21 players advance out of first round at LIV Golf Promotions
A total of 21 players advanced out of Friday’s opening round of LIV Golf Promotions, including Jon Rahm’s former college roommate, rising stars from Brazil and Hong Kong, and one golfer playing with borrowed clubs.
Those 21 players now join 28 others who received exemptions into Friday’s second round at Riyadh Golf Club. The leaderboard will be reset, with the top 20 players (no ties) advancing to Saturday’s 36-hole final day. The Promotions winner earns a spot in the 2025 LIV Golf League, while the top 10 and ties receive exemptions into all International Series events next year.
Korea’s Jeunghun Wang, playing in the final group Thursday, birdied his last hole to top the first-round leaderboard with a seven-under-par 64. “Some lucky shots went in, including some long putts, which helped me play well heading into tomorrow,” Wang said.
Five players shared second by shooting 65, with nine players shooting 66. The final six players advanced on the cutline number by shooting 67s, eliminating the remaining 43 players from the tournament.
Jeunghun Wang. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Hong Kong’s rising star, 24-year-old Taichi Kho, was among the group at six under, his round highlighted by an eagle at the par-five 15th after a 355-yard drive. Kho also advanced from the first round at last year’s Promotions tournament before being eliminated in the second round.
“Last year I couldn’t get past the fact that it was a clean reset after round one,” Kho said. “I remember last year I had a great first round as well, and I felt like I carried on some of those thoughts and feelings as I would do a regular tournament going into the second round …
“Going into tomorrow, it’s important for me to just understand it’s a completely new day.”
Germany’s Max Rottluff also shot six-under, with five birdies in his last seven holes. Rottluff played collegiately at Arizona State, where he was the roommate of Jon Rahm, the Legion XIII captain who won the 2024 Individual Championship in his first LIV Golf season. Another roommate was Alberto Sanchez, who is the caddie of Fireballs GC’s David Puig.
“We still talk quite a bit and whatnot, so it would be a dream come true to join those guys,” said Rottluff, who credits Rahm with inspiring him to continue his golf career.
“I was considering giving it up back at the end of ’22, and I spent a week with him, and that really kind of straightened out my head and went out and won two times that year on the Challenge Tour,” said the 31-year-old Rottluff. “Kind of went back on a better trajectory again.”
Ian Snyman. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
South Africa’s Ian Snyman, another player who shot 65, already has a taste of LIV Golf. He played for Cleeks GC in the first two tournaments held during the inaugural 2022 season. He’s remained in touch with members of the all-South African Stinger GC team.
“I’ve been talking to Charl [Schwartzel] and Gracey [Branden Grace] and asking how things have changed over the last two years,” Snyman said. “It’s exciting. It’s something we all want to be part of. I like the team aspect.
“That’s why we’re here. That’s why we’re giving it a shot, and we’ll see what happens.”
Mexico’s 22-year-old Jose Islas, who turned pro earlier this year and recently won two events on his home country’s tour, is among the group shooting 66. Islas’s round, which included five consecutive birdies, was manufactured from borrowed clubs from his caddie’s friend after his own equipment failed to arrive in Riyadh.
Although the clubs are the same manufacture (Titleist), they’re a completely different model than his usual blade irons. Even so, he holed an eagle shot from 165 yards during a practice round and will continue to rely on them if his own clubs don’t show up. He planned to go to the airport after his round to check on their status.
“I think it’s not about the clubs, it’s more about how I thought the shots that I was going to hit, so I was with no expectations at all,” Islas said. “I think that’s why it really worked.”
Brazil’s Fred Biondi, the 2023 NCAA Individual Champion from Florida’s winning team, posted a bogey-free 66, as did Spain’s 21-year-old Luis Masaveu, a former U.S. Amateur semifinalist.
The hottest group on Thursday was the threesome of Ireland’s Mark Power (66), Spain’s Borja Virto (66) and England’s David Horsey (67), with all three players advancing.
“The round has a nice feeling,” Virto said. “Sometimes if one of the guys is struggling a lot, it can maybe not bother you, but it doesn’t feel as nice as all three of us playing well together and making it through to the next round.”
“A positive round,” said Power, a member of the 2023 Walker Cup team. “Everyone is in good spirits.”
Veteran American players Bo Hoag and Ollie Schniederjans also advanced, with Hoag shooting a bogey-free 65 and Schniederjans making it on the number with a 67.
“I’ve actually never played overseas, so it was something new for me,” said the 36-year-old Hoag. “Long flight over here.”
If Hoag finishes first this week, he’ll have plenty of opportunities to travel in 2025 during LIV Golf’s global schedule. “I think it would be fun,” he said.
Courtesy LIV Golf.
After six months at Stanford University Ratchanon Chantananuwat, aka ‘TK’, returned to play two events on the Asian Tour: the International Series Qatar followed by last week’s PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers. Remarkably, despite the break from playing on Tour, he tied ninth in Saudi – adding to the young Thai amateur’s amazing story. Olle Nordberg, former Tour player and now Asian Tour contributor, caught up with him and asked nine key questions.
ON: TK, last time we had a chat here at the Saudi Open presented by PIF in April you were just about to go to Stanford University. Now you’ve been there, how’s it been?
TK: It’s been great. Lots has happened, but overall, it’s been great. I’m really happy with Stanford.
ON: What’s the experience been like, I mean your first time going overseas to go to school and everything? What happened from the beginning when you got there and how was it?
TK: Right, so I actually got there very early. I’ve been there since the end of June because I had to do a summer quarter, we do quarter systems at Stanford and when I say quarter I just mean term or semester. So I was there since June, did summer quarter and fall quarter, so I’ve actually done pretty much two whole quarters. But it’s just been great, I’ve settled in fine. The golf is great, the weather has been really nice, and the facilities are obviously awesome. So, I’ve really enjoyed it so far.
Ratchanon Chantanuwat. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
ON: How are your classes going and how’s it been to transition to university from high school?
TK: Classes haven’t been too hard yet, but to be fair, they’re very, very different. I mean, the subjects I’m taking are very different, they’re also university subjects having lecture style classes. And to be fair it’s been fine in terms of score just because I’m taking relatively easy classes, but next quarter is when things are going to start becoming legit. Like I’m going to be doing Economics and potentially some sort of engineering class, so that’s going to be pretty tough. But I’m looking forward to it, at least I’m going to like what I’m doing, so I’m going to be interested. My two main classes this past quarter were Introduction to Psychology and Introduction to Communications. I mean, I really enjoyed both but it’s just, I mean, an intro class is always going to be relatively easy. And actually, in the summer I did intro to Political Science, so I’ve had a really broad spread so far.
ON: How is campus life?
TK: Campus life is amazing. Stanford is huge, you can probably lock me up there for six months and I won’t even voice a single complaint, it’s really nice. Like, the way I live my life is actually pretty similar to how I lived back home. Like most days it’s just golf and school, but when I’m not golfing or studying, that’s when it’s the best. Like, instead of sitting at home for two or three hours just doing nothing on my own, I get to hang out with my friends, my teammates. We play pickleball, maybe just go eat, just do whatever. It’s just like you’re living with your friends.
ON: You’re staying in dorms on campus too right, so do you have a roommate?
TK: Yeah, I’m staying in the dorms, and I actually have two roommates. My dorm is like one of the best, because it used to be an upperclassmen dorm, but now it’s a freshman dorm, so there are so many two room doubles, meaning two rooms. I got one of the only one room triples in the entire dorm. I can’t complain, my room’s really nice and it’s huge. I have basically a penthouse view and I’m on the third floor. My roommates are super nice and very understanding and really smart. So that’s really cool, we get along well.
Ratchanon Chantanuawat. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
ON: Who are you rooming with, some guys from the golf team?
TK: No, actually so many people have asked me that question, but as a freshman you can’t choose your room or your roommates, and Stanford has a rule where athletes can’t room with athletes, so they actually put all the freshmen male golfers in one dorm. So, I’m in the same dorm as the other two freshmen, which is perfect, but I’m not rooming with an athlete or anyone on the golf team. My roommates are from all over the place, one of them is from Idaho, and the other from Mexico/So Cal, but I mean, there’s internationals, there’s people from everywhere in the dorm.
ON: How’s the experience been transitioning to college golf, I mean you’re still an amateur, but you have been playing a lot of professional events. Going to more of a team atmosphere, how’s that been?
TK: It’s definitely been super different, like in terms of competing, it’s obviously still very individual, the team scores are just individual scores added up. But in terms of having a team, that’s the best thing ever. Like, I’m close with all eight of the other guys in the team, we’re really, really close. We’re even close with the girls, like Stanford golf is just a really friendly program. I get along with everyone and it’s really cool being with them. At the top it’s still very competitive, but in terms of depth and environment, it’s so different compared to professional events. Especially a field like this week, the PIF Saudi International, where there’s LIV guys, like so many Major winners, it’s definitely very different.
ON: How has your game been during this time, because you’ve had a lot of other things going on, like settling into school, finding your way around campus and everything else? It’s not only all about golf now, so how’s your game been so far?
TK: To put it plainly, I’ve played not good at all. Like, I’ve started all the tournaments, which is good, right? But even my best week was like a very below average week compared to how I used to play on tour. I mean, you’re right, like settling in, it’s like starting a new life. So, I’ve accepted the fact that I haven’t had a great fall, but did it go to waste? No, because it’s like an experiment. It’s just like when I first came on the Asian Tour, I’m not gonna start performing well straight away. I mean, I kind of did … [laughing].
ON: I would say you did, right?
TK: Actually, I definitely did. I wish I could have done the same with college. But yeah, my point is, it’s just like moving countries. This quarter, golf wise, not the best, but I’ve learned so much. I think I have a good idea what I’m doing, I know what my priorities are, I know what I want to do, and I have a better idea of how I’m going to do it. So, I’m really, really looking forward to winter.
Ratchanon Chantanauwat. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
ON: Do you feel like you’re more back in the environment that you know when you come here to play on the Asian Tour? I know this week’s course in Riyadh is one of your favourites?
TK: Oh 100%, I mean, it’s probably a debate as to how competitive college golf is compared to pro golf, but the Asian Tour is great, especially this week and big events like the PIF Saudi International. I definitely feel at home. I mean, I’ve grown up playing pro golf, I’ve done nothing but play Asian Tour events for the past two and a half years, so to come back here is just super nice. Like I said, I know what a good week for me looks like here, so coming back here I have something to compare myself to, and I can use that to go back stronger next year.
The best performers from The International Series and Asian Tour are lining up alongside emerging talent from around the world for ‘one shot at one spot’ onto the LIV Golf League, in the LIV Golf Promotions event at Riyadh Golf Club that starts tomorrow.
American John Catlin, the Asian Tour Order of Merit champion and International Series Macau presented by Wynn winner, will receive a bye into round two of the four-round, three-day event alongside compatriot MJ Maguire, New Zealand’s Ben Campbell, Canada’s Richard T Lee and Lee Chieh-po of Chinese Taipei.
All five were 2024 champions on The International Series, and all finished in the top eight of the rankings in a thrilling season that was won on the final day by LIV Golf League star Joaquin Niemann from Chile.
Steve Lewton of England, South Africa’s Jbe Kruger and Thai players Suteepat Prateeptienchai and Rattanon Wannasrichan, will also enter in the second round as champions on the Asian Tour this season.
Ben Campbell. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
A further 15 players from the top 40 of The International Series Rankings will get their chance to claim that coveted LIV Golf spot next season, entering the tournament in the first round.
Thai quartet Sadom Kaewkanjana, Phachara Khongwatmai, Gunn Charoenkul and Jazz Janewattananond will be joined by the Australian trio of Travis Smyth, Maverick Antcliff and Wade Ormsby in the mix.
Newly crowned Asian Tour Rookie of the Year Stefano Mazzoli will also be in the field, with the Italian joined by Chang Wei-Lun of Chinese Taipei and Miguel Tabuena of the Philippines.
South Africa’s Ian Snyman, Kazuki Higa of Japan, Sweden’s Bjorn Hellgren and India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar, an 11-time winner on the Asian Tour, also earned their places through the rankings.
Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho, last year’s Asian Tour Rookie of the Year, will also feature alongside David Boriboonsub of Thailand, Jeunghun Wang of Korea and Nick Voke of New Zealand, thanks to event invitations.
The 93-strong field also includes Ryder Cup and Walker Cup standouts, former top-ranked amateurs and NCAA champions, and winners on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, Korn Ferry Tour, and Sunshine Tour.
Richard T. Lee. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
LIV Golf Commissioner and CEO Greg Norman said: “Building on our first and highly successful LIV Golf Promotions in 2023, the interest has only increased this year as one deserving player will earn the chance to compete in the LIV Golf League.
“The strong interest underscores the significance of creating more opportunities in our global sport to ensure current and rising stars of the game can build their careers and compete at the highest level.”
Former Ryder Cup player Chris Wood of England is one of the best-known names in the field, which also includes seven participants from the 2023 Walker Cup and two from the 2024 Palmer Cup, the iconic team tournaments contested by the best amateurs and college golfers.
Santiago De La Fuente, the 2024 Latin America Amateur Champion, 2024 European Amateur runner-up Max Kennedy and newly turned Spanish pro Luis Masaveu are also ones to watch along with young Brazilian Fred Biondi, the 2023 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Individual Champion and runner-up in the PGATU rankings behind Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg.
Branden Grace, Kalle Samooja, Scott Vincent and Kieran Vincent, all regular starters on The International Series will also be hoping to secure their LIV Golf status for 2025 after ending up in the drop zone in the 2024 season.
The overall winner will secure a highly coveted spot in the 2025 LIV Golf League and an opportunity to be signed by a team, along with US$200,000.
In addition, the top 10 finishers, including ties, will earn full exemption into all 2025 events on The International Series schedule, sanctioned by the Asian Tour.
The Asian Tour will boast another vibrant, busy and hugely rewarding calendar of tournaments next season, after the schedule was revealed today.
The preliminary schedule boasts a total of 22 events offering prize money of over US$30 million – with more tournaments to be added.
With The International Series once again providing a potent backbone of 10 events – thanks to the ongoing partnership with LIV Golf – the Tour will be played across the full length of the calendar year, making a popular return to India and the Philippines.
First up will be the Philippine Open, returning after a six-year absence, in January, before the inaugural International Series India presented by DLF takes place the ensuing week.
It is an exciting start to 2025 that will be followed not long after by the New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport and the second edition of the International Series Macau presented by Wynn, in March.
Joaquin Niemann won PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers on Sunday to secure The International Series Rankings at the last minute. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Two of Korea’s biggest golf tournaments, GS Caltex Maekyung Open Championship and Kolon Korea Open, will again return in May and June.
International Series Morocco, BNI Indonesian Masters, Link Hong Kong Open, and PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers will all return as part of The International Series, which will be complemented by four more new destinations to be announced.
The International Series Rankings will once again act as a pathway to the LIV Golf League in 2026.
All events on The International Series will feature minimum prize money of US$2million with the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers offering at least US$5million – the richest on Tour.
In addition, the return of SJM Macao Open, 41st Shinhan Donghae Open, Saudi Open presented by PIF and Chinese-Taipei’s Yeangder Tournament Players Championship, Mercuries Taiwan Masters and Taiwan Glass Taifong Open will add strength and depth to the 2025 season. The National Opens of Indonesia and Malaysia are also expected to be on the schedule.
Said Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO, Asian Tour: “We have come a long way since the Asian Tour was established 20 years ago. 2025 promises to be another exciting season, where we will comfortably surpass US$30 million in total prize money for the third successive year.
“It will be a year where we can again provide great opportunities for our members, entertain our millions of fans across the region, and return to some popular and familiar destinations.
“We will provide regular updates as the schedule continues to develop and as we move into a year that promises so much.”
The Final Stage of the 2026 Qualifying School will take place at the end of 2025.
The Asian Tour’s current season was completed on Sunday at PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers.
Victory went to Chile’s Joaquin Niemann after a season that saw 21 tournaments staged offering US$33.75 million in total prize money.
American John Catlin [main picture with Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO, Asian Tour] was crowned the Asian Tour Order of Merit champion earning US$1,456,800, surpassing Indian Jeev Milkha Singh’s long standing single-season earnings record.
Please see the schedule under the 2025 tab here.
Young Italian golfer Stefano Mazzoli has capped a fine first season on the Asian Tour by scooping the Tour’s Rookie of the Year Award.
Mazzoli finished in 25th place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit with 583.72 points from 16 events, holding off nearest challenger Tatsunori Shogenji from Japan. Shogenji ended in 41st position with 400.93 points.
Both made it through Qualifying School at the start of the year, with the Italian claiming the eighth card and the Japanese golfer the second.
Mazzoli, like Shogenji, also negotiated a First Stage Qualifier the week before Final Stage so the season that followed fully justified his decision to play in Asia and go through the testing and pressure-packed school.
Stefano Mazzoli. Picture by Kaikungwon Duanjumroon/Asian Tour.
Mazzoli started the season well by making the first three cuts, before mid-way through the season catching the eye by finishing joint fifth in the International Series Morocco. Not long after that he bettered that by claiming joint fourth in the Black Mountain Championship – his best result of the year.
He also tied for sixth at the Link Hong Kong Open towards the end of the year, for his third top 10 of the season. He only missed five cuts and impressively balanced his schedule playing on Europe’s Challenge Tour.
Not surprisingly he becomes the first Italian to win Rooke of the Year honours.
This week the 26-year-old is in the field for the LIV Golf Promotions event, which tees off on Thursday at Riyadh Golf Club and will see the winner earn a place on next year’s LIV Golf League.
His success in the professional game follows on from a strong amateur career. In 2015 he won the European Amateur Championship and later played collegiate golf in the United States for Texas Christian University, graduating in 2019. He competed in the 2016 Open Championship at Royal Troon, where he was one of just two amateurs to play and the only collegiate golfer in the field.
He succeeds Taichi Kho as Rookie of the Year. He won following a season the saw him become the first player from Hong Kong to win an Asian Tour event – at the World City Championship at the Hong Kong Golf Club, his home club – and become the first golfer from the SAR to claim the individual title at the Asian Games.
Next year’s PKNS Selangor Masters is set to be one of its most celebrated editions as for the first time it will be staged as the season-opening tournament on the Asian Development Tour (ADT).
The tournament, one of Malaysia’s most prestigious, will be played at Seri Selangor Golf Club – its preferred home since its inception in 2008 – from January 22-25.
And in addition to its new, important date, the prize money will be increased to US$200,000 – representing a generous 14% increment.
“With this year’s Asian Development Tour having recently been successfully completed, we are pleased to be able to start unveiling plans for next year, with the exciting news that the PKNS Selangor Masters will help raise the curtain in 2025,” said Ken Kudo, General Manager, Asian Development Tour.
“This esteemed event, which is such an important one for Malaysian golf, will allow us to start the season with a bang and is sure to draw an extremely strong field.
Shahriffuddin Ariffin pictured winning in 2022.
“We thank the Selangor State Government and PKNS for clearing the way to schedule the tournament as our season opener – which is a prime position.”
India’s Rahil Gangjee won the tournament this year [main picture], back in June, following on from Chinese-Taipei’s Ho Yu-cheng and Malaysia’s Shahriffuddin Ariffin.
“PKNS is delighted that the next Selangor Masters is just around the corner,” said YB Dato’ Setia Haji Haris Bin Kasim, Chairman of organising committee.
“Our association with the tournament has been extremely rewarding and allowed us to give back to Malaysia and its strong golfing community – where there remains huge potential for the country to grow into regional force.
“The PKNS Selangor Masters starting the new season puts us on the front foot from the get go and is an important development that reflects the significance of the event.”
The Selangor Masters was first staged in 2007 on the local circuit, before being elevated onto the Asian Tour the following year – when Malaysia’s Ben Leong claimed the title. It was played on the Asian Tour until 2014 before joining the ADT three years ago, post COVID-19.
Other winners are Australian Rick Kulacz (2009), Angelo Que (2010) of the Philippines and Joonas Granberg (2011) of Finland.
They were followed by the Thai trio of Thaworn Wiratchant (2012), Pariya Junhasavasdikul (2013) and Chapchai Nirat (2014).
Thailand’s Itthipat Buranatanyarat won the ADT’s season-ending Aramco Invitational in Saudi Arabia two weeks ago, to snatch the Order of Merit title at the last minute.
Chile’s Joaquin Niemann showed he is in possession of a world class game by winning the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers in a play-off against the 2022 Open Championship winner Cam Smith of Australia and next generation super-talent Caleb Surratt from the United States.
Lately, Niemann already had chances to win the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai and the ISPS Handa Australian Open, but Sunday rounds of 73 and 72 respectively kept him from doing so and only resulted in T7 and T5 finishes. Certainly good results, but not what the 26-year-old star was looking for.
In Riyadh last week he overcame a couple of late stumbles in regulation play to grab the title with a birdie on the second play-off hole and finally get his first OWGR victory since last year’s ISPS Handa Australian Open victory.
In the 2024 LIV Golf League season he led the stats in birdies and eagles per round with 4.88 and 0.23 per respectively, and was second only to Spain’s Jon Rahm in Greens in Regulation (GIR) with 72.78% verses 74.62% for the Spaniard.
Joaquin Niemann. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
At the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers, played at Riyadh Golf Club, he was once again a birdie machine, making 21 birdies, along with two eagles, against only four bogies for the the whole week. More importantly he led the field in both Putts per Round and Putts per GIR with 27.5 and 1.593 respectively – helping to seal the deal in his favour.
He was also solid in the GIR category with 81.94% to rank T22, and 12th in Driving Distance with 310.25 yards. In Fairways Hit he was T52 with 57.14%.
Smith is known for his putting prowess, and except for a missed six-footer on the second play-off hole, he did not disappoint on the Riyadh Golf Club Greens. Averages of 28 Putts per Round and 1.639 Putts per GIR placed him T4 and T6 respectively, and the Australian also ranked highly in GIR with 84.72% for T8 in this category.
Not one of the longest or most accurate players off the tee, Smith was 38th in Driving Distance with 299.25 yards and 70th in Fairways Hit with 41.07% of the players making the cut. Despite his somewhat wayward driving he remarkably only dropped one shot for the week, topping the list in fewest bogies or worse for the week with one.
Caleb Surratt. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Surratt is one of the game’s most talented young players, and under the tutelage of his Legion XIII captain Rahm he would have gained a world of experience in his first year on LIV Golf League. The American had already finished T3 and T2 in his two prior International Series events and showed why when he put up impressive numbers in GIR with 87.50% ranking T2, missing only nine greens for the week. He was also in good form on the greens ranking 13th in Putts per GIR with 1.682 and T16 in Putts per Round with 28.75.
Statistics Categories leaders at the International PIF Saudi International presented by SoftBank Investment Advisors (of players making the cut):
- Putts per Round: Joaquin Niemann (CHI) – 27.5
- Putts per GIR: Joaquin Niemann (CHI) – 1.593
- GIR: Ryosuke Kinoshita (JPN) – 88.88%
- Fairways Hit: Brett Coletta – 82.14%
- Driving Distance: Thomas Pieters (BEL) – 330.43 yards
- Most Eagles: Joaquin Niemann (CHI) – 2
- Most Birdies: Ben Campbell (NZL) – 25
- Fewest Bogies or Worse: Cameron Smith (AUS) – 1
- Scrambling: Ian Snyman (RSA) – 93.33%
The International Series returns to five popular destinations next season as part of an exciting schedule that will break new ground, consolidate key markets and align strongly with the LIV Golf League calendar, further cementing its key position in the global golf ecosystem.
It has already been confirmed that the season will get underway at International Series India presented by DLF in Gurugram, near Delhi, as part of a strategic expansion into new markets.
Following on from that statement curtain-raiser, five established tournaments will also return to the 2025 calendar with dates in Macau, Morocco, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia across the season reinforcing the strong position The International Series already holds in key golfing territories across the MENA region and Asia.
Amidst genuine interest from potential host destinations in a wide variety of markets, the dates of the remaining four tournaments have also been released, and anticipation is building over the locations that will chart new territory for The International Series.
The fourth campaign has been carefully curated to align with the LIV Golf League schedule. This strategy offers the top performers of the Asian Tour the opportunity to test themselves against the world’s best, while enabling high-profile LIV Golf League players to gain invaluable game time and grow the sport in different destinations.
Patrick Reed pictured winning in Hong Kong. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
As previously confirmed, the season will get underway with a bang, as The International Series makes a high-profile first entry into the subcontinent at the inaugural International Series India presented by DLF (30 January – 02 February).
The curtain raiser will take place at the exclusive DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurugram, the week before LIV Golf Riyadh in Saudi Arabia (06-08 February).
Next up is a return to the Greater Bay Area for the second edition of International Series Macau presented by Wynn (20-23 March), a week after LIV Golf’s double header in Hong Kong (07-09 March) and Singapore (14-16 March).
Defending champion John Catlin [main picture] from the United States carded a famous 59 and sparked an impressive campaign with his thrilling sudden-death play-off win over Spaniard David Puig in this year’s debut event.
International Series Morocco (03-06 July) also returns on the schedule for the second consecutive year and third year in four at the Royal Golf Dar Es Salam’s Red Course, the week before LIV Golf Andalucia (11-13 July). New Zealand’s Ben Campbell is defending champion after his thrilling play-off victory over Catlin.
The BNI Indonesian Masters (28-31 August), won this year in some style by Canadian Richard T Lee, returns to The International Series calendar for the fourth consecutive year.
International Series Morocco champion Ben Campbell. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
The Link Hong Kong Open (30 Oct – 02 November), won by American Patrick Reed after a remarkable 59 on the Composite Course at Fanling, also returns, while the US$5 million season-ending PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers is also on the schedule with a date still to be confirmed.
Joaquin Niemann took the honours at this year’s event with a thrilling play-off victory over LIV Golf League stablemates Cam Smith and Caleb Surratt. The result also gave the Chilean The International Series Rankings title for 2024.
Greg Norman, LIV Golf CEO and Commissioner, said: “Asia and the MENA regions are important territories for the global golf industry, and we are tapping into these markets through both the LIV Golf League and The International Series.
“It is encouraging to see genuine interest in our products. With The International Series offering a pathway to the LIV Golf League for the next generation on our Asian Tour-sanctioned events, the talent coming out of the region is only going to get even stronger while Asia and the MENA region’s reputation as golfing destinations continue to grow.”
Rahul Singh, Head of The International Series, said: “We have already seen evidence of our strategic expansion into important new territories with our recent announcement of International Series India presented by DLF, and now we can confirm a welcome return with important partners in established key markets.
“This carefully selected mix of new venues and established tournaments – all in popular golfing destinations – underscores our strength as a brand, and the unique proposition we offer in the global golf industry.”
Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO of the Asian Tour, added: “The International Series events are an important part of our calendar at the Asian Tour, an enhanced offering which gives players an elevated experience. It is a win-win for us to have these blue chip events on a schedule that will once again take us to key golfing destinations in the region and encourage players from all over the world to consider playing on the Asian Tour.”
John Catlin has added another feather to his cap after beating Indian Jeev Milkha Singh’s 16-year-old single season earnings record.
The American locked up the Asian Tour Order of Merit title two weeks ago at the International Series Qatar, which was the penultimate event of the season, and yesterday the US$36,000 he earned for joint 34th place at the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers saw him finish 2024 with total earnings of US$1,456,800. A final round six-under-par 65 at Riyadh Golf Club could not have come at a better time, allowing him to break the record with the last round of the season.
It took him past Singh’s US$1,452,701.69 from 2008 by US$4,098.31 – setting a new target for his peers to chase.
Catlin played in 14 Asian Tour events, winning two: the Saudi Open presented by PIF and the International Series Macau presented by Wynn, back-to-back, while he was defeated in two play-offs, at the International Series Morocco and the Black Mountain Championship.
John Catlin. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He was also runner-up in the Yeangder TPC, joint third in the season-opening Malaysian Open and equal fourth in the SJM Macao Open.
His victory at the International Series Macau presented by Wynn was highlighted by a stunning 59 on day three – the first ever sub-60 on the Asian Tour.
Catlin’s winnings significantly surpassed his previous best season, which was in 2018 when he accumulated US$403,666.01, helped by winning three times. He was named the Player’s Player of the Year that year, and is hot favourite to win that again this year.
He led The International Series Rankings for most of the year but after a frantically close race over the closing stages he eventually ended in fourth place.
The 34-year-old will have another chance to win a place on next year’s LIV Golf League at the LIV Golf Promotions event, which starts next Thursday at Riyadh Golf Club.
In the end, The International Series Rankings race went right down to the wire as in-form Joaquin Niemann from Chile claimed the honours with a play-off victory in the US$5million PIF Saudi International presented by SoftBank Investment Advisers – on a final day that had just about everything at Riyadh Golf Club.
In an afternoon of constantly changing permutations, Niemann held his nerve on the second play-off hole to claim the 1,000 points for champion, seeing off American Caleb Surratt and Cam Smith from Australia.
That result put him top of the rankings on 1,126 points, edging out fellow LIV Golf League player Peter Uihlein from the United States, who had been leading going into the final tournament of the season, by the slimmest of margins with just 13.3 points separating the pair once the dust had settled.
Niemann, captain of LIV Golf League’s Torque GC, was delighted to clinch the rankings title. The season-ending win in Saudi Arabia, with the largest prize fund on the Asian Tour, and a third place in the campaign opener in Oman proved enough to get him over the line. Niemann had finished on -21 after four rounds alongside Surratt and Smith.
Joaquin Niemann. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
The result denied an Asian Tour player a direct route to LIV Golf for the first time, after Zimbabwean Scott Vincent and Andy Ogletree from the United States played their way onto the roster in 2022 and 2023, respectively, but with another golden ticket up for grabs in the LIV Golf Promotions event next week at the same venue from December 12-14, the players at the top of the rankings still have plenty to play for.
Niemann, who won twice on LIV Golf this season and finished runner-up to Jon Rahm in the series standings, believes The International Series Rankings race is of real value to the next wave of talent waiting to push on into the big time.
He said: “What I appreciate is it is a big prize playing in The International Series. I feel like they are all waiting, they are all fighting their way for the future, the future of the game, the future of their career, and having a spot to get into LIV Golf is here too.
“I have a lot of friends back home that are trying to make it. I feel like the Asian Tour is going to be a great pathway for them to accomplish their goals.”
Uihlein had started the day in T2 with Surratt, just one behind Niemann. After winning International Series Qatar last week following his win in England earlier this season, the RangeGoats GC star was a hot favourite to do enough to claim the rankings title overall.
But after parring the front nine, he dropped four shots on the return, before carding his only birdie of the day on 18 to finish three over in T29, enough to finish second overall.
Joaquin Niemann. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He said: “Just one of those days. It was a good year, good season. I am not disappointed at all. Just did not go my way today. Putter just abandoned me. Obviously I made my share the first three days, so I think it caught me.”
While the season finale was full of thrills for the many golf fans following on ground and on TV, it only brought heartache for Ben Campbell.
The International Series Morocco champion, sitting third going into the tournament, put together a second consecutive seven-under 64 to force his way into the reckoning, but still fell just one shot short of the three-way play-off.
That result gave the New Zealander 235 points and put him above John Catlin with 1086.55 points. It still left him 40 adrift of a place on the LIV Golf League next season, after a memorable campaign that brought five top ten finishes and the win in Rabat.
He said: “It was close. Obviously disappointing. It always comes down to a few of those putts at the end of the year or those shots. It is what it is, and you can’t do much about it. Golf’s a pretty cruel game sometimes, sometimes it comes off and sometimes it doesn’t. The difference between a great round and a good round can be millimetres.”
“The first round I played really well, then had a bad finish second round. You look back at that. Today I felt like I played really well. The putter went cold in the middle of the round and then I holed a couple coming in, so it was close, wasn’t far away. It always comes down to a few of those putts at the end of the year or those shots. It Is what it is, and you cannot do much about it.”
Catlin, the Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, had led the rankings for most of the season after winning the International Series Macau presented by Wynn and narrowly losing play-offs in Morocco to Campbell and the Black Mountain Championship to MJ Maguire. But he had to settle for fourth place in the rankings after a six-under 65 took him to T34.
They will all have another opportunity to earn a place on next year’s LIV Golf League at the LIV Golf Promotions event, which starts next Thursday.
Recent Comments