Scott Vincent’s popular and brilliant victory in the International Series Morocco at the weekend catapulted him into first place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit – having started the week in 18^th position.

He also leapt into second on The International Series Rankings, from 45^th, confirming what everyone knew already: that the Zimbabwean is back to his best.

He has been trending all year. The week before Morocco he’d finished third in the Japan Players Championship and in May he was fourth in the Kolon Korea Open – one of four top-12 finishes on the Asian Tour this season, prior to Morocco.

However, the 33-year-old from Harare who is now based in the United States, explained on Sunday it was far from plain sailing despite winning by four from Thailand’s Danthai Boonma.

“It’s always tough to know,” said Vincent, who led by one shot over Danthai after 14 holes before pulling away with three birdies in his last four, including a celebratory 20-footer on the last.

Scott Vincent hits his approach to 18 to set up a 20-foot birdie putt that he duly drained. 

“Starting with the lead, you know you’re in a good spot, but I try not to look at the leaderboards. That way, I never really know exactly where I stand.

“There had been some great rounds all week — seven under, six under — and I knew the guys in contention were capable of going low. Through nine holes, I was even par and felt like I was getting left behind. I just had to hang in there.

“The last few holes offer some good opportunities, and fortunately, I was able to make a few birdies coming in. That ended up creating a bit of separation. But honestly, even on the final hole, I felt like I needed at least a two-putt, not knowing I had a three-shot lead.”

It was his second win on the Asian Tour, the first coming in the International Series England in June of 2022 – the year he claimed The International Series Rankings to earn a place on the star-studded LIV Golf League.

Vincent says he can’t put his finger on what has triggered his fine form this year.

He said: “Honestly, I don’t know exactly. I feel like I’ve been doing the same things I’ve done for the past couple of years. But I’ve been more consistent with the little things, and over time, that adds up.”

Vincent remarkably hit 17 greens in regulation on Sunday.

He excelled playing for Iron Head GC on LIV in 2022, finishing fourth individually in Singapore and Jeddah. Those performances helped secure his playing rights for the ensuing season and after victory in Morocco he is even more determined to get back on the LIV stage.

“The goal with The International Series is to give yourself a real shot by the end of the year. Winning early helps a lot — it gives you more opportunities to perform well going forward.

“The Series has been great for me. It’s how I ended up on LIV Golf a couple of years ago, so I know what it means. This boosts me up significantly, and we’ll see where it leads. There are still a lot of tournaments left.”

Pictures by Steve Bardens/Asian Tour.

South African major winner Charl Schwartzel knows all about bringing pride to the continent of Africa after his memorable Masters triumph in 2011, and the LIV Golf star is hoping that the International Series Morocco can prove to be a breeding ground for yet more future champions from the region.

Schwartzel is the headliner for the fourth of 10 elevated events on the Asian Tour this week, which takes place at the Royal Golf Dar Es Salam’s Red Course in Rabat. The 40-year-old Stinger GC man will be going in search of his first tournament win since 2022 – when he landed the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational London title.

Schwartzel, who tees off at 12:50 local time in the marquee group with defending champion New Zealand’s Ben Campbell and Sadom Kaewkanjana of Thailand, said: “It is a fantastic opportunity for everyone. It is great to play in these International Series events for us (LIV Golf players), and it is even better for the guys playing for the opportunity (to get onto the LIV Golf League at the end of the season).

Charl Schwartzel is attempting to win for the first time since the 2022 LIV Golf Invitational London.

“The whole thing about the Asian Tour and the International Series, and LIV Golf, is that they move around, and so we get to play various parts of the world and expose the game in these destinations. That offers a wonderful opportunity.”

This year’s event provided even more rewards to budding talent from the region, through two Asian Development Tour events in Marrakech that offered competition and a qualification route for golfers from the region and across Asia. Schwartzel added: “I think that is an amazing opportunity for local players from Morocco.

“These tournaments offer a way to qualify to get into bigger events like this, which could potentially be life-changing. The experience is something that money cannot buy – the experience built up will serve the local players very well.”

Local hero Ayoub Lguirati is one of the leading lights for golf in North Africa. He is one of eight Moroccan players in the field this week, eager to test themselves against some of the best in the world.

Schwartzel says the International Series Morocco will be an experience money can’t buy for local players.

The Moroccan will be hoping to replicate or improve on the form that brought a T28 in the first edition of the tournament in 2022, followed a week later by a T37 at the International Series Egypt which only told half the story – he was T9 at the halfway stage in Cairo.

Lguirati, who tees off at 8am local time in a group with Jaco Ahlers of South Africa and Thailand’s David Boriboonsub, believes the development of golf in Morocco is on the right track. He said: “The game is growing and it is very welcome. The new generation is motivated, and the FRMG programmes are a tremendous help, down to the clear vision of His Royal Highness Prince Moulay Rachid.

“He has a vision to develop champions and elevate Morocco on the international stage, and with more support and world-class international tournaments like this, we can deliver and keep rising to the challenge.”

Lguirati has seen a wealth of talent emerge from Morocco in recent times, and he is confident the next generation can go on to even bigger and better things. His advice?

“Stay disciplined and work hard every day. Nothing comes easy, but with hard work, everything is possible.”

Pictures by Steven Bardens/Asian Tour.

Filipino cousins Carl Jano Corpus and Aidric Chan are set to enjoy the biggest week of their fledgling careers at the International Series Morocco, thanks to success at the two Asian Development Tour (ADT) tournaments played in Marrakech.

The Morocco Rising Stars Marrakech tournaments, played over the past two weeks and jointly sanctioned with the Arab Golf Federation (AGF) as part of a three-year commitment, offered the top two players on a combined money list a place in the 156-man field for the Morocco showpiece at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in Rabat.

Last week, 21-year-old Chan [main picture] carded a solid seven-under par 65 final round to edge out India’s Karandeep Kochhar by a shot to win the first one at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Samanah Golf Club.

And at the weekend it was his 23-year-old cousin Corpus who claimed victory at Al Maaden Golf Resorts – in only his fifth start on the ADT and sixth as a professional.

Carl Jano Corpus won the second Morocco Rising Stars Marrakech event in just his fifth ADT start.

He edged Thailand’s Settee Prakongvech by one shot after a bogey-free, seven-under final round of 65 on the Kyle Phillips-designed golf course.

Corpus, who also tied ninth at Samanah, topped the aggregate money list for the two back-to-back ADT events, with Chan in second place.

Corpus said: “I am a champion. That is something that is not going to be taken away from me, something that I have until the rest of my life. I am excited about the opportunity to play in an International Series event.

“It is all about getting the opportunity to play in bigger events, so I can showcase my talent, the support I get back home and the hard work that I put in to get here.”

Chan, who also won the Lexus Challenge in Vietnam on the ADT in March, currently leads the ADT Order of Merit, with Corpus in fourth place.

The International Series Morocco starts on Thursday and boasts a stellar field that includes 2011 Masters Champion Charl Schwartzel from South Africa and defending champion Ben Campbell from New Zealand.

Both are part of a strong LIV Golf League contingent here in Morocco that also features American stars Peter Uihlein, Caleb Surratt and Andy Ogletree – the 2023 International Series Rankings champion – as well as Mito Pereira from Chile.

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New Zealand’s Ben Campbell produced a stunning finish to win the US$2 million International Series Morocco last year when he made a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-five 18th to beat John Catlin in the first play-off hole. Story from the 2024 Yearbook.

At the Red Course at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, it looked like a done deal for American Catlin, winner of the International Series Macau presented by Wynn and the PIF Saudi Open earlier in the year, when he reached the par-four 17th hole on Sunday with a lead of three shots.

However, Campbell, who closed with a two-under-par 71, made a sensational eagle on the par-four 17th and a birdie on 18 in regulation play to tie Catlin (72) on 15-under-par, before making the all-important birdie in the first extra hole.

“That was a great finish,” said the 33-year-old from Queenstown, winner of the Hong Kong Open in 2023. “I didn’t have my best out there today and I just kept saying to Mike [his caddie], I’ve just got to find something and just stay patient. I told him if I can find a birdie eagle, you never know what can happen. So, I did that, and then to hole a putt like that in the play-off, it’s always good.”

Victory in Morocco was Ben Campbell’s second success on the Asian Tour. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

American Caleb Surratt (71) and Spaniard Eugenio Chacarra (73) tied for third at 12-under par, three behind the top duo. Chacarra was the only one left in the hunt alongside Campbell and Catlin, but two bogeys coming in – on the 13th and 16th holes – threw a spanner in his works.

Catlin led wire-to-wire for 70 holes, opening up with a 64 on the par-73 course and following up with rounds of 71 and 68 before a seventh Asian Tour title was denied.

His only hiccup was a bogey-bogey start to his final round, but with Campbell also matching those numbers having started the day one behind, the leaderboard did not change. The Californian did not make any bogeys after that, but a par-par finish meant Campbell caught up with him in the end.

“You just have to tip the cap. I mean the guy goes two, four, four to finish. He probably made 130 feet of putts to win on the last three holes. All you can do is shake his hand and say well done,” said the 33-year-old Catlin.

“I played great. You know, I never, never gave in. I just kept battling. Kept chipping away. That birdie on the 15th gave me a decent little cushion there. I’m very pleased with the way I played.”

Before his bogeys on the first two holes on Sunday, Campbell had gone a remarkable 105 holes –five rounds and 15 holes – without a bogey on the Asian Tour, including his previous outing at the International Series Macau presented by Wynn, where he was bogey-free for his last two rounds.

Surratt, who played the 2024 LIV Golf season as part of Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII team and was the youngest player in League at 20, was playing in his first International Series event of the season and was delighted with his tied third place finish.

Before his bogeys on the first two holes on Sunday, Campbell had gone a remarkable 105 holes –five rounds and 15 holes – without a bogey. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

The young American star started with a modest 72 to be tied 42nd, but improved with rounds of 69, 68 and 71 and earned his first Official World Golf Ranking points of the year.

Surratt said: “I didn’t know it was going to be as good as this at my first International Series event, so it was definitely way more than I expected. It was a really good week and definitely gave me something good to build off of going into LIV Golf Andalucia.”

Italy’s Stefano Mazzoli and the consistent Travis Smyth of Australia were tied fifth at 11-under.

An interesting sidelight of the tournament was the performance of Zimbabwean Scott Vincent, who finished tied 13th, but that included playing his opening round with rental clubs and a two-shot penalty incurred for arriving late for his tee time after a mad dash to Casablanca airport to find out if his clubs arrived.

Vincent’s par four on the first was turned into a six, but he fought back to finish with a 68 to be two behind Catlin and Kiwi Kazuma Kobori on Thursday.

“I misjudged the timing coming back (on Thursday). We made one wrong turn and that put me a few minutes behind,” said the 2022 International Series Rankings champion.

“My clubs had arrived at about 9.30 that morning, so I was there waiting for them. I could see with my Apple tags that they were in the airport, but I just couldn’t get to them in time. It was hard letting them go knowing that I was within 20 metres of them somewhere. But yeah, I had to leave them in order to try and make the tee time and maybe left a little too late.”

LIV Golf star Ben Campbell will defend his International Series Morocco title at the prestigious Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in Rabat, as part of a strong field for the fourth event of The International Series season from July 3–6.

The New Zealander, who claimed a stunning play-off victory over in-form John Catlin on the Red Course last year, will be joined once again by his American rival, with the six-time Asian Tour champion looking to go one better than last season, when Campbell’s eagle-birdie finish reeled him in at the last.

2011 Masters champion Charl Schwartzel from South Africa, a rival on the LIV Golf League at Stinger GC, brings major credentials to the tournament while American Peter Uihlein, Campbell’s teammate at RangeGoats GC, will also pose a threat after claiming two victories on The International Series last season in England and Qatar.

HyFlyers GC player Andy Ogletree from the United States, the 2019 US Amateur champion who progressed to LIV Golf after claiming the International Series Rankings title in 2023, is also in the field along with serial winner Jazz Janewattananond from Thailand, who won his seventh Asian Tour title at the inaugural edition of International Series Morocco event in 2022.

For the 33-year-old Campbell, Morocco is more than just another stop on the calendar. It’s where his rise onto the LIV Golf League truly began.

Ben Campbell pictured after winning in Morocco last year. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

His victory at International Series Morocco in 2024 proved pivotal, sparking a stellar season which included three top-five finishes towards the end of the campaign. That run of form caught the eye of two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson and earned a draft onto the American’s RangeGoats GC team.

“Returning to Morocco is incredibly special,” said Campbell. “Last year’s win really changed the trajectory of my career. The course, the energy there, it all came together for something unforgettable. I’m excited to be back and ready to defend the title.”

Campbell, who is a two-time winner on The International Series having claimed the Hong Kong Open in 2023, finished third on the International Series Rankings last year. He was also second on the Asian Tour Order of Merit behind Catlin.

He has been enjoying a strong debut season on the LIV Golf League, most noticeably finishing third at LIV Golf Singapore. Campbell currently sits 25^th on the standings.

“Morocco has been a key destination for The International Series,” said Rahul Singh, Head of The International Series. “We have seen two incredible tournaments there, played on a world-class venue, offering genuine growth and development for the region’s top talent.

“The players love going there, and the atmosphere is starting to build as we approach the event. This year, with such a high-calibre field featuring stars from both the Asian Tour and LIV Golf, we expect another unforgettable week of golf that highlights the global appeal and prestige of The International Series.”

As the fourth of the 10 elevated events on the Asian Tour schedule, Morocco plays a vital role in the season-long race for the International Series Rankings which offer players a pathway to LIV Golf League.

The International Series Rankings champion is guaranteed a place on the roster for the 2026 LIV Golf season, while other high finishers earn a place on the LIV Golf Promotions event, which provides an alternative route onto the roster.

The International Series is also the eighth stop of the season on the Asian Tour. Three International Series events have been played so far, in India, Macau and Japan.