam Smith.
Campbell claimed fourth place outright following a closing 64 to miss the play-off by one shot, and his chance of winning The International Series Rankings. Claiming the Rankings brings with it playing rights on the LIV Golf League and while he agonisingly missed that, he was later rewarded for his efforts by being asked to play for RangeGoats GC on the league in 2025.
Pictures by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
The Taiwan Glass Taifong Open was promoted to the Asian Tour schedule in 2023, and has been a welcomed addition since.
It was first played in 2005 as part of the Taiwan PGA Tour but starting in 2014 it was jointly sanctioned with the Asian Development Tour (ADT).
One of the reasons why the tournament, with its permanent home at Taifong Golf Club, was promoted in 2023 was because of its long and successful history as a premier event on the ADT and Chinese-Taipei’s local circuit.
In all the years the event was sanctioned by the ADT it had the distinction of being the most lucrative on the schedule or, as was the case in 2022, the joint richest, and as such it was instrumental in determining the players that would graduate to the Asian Tour for the following seasons.
Chan Shih-chang and Suteepat Prateeptienchai are the only back to back champions, with Chan’s wins in 2014 and 2015 as part of the ADT schedule and Suteepat’s wins in 2023 annd 2024 after it was promoted to the Asian Tour. The tournament is co-sanctioned with the Taiwan PGA.
Lee Chieh-po.
- Tournament: Taiwan Glass Taifong Open
- Date: 13th – 16th November 2025
- Venue: Taifong Golf Club, Changhua, Chinese Taipei
- Par/Yards: 72 / 7,302 yards
- Purse: US$400,000
- Previous Winner: Suteepat Prateeptienchai (THA)
- Previous winning score: 266 (-22)
- Asian Tour leg: 18th
- Total number of players: 123
- Format: Stroke play tournament over four rounds of 18 holes with a cut after 36 holes to leading 65 pros plus ties.
- Social media hashtags: #TimeToRise
Bio Kim.
Field Breakdown
- Nationalities: 24
- Top contenders: Lee Chieh-po (TPE), Suradit Yongcharoenchai (THA), Chan-shih Chang (TPE), Soomin Lee (KOR), Bio Kim (KOR), Steve Lewton (ENG)
- Highest ranked player on OWGR: Lee Chieh-po #484
- Highest ranked player on 2025 Asian Tour Order of Merit: Soomin Lee #36
- Number of amateurs in the field: 1
Tournament Notes
- Local star Lee Chieh-po has been playing on the LIV Golf League this season after earning his ticket through the LIV Golf Promotions event in the end of 2024, with a T12 in Hong Kong and a T13 in Chicago as his best results. He had an outstanding season on the Asian Tour in 2024 finishing fourth on the Order of Merit after a win at International Series Thailand during a stretch of events where he finished in the top-10 seven out of eight events.
- Englishman Steve Lewton posted a T8 in the Jakarta International Championship last month for his best finish of the season and followed it up with a T20 in the International Series Philippines three weeks later after a rough start to his season. He is a two-time Asian Tour winner after winning the 2024 Mandiri Indonesia Open and the 2014 Mercuries Taiwan Masters.
- Chan Shih-chang from Chinese Taipei is a five-time winner on the Asian Tour and just posted his first top-10 of the season in the Moutai Singapore Open last week. He has won this tournament twice when it was part of the Asian Development Tour in 2018 and 2014.
- Korean Soomin Lee is arriving in great form fresh off a T3 in Singapore last week, his second International Series top-10 in threes weeks after a T9 at the International Series Philippines. Lee is a one-time winner on the DP World Tour having captured the 2016 Shenzhen International, and a five-time winner on the Korean PGA Tour, the latest one coming at the 2024 Hyundai Insurance KJ Choi Invitational.
- Fellow Korean Bio Kim also had a good week in Singapore last week finishing fifth, his best result on the Asian Tour this year. Kim is a one-time winner on the Asian Tour after winning the 2022 GS Caltex Maekyung Open, and he has won nine times on the Korean PGA Tour.
- Thailand’s Suradit Yongcharoenchai has had a good season after having to return to the Qualifying School at the end of 2024 to get his card back. He has won in Chinese Taipei before having captured the 2019 Mercuries Taiwan Masters for his lone Asian Tour title.
- This tournament is the last event to determine the field for the next week’s US$5million Saudi International presented by Softbank Investment Advisers, with many players making a last push to secure a place in the richest event on the Asian Tour. Entry criteria below:
- Leading 30 available players from the 2025 current Asian Tour Order of Merit (not otherwise exempt) as of 17 November 2025
- Leading 10 available players from the 2025 current International Series Rankings (not otherwise exempt) as of 10 November 2025
Yosuke Asaji’s victory at the Moutai Singapore Open on Sunday was built on consistency across all the statistics categories.
It marked the second time in three weeks he topped the tournament Birdie count for the week, after also doing so when he finished tied-second at the International Series Philippines.
At Singapore Island Country Club the 32-year-old from Japan tied the list with Zimbabwe’s Kieran Vincent with 25 birdies for the week, while in the Philippines he was alone on top with 26.
Asaji ranked T5 in Fairways Hit (62.5%), T6 in Scrambling (76.92%), T10 in Putts per Round (29.25), T12 in Putts Per GIR (1.729), and T16 in GIR (81.94%).
Not one of the longer drivers on tour, his Driving Distance average for the week was 300 yards for T54th.
Runner-up Jeunghun Wang from Korea had a stand-out week on the greens of the New Course placing T3 in Putts per Round and T2 in Putts per GIR with 27.5 and 1.661 respectively. His good performance with the putter resulted in 24 Birdies during the week, just one less than category leaders Asaji and Vincent.
Bio Kim.
Wang also led the Bounce Back category with 80%, making birdie immediately following bogeys on four out of five occasions. His other stats for the week: Driving Distance 313.3 yards (18th), GIR 77.78% (T35), and Fairways Hit 41.07% (T40).
Joint third-place finishers Rattanon Wannasrichan of Thailand and Korean Soomin Lee produced great putting stats and both were in the top-10 in Putts per Round with 28.25 (6th) and 29.25 (T10) respectively.
Rattanon was also impressively fourth in the Putts per GIR category with 1.661 and his other stats: GIR 81.94% (T16), Fairways Hit 42.86% (T34) and Driving Distance 304 yards (T45).
Lee performed well off the tee and ranked T9 with 58.93% Fairways Hit while averaging 310.4 yards Driving Distance (27th). His Putts per GIR average of 1.737 ranked him 17th while his GIR percentage of 79.17 placed him T31 in those respective categories.
Korea’s Bio Kim finished in sole possession of fifth thanks to an outstanding display on the greens. He topped both Putts per Round (26.25) and Putts per GIR (1.6).
Statistics Categories leaders at the Moutai Singapore Open (of players making the cut):
- Putts per Round – Bio Kim (KOR): 26.25
- Putts per GIR – Bio Kim (KOR): 1.6
- GIR: – Ajeetesh Sandhu (IND): 90.28%
- Fairways Hit – Ajeetesh Sandhu (IND): 82.14
- Driving Distance – Wei-hsuan Wang (TPE): 335.63 yards
- Most Eagles – Pavit Tangkamolprasert (THA), John Catlin (USA), Talor Gooch (USA), Chanmin Jung (KOR), Maximilian Rottluff (GER), Kevin Yuan (AUS): 2
- Most Birdies – Kieran Vincent (ZIM), Yosuke Asaji (JPN): 25
- Fewest Bogies or Worse – Jaco Ahlers (RSA): 4
- Scrambling – Pavit Tangkamolprasert (THA): 85%
- Bounce back – Jeunghun Wang (KOR): 80%
Pictures by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.
The Toro Company has announced the renewal of its three-year partnership with Asian Tour Destinations (ATD) – as the exclusive turf equipment and irrigation sponsor.
ATD is an exclusive network of world-class golfing venues with direct ties to the Asian Tour. Presently, 12 golf clubs—representing the top tier of golfing properties in Asia—are part of this affiliate network programme.
Each venue is certified Tour calibre and operates a comprehensive range of facilities and services for members and guests under tournament-ready conditions all year round.
ATD brings together leading golf courses to set new standards for quality, experience, and professional development in the sport, fostering collaboration and innovation across the region.
Toro and ATD share a commitment to elevating the standards of golf course management, sustainability, and innovation. Through this collaboration, both organisations aim to foster best practices in turf care, promote environmental stewardship, and support the growth of the golf industry across Asia.
“This partnership reflects Toro’s dedication to advancing golf course excellence and sustainability throughout Asia,” said Cameron Russell, Managing Director, Toro. “Together with Asian Tour Destinations, we are committed to delivering enhanced value for golf professionals, venues, and enthusiasts, while driving positive change for the industry as a whole.”
About Toro: With roots dating back to 1914, The Toro Company was built on a tradition of quality and caring relationships. Today, the company is a leading worldwide provider of innovative solutions for the outdoor environment including turf and landscape maintenance, snow and ice management, underground utility construction, rental and specialty construction, and irrigation and outdoor lighting solutions. With a presence in over 125 countries, we proudly offer a wide range of products across a family of global brands to help golf courses, professional contractors, underground construction professionals, groundskeepers, agricultural growers, rental companies, government and educational institutions, and homeowners – in addition to many leading sports venues and historic sites around the world.
Website: http://www.toro.com
Not many players can claim to have won three times on the Asian Tour, even fewer to have done so in the same country. Story from 2024 Asian Tour Yearbook.
Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant is one of the exceptions. With 18 wins on the Asian Tour, which is the most by any, he tasted victory four times in Taiwan. He claimed the Yeangder TPC twice and won the Taiwan Open and Mercuries Taiwan Masters.
Gaganjeet Bhullar, India’s most successful player on the Asian Tour with 11 titles, has triumphed in Indonesia on five occasions, while Australian Scott Hend won three of his 10 titles in Thailand.
It’s an elite group of serial winners on the Asian Tour which Suteepat Prateeptienchai joined in 2024 after winning the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open.
He became the first player to successfully defend a title on the Asian Tour in seven years after the closest of finishes at Taifong Golf Club.
Suteepat Prateeptienchai.
The Thai golfer showed why he is rated as one of the region’s rising stars by making a birdie on the final hole to beat his young compatriot Runchanapong Youprayong by one.
He birdied the par-five 18th after chipping to two feet while Runchanapong, playing with him in the final group, missed his four from 10 feet moments earlier.
Suteepat shot a four-under-par 68 to finish 22-under, while Runchanapong returned a 69.
“This means so much, I am very happy, and excited,” said Suteepat, who started the day sharing the lead with Runchanapong.
“I made a bogey on six and that made me really angry. It fired me up and then I started making birdies.”
He actually birdied the next three holes and made another on 11 and was two ahead at that point before Runchanapong impressively drew level with birdies on 15 and 17.
The victory continued a remarkable run of form at Taifong and in Taiwan.
Three years earlier he was playing on the Asian Development Tour (ADT), and won the Order of Merit thanks to three wins in Indonesia and a second-place finish in Taifong – when it was the ADT’s season-ending tournament.
A year later he went one better in Taifong, when the event was played on the Asian Tour for the first time, while two months before successfully defending his Taifong title he was victorious in the Yeangder TPC, also in Chinese-Taipei.
Runchanapong Youprayong.
Added the 31-year-old: “Even my caddie said when I play here, I always have a chance.”
Suteepat is also the first player to defend the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open.
In addition, the win gave him a three-year exemption on the Asian Tour.
Runchanapong, just 23 years old and in his second season in the pro game, found a fairway bunker off the tee on the last and wasn’t able to reach the green in two like Suteepat, although he hit a brilliant third in close.
“I thought that last putt was left edge but when I putted it didn’t move at all. It was a mis-read,” he said.
“I have never been in this position on the Asian Tour before, so it definitely feels very special to come second.
“I am happy, thought I handled the pressure well even though I did not have my A game.”
India’s S.S.P. Chawrasia was the last player to successfully defend a title when triumphed in the Hero Indian Open in 2017.
Chinese-Taipei’s Hung Chien-yao and Chonlatit Chuenboonngam from Thailand closed with 68s to tie for third, four behind the champion.
Thailand’s Danthai Boonma and Jack Thompson from Australia fired 70s and finished another two strokes back.
Recent Comments