Wooyoung shows his class in taking halfway lead at Bharath Classic
Wooyoung Cho came to India this week to try and finish the season on a high, after a poor year. He is proceeding to do just that after taking the halfway lead in the US$500,000 Bharath Classic 2025 Gujarat.
The Korean carded a fine six-under-par 66 today at Kensville Golf Resort to lead on 12-under by a shot from compatriot Heemin Chang.
Chang, the first-round leader after a 64, shot a 69 – in the penultimate event of the season on the Asian Tour, where tensions are high. Many of those in contention are trying ensure they keep their Asian Tour cards by staying in top 65 on the Order of Merit. Only one event remains after this week, the Saudi Open presented by PIF.
Spain’s Carlos Pigem (65) and Panuphol Pittayarat (66) are a stroke further back. Panuphol sensationally eagled his last hole to surge closer to the top.
Cho, in just his second year as a professional and one of his country’s most highly rated players, is in 56th place on the Merit list. He is secure but a win this week would truly cement his place on Tour next year.
Heemin Chang.
“I am just trying to be confident with my game, my swing, and my putting,” said the Korean, who has won twice on the Korean PGA Tour.
“It was a very good day for me, so I will try to keep going with 66s. I think my wedge shots, were very, very good. I could make birdies because my wedge game was so good.”
He did make a lot of birdies, seven in total, and dropped just one shot.
Chang needs to win this week if he is to keep his card as he is in a distant 127th place on the Merit list, having played just five events this campaign.
He was bogey free today, making three birdies to stay very much in the hunt.
Said the Korean: “When I was warming up on the range my driver wasn’t very good, so I thought it wouldn’t be easy today. But I think I finished well today because my putting was working was good.
“I didn’t know things would go well this week, but since it’s going so well, I want to get the highest rank possible to gain as much experience as possible.”
Carlos Pigem.
Pigem, a winner on the Asian Tour back in 2016 at Yeangder TPC, carded the joint lowest round the day. He is another struggling in 162nd position on the Merit list and also in need of a win this weekend.
“I think in Taiwan two weeks ago, I played better than the score, especially the second day and the fourth round, and I think that helped give me a little bit more confidence,” said the Spaniard.
“I know this course is a little bit tricky. You have to hit it really straight. But I missed where I could miss, and I hit really good shots when I had to. And I’m really happy for the weekend. I’m not gonna change. I think we are gonna follow the same path. Maybe you can try to hit par fives in two on the weekend, and try to be a little bit more aggressive if you need it.”
Mexican Santiago De la Fuente (67) and Thailand’s Poosit Supupramai (69) share fifth, three behind Cho.
De la Fuenta is 62nd on the Merit list while Poosit is in 81st place.
Said Poosit: “I’m not thinking about securing the card, I just try my best. If I play like today on the weekend, hopefully I can secure my card for next year.”
Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond, a seven-time winner on the Asian Tour and gradually returning to form came in with a 70 and is tied for seventh four off top spot.
The morning session saw two players make a hole in one.
Englishman Harold William aced the par-three 11th enroute to a 65. He is five under. Soon after Harendra Gupta holed his tee shot on the par-three fifth. The Indian golfer is also five under. William used a pitching wedge while Gupta a six iron.
This week’s event is being joint-sanctioned with the Indian Golf Premier League. The circuit was launched recently with the aim of increasing the profile of the game in India. It aims to add a new dimension to the game, with this weekend’s final two rounds commencing with a Shotgun start.
Poosit Supupramai’s bid to keep his Asian Tour card with just two events remaining, including this week’s Bharath Classic 2025 Gujarat, stayed on course today when he took the clubhouse lead on day two.
He shot a three-under-par 69 for a two-round total of nine-under at Kensville Golf Resort, just outside of Ahmedabad.
The Thai golfer’s compatriot Jazz Janewattananond, the highest ranked player in the field and most decorated, is in second place, one back, following a 70.
Filipino Justin Quiban returned a 66 and is tied with Jazz, as is Ekpharit Wu from Thailand, after a 69, and Indian amateur Ishaan Chawhan, who also shot a 69 – after the completion of the morning session.
First-round lead Heemin Chang from Korea, who opened with a 64 yesterday, is in the afternoon flights.
Poosit is in 81st position on the Merit list, chasing a top 65 finish on the final list that will keep his playing privileges next year. The season-ending Saudi Open presented by PIF will be played the week after next, and ultimately decide his schedule in 2026.
Jazz Janewattananond.
He said: “I’m not thinking about securing the card, I just try my best. If I play like today on the weekend, hopefully I can secure my card for next year.”
He started on the back nine today, making three birdies and a bogey before a calmer second nine saw him make eight pars in a row before a closing birdie.
“I played the same as I did yesterday,” said, “but today I think the conditions were tougher, because we can’t take preferred lies so when on the fairways, it’s hard to make good contact.”
He finished in a tie for sixth at the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open three weeks ago for his best finish of the season. That result came shortly after some adjustments to his short stick.
“Before Singapore I saw my coach Pompetch to see what to do about my putting, so I changed the loft on my putter. So now it’s better and I’m more confident with my putting.”
Jazz, paying in the group behind Poosit, continues to show signs he is returning to the kind of form that has seen him win seven-times on the Asian Tour.
He is 14th on the Merit list after a string of encouraging results this season, including tying for fourth in the Mercuries Taiwan Masters in September and finishing equal sixth in the Link Hong Kong Open the following month.
“It could have been a lot lower, I had a lot of lip outs today,” said the 2019 Order of Merit champion.
“But you know, you gotta appreciate some good golf. I’m hitting it a lot better than what I did middle of this year, so it’s good to see the game improving. And that’s why I’m here, trying to implement the good golf and try to get used to it, and maybe learn something about myself.”
While he doesn’t have the pressure of having to worry about keeping his playing status, he is working on getting his game ready for the LIV Golf Promotions event in January – where two places are up for grabs in the LIV Golf League.
He added: “It would be great [to win], it would be a bonus for sure. I’m just trying to get myself to the level that I think I can get my card in the LIV Promotions event, that’s the most important one. So, these are preparations for me, the Saudi Open and this week, and even the week before. Just trying to peak at the right time.”
The morning also saw two players make a hole in one.
Englishman Harold William aced the par-three 11th enroute to a 65. He is five under. Soon after Harendra Gupta holed his tee shot on the par-three fifth. The Indian golfer is also five under. William used a pitching wedge while Gupta a six iron.
Korean Heemin Chang took the lead on day one of the Bharath Classic 2025 Gujarat today at Kensville Golf Resort, near Ahmedabad – remarkably, playing the course for the first time.
He shot an eight-under-par 64 having arrived late last night and unable to play a practice round. Despite that he leads from Pukhraj Singh Gill from India, Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond and Poosit Supupramai, and Korean Wooyoung Cho, who shot 66s.
Ajeetesh Sandhu and Udayan Mane from India, plus Chinese-Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang and Filipino Sean Ramos are in a large group tied for sixth, after 67s.
Thailand’s Ekpharit Wu, the rookie who won the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open recently, is also in that group.
This week’s inaugural US$500,000 event is being joint-sanctioned with the newly-launch Indian Golf Premier League Tour. It’s the sixth stop on the Indian Tour but the penultimate tournament of the season on the Asian Tour. It means players are jostling for final positions on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, in order to confirm their playing status for next year.
“It’s a good result, as it’s my first time here,” said Chang, who is 127th on the Merit list.
“The greens were slower than I expected but I adapted well, and my course management was good.”
He tied for sixth in the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open earlier this month, giving him the belief for a strong finish to the year.
Jazz Janewattananond.
The Korean was in the third group out this morning and after a relatively quiet front nine that saw him turn in two under with birdies on five and six he caught fire on the second half. He made three birdies in a row from 10, dropped his only shot of the day on 14, before making eagle on 15 and closing birdies on 16 and 18.
He added: “My game has been good lately. It is my first time in India, I came for the experience, I came to win.”
A win would most definitely secure his playing rights for next year in the space of one tournament. It’s the goal of everyone here this week.
Gill has the benefit of arriving here soon after his maiden victory in the pro game. He claimed the IGPL Invitational 2025 Jamshedpur two weeks ago. It was just the fourth leg of the tour, and he won it by the comfortable margin of nine shots. He now sits in second place on the rankings.
He said: “Great first day. I know this course fairly well. We have quite a few tournaments here. It’s been a good track. They’ve had Challenge Tour events in the past, and a lot of main PGTI events. So yes, I think that definitely helped. Yeah, solid off the tee. Great on the green.
“I was very excited for this week, because Asian Tour is back in India after quite some time, and to have it at Kensville is pretty damn good.”
Cho, part of the Korean team that won gold at the Asian Games in 2023, is another player looking for a strong finish to ensure a top-65 finish on the Merit list, which ensures you keep your card for next year.
He’s one of Korea’s most exciting young golfers, with great things expected of him. However, he is currently in 56th on the rankings, after an unexpectedly poor year dogged by putting woes.
Pukhraj Singh Gill.
“I have had big problems with my putting. Sometimes even four putts, a lot of three putts,” he explained
Like Chang he tied for sixth in Taifong thanks to vastly better form on the short grass.
“I changed to a new putter that week and I am still using it. I am much more hopeful now of playing better,” he added.
Chan is in 75th on the Merit and is desperate to need of two good final tournaments, with the season-ending Saudi Open presented by PIF to be held the week after next.
He is a five-time winner on the Asian Tour, the most recent being in the Mercuries Taiwan Masters, and is unaccustomed to losing his card.
“I had a shoulder injury most of the year. It’s been a big problem. I have been doing physio, gone to hospital. It’s about 80 to 85% ok now,” he commented.
“I am just trying to keep calm. This course is very good, very different. Really important to find the fairway from the tee, then you are fine. Hopefully this week I can get a top five. Don’t think too much, yeah. Just enjoy. Focus on my tempo and then focus every shot.”
Pictures by Jaydeep Singh Jadeja/Asian Tour.
The Asian Tour returns to India this week for the inaugural Bharath Classic 2025 Gujarat– an exciting new event on the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL) Tour, which was launched earlier this year.
The tournament is being held at Kensville Golf Resort, Ahmedabad, allowing for a popular return to a country that has a strong affinity with the Asian Tour.
Boasting prizemoney of US$500,000, it will be jointly-sanctioned with the IGPL Tour – a new and innovative circuit boasting 11 events that will act as forerunner for next year’s Indian Golf Premier League, the country’s first-ever franchise-based golf league.
The introduction of a brand-new event in a country that has been so important to the Asian Tour is a welcome addition. It is the penultimate event of the season on the Asian Tour.
Kensville Golf Resort is an idyllic 900-acre golf resort located 40 kms from Ahmedabad, in Gujarat.
It boasts an 18-hole championship-standard course designed by one of India’s greatest golfers Jeev Milkha Singh.
Ekpharit Wu.
Tournament Information
- Tournament: Bharath Classic 2025 Gujarat
- Date: 27th – 30th November 2025
- Venue: Kensville Golf Resort, Ahmedabad, India
- Par/Yards: 73/7,210 yards
- Purse: US$500,000
- Asian Tour leg: 20th
- Edition of tournament: First
- 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
Steve Lewton.
Field Breakdown
- Order of Merit winners: Jazz Janewattananond (2019)
- Nationalities: 17
- Top contenders: Jazz Janewattananond (THA), Yuvraj Sandhu (IND), James Piot (USA), Ekpharit Wu (THA), Wooyoung Cho (KOR)
- Highest ranked player on OWGR: Jazz Janewattananond (THA) #474
- Highest ranked player on 2025 Asian Tour Order of Merit: Jazz Janewattananond (THA) #14
- Number of amateurs in the field: 5
- Number of Indian players in the field: 60
James Piot.
Tournament Notes
- Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond has had a solid season and ranks 14th on the Order of Merit after a T2 at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open in May and three other top-10s, the latest one a T6 at the Moutai Singapore Open three weeks ago. Jazz won the Asian Tour Order of Merit in 2019 after winning four events that season. During his career he has won seven titles on the Asian Tour, the most recent one at the International Series Morocco in 2022.
- Yuvraj Sandhu from India has won five times this season on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), his latest victory coming just last week at the Indian Oil Servo Masters. He leads that Order of Merit after those wins and a total of 11 top 10’s this season.
- American James Piot is a former U.S. Amateur champion having won the 2021 edition at Oakmont Country Club. After turning pro, he played on the LIV Golf League in 2022 and 2023 with a T6 at the 2022 Bangkok event as his best finish. Piot was tied for the lead at the recent Moutai Singapore Open after 54 holes, but a ball stuck in a tree during the final round derailed his chances for his first Asian Tour title. Piot has also been playing on the PGA Tour Americas this year with a third-place and T4 as his best showings.
- Ekpharit Wu from Thailand won the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open two weeks ago for his first Asian Tour title, and he’s had three other top-20’s in his rookie Asian Tour season. Prior to securing his card at Q-School last December Wu posted two victories on the All Thailand Golf Tour in 2024.
- Korean Wooyoung Cho has posted two top-10’s on the Asian Tour this year, the first placing fifth at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open in his home country, and the second a T6 at the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open two weeks ago. As an amateur he was part of the gold medal-winning South Korean team at the 2022 Asian Games (held in 2023), playing alongside professional golfers like Siwoo Kim and Sungjae Im. His has two wins on the Korean PGA Tour, the first one in 2023 while still an amateur, and the second in 2024 after turning pro.
Pictures by Jaydeep/Asian Tour.
Spain’s Josele Ballester [main picture] won the PIF Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers against the strongest field of the year, with a complete game and impressive stats across the categories showing power, accuracy and touch.
With a final round of six-under-par 65 he would beat overnight leaders Caleb Surratt from the Unites States and South African Dean Burmester by three and five shots respectively in the end.
Being one of the longest players in the field, and in interviews during the week praising his own driving, he was able to come into the Riyadh Golf Club greens with a lot of short clubs and able to stop the ball near the pins on the firm putting greens.
Said the 22-year-old: “I just found a way on how to use my driver. I hit it really far. When I’m hitting it good off the tee, many good things happen. Over the last three months, I went from being an okay driver of the ball to a really good one.”
Caleb Surratt.
“I feel like every day the greens have been getting a little firmer. The ball is rolling good, and I think that kind of plays to my advantage. I have the ability to stop the ball on the greens pretty easily. For me, the firmer they get, the better.”
Averaging 327.67 yards off the tee on the measuring holes he ranked seventh in the Driving Distance stat category, and he used this power to his advantage making 18 birdies on the par fours and three each on the par threes and par fives during the week. His 24 total Birdies placed him second only to runner-up Surratt who led this category with 25.
He also excelled in Scrambling minimising dropped shots, ranking T2 with Jazz Janewattananond from Thailand with 83.33%, behind Australian Lucas Herbert with 88.24%.
Ballester’s other statistics: Putts per GIR 1.65 (7th), Putts per Round 28.25 (T11), GIR 83.33 (11th) and Fairways 57,14% (T48th).
A runner-up for the second year in a row, Surratt was clearly the best putter in the field and topped both putting categories for the week with 26.75 Putts per Green and a 1,547 Putts per GIR average.
His skills on the greens produced a category leading 25 birdies during the tournament, offset by six bogies which perhaps came from a Scrambling percentage of 68.42% (24th), which was quite a bit lower than the winner’s.
Surratt was ranked highly in Fairways Hit with 76.79% (4th), but his GIR percentage of 73,61% (T43) left a bit to be desired.
Statistics Categories leaders at the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers (of players making the cut):
- Putts per Round – Caleb Surratt (USA): 26.75
- Putts per GIR – Caleb Surratt (USA): 1.547
- GIR – Charles Howell III (USA): 90.28%
- Fairways Hit – Charles Howell III (USA): 83.93%
- Driving Distance – Micah Shin (USA): 337 yards
- Most Eagles – Richard T. Lee, Bjorn Hellgren (SWE), Jazz Janewattananond (THA), Tyrrell Hatton (ENG), Charles Howell III (USA), Paul Casey (ENG), Jinichiro Kozuma (JPN), Sadom Kaewkanjana (THA), Faisal Salhab (KSA), Nick Voke (NZL): 1
- Most Birdies – Caleb Surratt (USA): 25
- Fewest Bogies or Worse – Josele Ballester (ESP): 2
- Scrambling: Lucas Herbert (AUS): 88.24%
- Bounce back – Sampson Zheng (CHN): 50%
Pictured by Ian Walton/Asian Tour.
Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent sealed The International Series Rankings title and a return to the LIV Golf League at the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers, and he will be joined by Yosuke Asaji from Japan after Filipino Miguel Tabuena fell just short on the final day in Riyadh.
Vincent, winner of the inaugural Rankings title in 2022, had led the race going into the final event of the season on 325.59 points, 40.29 ahead of Asaji, who won last time out at the Moutai Singapore Open to move to 285.30.
And despite a rough day at Riyadh Golf Club – Vincent carded a four-over 75 – his return to the big league was never in danger as his nearest challengers failed to earn the required finishes needed for a late Rankings charge.
Despite the ultimate lack of a challenge, the 33-year-old admitted he was affected by nerves with so much at stake going into the final day.
He said: “I woke up at about 4:30, which was two hours before I was hoping to. Then you start playing all the different scenarios in your head, which was not what I was hoping for. I wanted to come out here and just play freely and give it my best, but yeah, I was nervous.
Scott Vincent.
“Obviously not knowing and not trying to look at leaderboards, you don’t know how much of a cushion you have. You don’t want to be the guy who is ahead and loses, all those things.
“Once I got moving and got into my routine, putting and range work, I definitely settled down. I just didn’t play great today, but obviously my performance over the season was enough.”
As Rankings leader, Vincent tried to keep away from the permutations and calculations needed to establish who would finish where, but admitted it was difficult to do.
He said: “No, I tried to stay completely away. I kind of knew that, unless someone probably finished in the top five or so or two people did that, I was probably okay. I don’t typically look at leaderboards, but today I was looking a little bit. I didn’t see anyone there.”
For Vincent, the result means a return to LIV Golf after a year out. The two-time Asian Tour winner was the first person to take the pathway to LIV Golf from The International Series when he secured a place in the Iron Heads GC team after finishing top of the Rankings race in thee years ago.
Rahul Singh, Head of The International Series, hands Yosuke Asaji a gold coin for making it through to the LIV Golf League.
After losing his place at the end of the 2024 season, he doubled down on his efforts on The International Series in 2025 and finished top of the Rankings for the second time thanks to his International Series Morocco win in July and a runner-up finish to Wade Ormsby at the Jakarta International Championship last month.
Speaking about that pathway offered by The International Series, the elevated Asian Tour events, he said: “Obviously I’m very thankful. It is great that this has worked out for me.”
About his return to LIV Golf, he added: “Obviously I kind of know what I am going to, and I am looking forward to that. It’s going to be a great challenge.”
A missed cut from Asaji on Thursday had left the door open for Tabuena, who was just 53.02 adrift. But the International Series Philippines champion fell agonisingly short of the T6 position needed as a two-under 69 left him one shot adrift.
Unlike Vincent, Asaji claimed he felt no nerves as he watched the drama unfold. He said: “I was not nervous at all. I just wanted to see what was happening today. It all depended on other players’ results today, and I just wanted to see what was happening.”
Scott Vincent and Yosuke Asaji.
Reflecting on the moment he saw Tabuena had come up short, he added: “I was so happy with my wife and my caddie, we were together. We can get in the LIV event. I was so happy.”
Asaji pinpointed the moment he dared to dream about that lucrative LIV Golf spot, saying: “Winning the Moutai Singapore Open was very, very valuable for me because after winning the Singapore Open, I noticed that I am No.2 in The International Series Rankings, and I thought, ‘oh, I have a pathway to LIV Golf, I have a chance to do this’.“
Going into tournament week, a number of challengers were in with a slim chance thanks to the high number of Rankings points available in the US$5 million tournament – the richest event of the year.
American Ollie Schniederjans, winner of the season-opening International Series India presented by DLF, could not muster the top-two finish required, ultimately settling for a 71 that left him T60 and seventh in the table.
However, the former amateur world No.1 has the consolation of a bye into the second round of the LIV Golf Promotions event in Florida at the start of next season, where another two LIV Golf golden tickets will be available.
Australian Ormsby also has the same opportunity. Needing a top-two finish, the 45-year-old missed the cut. At No.8 in the Rankings, he will regroup with two tournaments Down Under before entering the second-round stage of the four-round tournament at the Black Diamond Ranch in Lecanto, Florida from 8-11 January.
Miguel Tabuena.
Danthai, runner up behind Vincent in Morocco, went into the final round T7 and five off the lead while Kho, the 2023 World City Championship winner in his native Hong Kong, sat T18 and two shots further back.
In the end, both finished T27 on 10 under with Kho level par for his final round and Danthai two shots over. Danthai will join Tabuena, Schniederjans and Ormsby in the second round of the Promotions event as one of 10 leading players from the top 20 of the final Rankings table. Kho will enter the first round as one of 25 leading players inside the top 40.
Pictures by Ian Walton/Asian Tour.
Josele Ballester announced himself on the world stage today by winning the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers, in just his 10th start in the professional game.
An accomplished final round six-under-par 65 saw the Spaniard record a fine three-shot victory over last year’s joint runner-up Caleb Surratt from the United States, who shot a 69 – here at Riyadh Golf Club.
South African Dean Burmester, who beat Ballester in extra-time at LIV Golf Chicago in August, returned a 71 to claim third, while England’s Richard Bland fired a 68 to settle for fourth.
American Anthony Kim recorded far and away his best result since returning to the game after a 12-year break. He signed off with a 70 to tie for fifth.
In what was the final event of the season on The International Series, Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent wrapped up The International Series Rankings.
It’s the second time he has won the Rankings, having claimed the inaugural edition in 2022, and means he will make a popular return to the LIV Golf League next year.
Josele Ballester.
He will be joined on the franchise by Japan’s Yosuke Asaji who held on to second place despite missing the cut this week. Filipino Miguel Tabuena came agonisingly close to dislodging Asaji after finishing in a tie for 11th, following a 69 – just 25.25 behind points the Japanese golfer, in third place.
Ballester, the winner of the US Amateur last year who joined Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs GC team mid-way through this season, started the day one behind third-round leaders Surratt and Burmester.
However, by the turn he was one ahead of both players, whom he was paired with, following three birdies and no dropped shots.
He continued in the same vein on the next nine making three more birdies, the final one on the 16th, to cruise home unchallenged in just his second event on the Asian Tour and The International Series.
“First of all, thank you so much. I’m super happy,” said Ballester, aged 22.
“It’s been everything, right? Like at the end of the day, being a young boy dreaming about this moment, winning your first professional career. This is why I worked so hard every day. It’s been really cool, to finally get this done. It’s going to make me keep working even harder to accomplish all the things I have.
Caleb Surratt.
“But right now I’m really happy and thankful for all the people that have been there supporting me.
“It’s been great these past few months. It’s been a lot of learning. When I joined LIV, I was not playing great, and it was a learning process. I had to become better. It’s been really cool to see that in this brief time I’ve gotten so much better and that I can compete at the highest level with the best players in the world.”
Surratt was also chasing his first win. It is the third time he has finished runner-up on The International Series – including losing to Joaquin Niemann from Chile in a play-off last year.
“Yeah, it’s hard,” said the 21-year-old, who played for Legion XIII on LIV Golf.
“I finished runner-up at this event last year. So, it’s tough. I feel like I’m overdue on my first win. I definitely had that in my mind today. Just getting off to a bad start really hurt me. Josele was beating me by four shots today through three holes. He’s an amazing player, props to him. I’m sure we’ll have many, many good battles.”
He got off to a poor start, dropping shots on the first two holes, but fought back with three birdies on the front side. Two birdies and a dropped shot on the second half saw him just fall short once more.
Vincent started the day just five shots off the lead, comfortably ahead on the rankings. He shot a 75 today, to finish eight under to tie for 42nd place, not quite what he had hoped for but still good enough for him to top the rankings with 335.11 points. Asaji finished second on 285.3 points.
“I think it’s still settling in,” said Vincent, winner of this year’s International Series Morocco.
“Right now, all I want to do is go see my family. Yeah, we’ll head towards them tonight and can’t wait to see them.
Scott Vincent.
“I woke up at about 4:30, which was two hours before I was hoping to. Then you start playing all the different scenarios in your head, which was not what I was hoping for.
“Yeah, I kind of just — I wanted to come out here and just play freely and give it my best, but yeah, I was nervous. Obviously not knowing and not trying to look at leaderboards, you don’t know how much of a cushion you have. You don’t want to be the guy who’s ahead and loses, all those things.”
Tabuena needed a top-six finish to catch Asaji and got off to the perfect start by going out in three under to sit in the top four. However, he made bogey on the 12th, and although he recovered with a birdie on the 15th, a bogey on the next ended any hopes of him being the first golfer from the Philippines to play on the LIV Golf League.
Japan’s Kazuki Higa has kept the lead on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, after tying for 65th. Vincent is second and Tabuena third, with two events remaining.
The Asian Tour heads to India next week for the Bharath Classic at Kensville Golf Resort in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The inaugural tournament will be played from November 27 to 20 and will be joint sanctioned with the newly formed Indian Golf Premier League.
Pictures by Ian Walton/Asian Tour.
Caleb Surratt kept the lead in the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers for the third day in a row today – giving himself a great opportunity to make up for losing here in a play-off last year.
He shot a three-under-par 68 to finish on 17 under in a tie with South African Dean Burmester, who carded a 64.
Josele Ballester from Spain is in third place, one stroke behind, after a 66 here at Riyadh Golf Club.
Englishman Richard Bland (64), Adrian Meronk (68) from Poland, and American Anthony Kim (69) are next best placed, three back.
The US$5million event is the most lucrative of the season on the Asian Tour and the final event of the year on The International Series.
Surratt was beaten by Chile’s Joaquin Niemann on the second hole of a sudden-death play-off 12 months ago, which also featured Australian Cam Smith. He could have won it in regulation play but made bogey on the last after finding water off the tee.
Dean Burmester.
He will look to banish that memory tomorrow and secure his first title in the professional game.
“Yeah, it was good,” said the 21-year-old, who plays for Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII team on the LIV Golf League.
“You’re not going to have your best stuff all the time. I came out of the gates, I really didn’t hit many bad shots early. I hit a few, but not starting off my best. I was very proud of the fight the rest of the day.
“I think it would have been real easy to continue to bleed and shoot two or three over today, take myself out of the golf tournament, but didn’t do that. I’m very proud of that.”
He made bogeys on the first and fourth, before getting back on track with a birdie on the ninth. Four birdies on the back nine restored his confidence and lead.
When asked if he sees tomorrow as a chance to redeem himself after last year, he said: “Yeah, definitely. It would be nice to get some redemption, but regardless, I’ve done really well to put myself in the position I am in. I fought really hard and worked really hard to get to that. Almost no matter what happens, it feels like I could leave now because this week has already been a win with so many positives.”
Burmester shot 63 yesterday and impressively nearly matched that today. He was bogey-free and carded seven birdies, including on the last two.
He is one the biggest hitters here and reached the par-four 18th, which measures 396 yards, from the tee.
Scott Vincent.
He said: “Yeah, I hit one yesterday. That’s kind of how I knew I could get there and make sure I was comfortable being able to roll into that left pin. You kind of want to keep it up to the middle of the green. I went from there and hit it pretty hard, probably as hard as I’ve ever hit a tee shot.”
He finished second in a long driving competition in South Africa a week ago and the experience has put him in a good stead this week.
“I learned a few things from the long drive champion in South Africa,” he explained.
“So, it was quite cool to kind of put that to good use. It’s more about like hip mobility and rotation and how he creates his speed without feeling like you have to hit it that hard. It was quite interesting to see the dynamic and the way that they do it. I’m sure Bryson [DeChambeau] knows all about this stuff because he did it. For me to learn something like that was cool.”
Like Surrat, Burmester competes on the LIV Golf League. He plays for Stingers GC, the South African-dominated side, and won LIV Golf Chicago in August for his second win on the hugely popular franchise.
The International Series Rankings will be decided tomorrow, with the leading two players securing places on next year’s LIV Golf League.
Rankings leader Scott Vincent from Zimbabwe put himself in a strong position to finish the year on top after returning his third 67.
He is in a tie for seventh, five shots behind the leaders.
Josele Ballester.
“Today was fun,” said Vincent. “I had a lot more fun today than the past couple days. Yeah, looking forward to tomorrow’s challenge and just trying to enjoy it. Try and enjoy it as much as possible. Golf has been great so far. So just trying to build on that and keep going.
“Just trying to not make it bigger than it needs to be and just play my game, play golf. Yeah, like I mentioned, just try and enjoy this experience and this moment because it’s only going to help me no matter how it goes.”
He won the inaugural Rankings in 2022 and played on LIV Golf for the next two years before losing his status at the end of 2024. A good round tomorrow will pave the way for a remarkable return.
Filipino Miguel Tabuena came in with a 67 and is one shot back. He is third on the Rankings and needs a top six finish tomorrow to grab second place ahead of Japan’s Yosuke Asaji, who missed the cut.
Kim, Thailand’s Danthai Boonma, and Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho have outside chances to win one of those places on LIV tomorrow but need to win.
Danthai carded a 67 and is tied with Vincent, while Kho carded a 68 and is seven off top spot.
Pictures by Ian Walton/Asian Tour.
Rising American star Caleb Surratt birdied the 18th to take a one-shot lead into tomorrow’s third-round of the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers.
He carded a five-under-par 66 here at Riyadh Golf Club today, to lead on 14-under from Thomas Pieters from Belgium in second place.
Pieters also shot a 66, while American Anthony Kim rolled back the years, shooting a 64 to move into third, another two strokes back, along with England’s Tyrrell Hatton and Spaniard Josele Ballester – both in with 65s.
South African Dean Burmester (63) and Adrian Meronk (70) from Poland are a further stroke behind in a tie for sixth along with Seungbin Choi of Korea (66). Meronk was the joint first-round leader with Surratt – in the final event of the season on The International Series, and the third from last stop on the Asian Tour calendar.
Surratt was beaten by Chilean Joaquin Niemann in a sudden-death play-off here last year and has clearly returned seeking redemption.
Thomas Pieters.
The 21-year-old reached the front edge of the green on the short par-four 18th from the tee and got up and down to edge Pieters for the halfway lead. He made two birdies on the front and three on back and was bogey free.
“Very pleased. It was a good day,” said the American, who plays for Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII team on LIV Golf.
“You know, I think some of the hardest rounds in golf are honestly ones that have to follow up great ones, so to go out there today, kind of fight my thoughts at times, getting ahead of myself, I was still able to play well. That was good that I showed that to myself, and hopefully use this same momentum.”
He is without a win since turning professional last year but has finished second twice in International Series events and third once.
“It is a great leaderboard. Be good to see how it shakes out next few days,” he said.
Pieters, who plays for 4Aces GC on LIV Golf, last won in 2022 at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship – one of his six titles on the DP World Tour. This year he has recorded his two best finishes on LIV Golf, finishing joint fourth in both Korea and Virginia.
“Pretty similar to yesterday,” he said of his round today. “Played really well. I made loads of 10 to 15 footers. Only difference is I missed a couple shorter ones. Overall, super happy, obviously. Yeah, just really looking forward to the weekend and I enjoy this golf course a lot.”
Anthony Kim.
Pieters has come into the week full of confidence after top-10 finishes in Hong Kong and Singapore on the Asian Tour and The International Series.
The towering 1.96 metre golfer added: “I am just putting in the work. Just swing feels good. Not too many swing thoughts to be honest. Short game has been good, and I practice a lot on my wedges in my simulator at home and that’s been paying off.”
The 32-year-old, who made seven birdies and two bogies today, has also changed his irons.
“Yeah, my irons were kind of at the end of their lifetime and somehow I ended up with some Miura irons, and they’ve been working quite well,” he explained.
“We’re not quite there yardage-wise, but you’ve got a lot of wedges this week so I haven’t hit a lot of long irons yet. But I really love the shape of them. The ball comes off really nicely. Yeah, I think they’ll be in the bag for next year.”
Kim turned heads by moving into contention in a tournament for the first time since making his comeback to the game last year – after an absence of 12 years.
Like Surratt he did not drop a shot and made seven birdies.
He said: “My wife told me that if I make less bogeys than birdies my score will be good, so I followed that direction well today.
Scott Vincent.
“Yeah, I’m finally starting to see some of the work show. I haven’t been able to swing like I have been in practice rounds and back at home in tournament golf, but it’s starting to show up and starting to feel more comfortable out here.”
The 40-year-old has not been in contention since joining LIV Golf and his most recent victory is the 2010 Shell Houston Open.
He last finished in the top-10 in an event at the Singapore Open in 2011, where he tied for third, during a period in time when he reached number six in the world.
Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent, the leader of The International Series, put himself in a strong position to finish the season in top spot by shooting his second 67 to lie six off the lead. Filipino Miguel Tabuena is also well placed following a 68 and is another shot back.
The top two on the Rankings will earn places on the LIV Golf League next year and with Japan’s Yosuke Asaji, in second place, firing a 72 to miss the cut the door has been left open for Tabuena, who is in third place.
Defending champion Niemann surprisingly will not be here for the final two rounds after he carded a 69 to miss the cut by one.
Pictured by Ian Walton/Asian Tour.
Anthony Kim has played himself into contention at the halfway stage of the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers, and the American admitted his strong return to form is down to his rediscovered love of the game and “the hardest work” he has put in since he was a youngster.
Kim sits T3 at the halfway stage of the $US5million tournament, the final event on the schedule for The International Series. The top two players on The International Series Rankings will win promotion to the LIV Golf League for the 2026 season.
The 40-year-old was relegated from LIV Golf at the end of the season after a two-year run as a wild card, following 12 years away from the game. He currently sits 127th on the Rankings race with 13.46 points having played five tournaments so far this season, and with an elevated 324 points up for grabs at Riyadh Golf Club this week, there is a lot at stake for the former Ryder Cup player and the rest of the field.
Kim carded seven birdies in a bogey-free 64 that left him on 11-under at the halfway stage, behind Legion XIII youngster Caleb Surratt (-14) and Thomas Pieters of Belgium, the 4Aces GC player (-13).
Reflecting on his good form this week, Kim, a three-time PGA Tour winner, put things down to a lot of hard work off the course. He said: “I’m finally starting to see some of the work show. I haven’t been able to swing like I have been in practice rounds and back at home in tournament golf, but it is starting to show up and starting to feel more comfortable out here.
Anthony Kim.
“Hard work – this is the hardest I have worked since I was a little kid. I (have) fallen back in love with the game. I feel a lot of gratitude playing this game, getting to travel. We were in Dubai last week, in Saudi now. Just looking forward to the future.”
When talking about ‘falling in love with golf again,’ he revealed: “It means that I actually want to go to the golf course. I was so excited to leave the golf course when I had… you know, dealing with some of the mental illness and addiction issues. At this point I am excited to be here. I feel blessed to be here, and I am going to keep working as hard as I can.
“It is a lot easier when you start hitting fairways and making a few putts, absolutely. Getting kicked in the teeth every week over the last two years (on LIV Golf) playing against some of the major championship winners and some very successful players has been tough. I think I needed to be in that fire and I will be ready for the weekend.”
Asked if he had the title in his sights, a first since 2010, he said: “I am not too worried about that. That stuff used to matter to me. Right now I am just working on taking one shot at a time and make good golf swings and enjoy my time here in Saudi Arabia. I am not worried about where I am on the leaderboard until the last nine holes on Sunday. I know if I keep playing well, I will give myself a chance, and hopefully I’ll be close.”
Kim also revealed some wise words from his nearest and dearest helped him get in the right mindset. He said: “My wife told me that if I make less bogeys than birdies my score will be good, so I followed that direction well today!”
The PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers is the final event on The International Series schedule this year, and the third from last stop on the Asian Tour.
Pictures by Ian Walton/Asian Tour.
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