Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat rolled back the years today shooting a seven-under-par 64 to take the lead in the US$1 million Saudi Open presented by Public Investment Fund – the season-ending event on the Asian Tour.

His young amateur compatriot Ratchanon ‘TK” Chantananuwat, brimming with confidence having recently been accepted to Stanford University next year, is in second following a 66, along with Mexico’s Luis Carrera, while American Kevin Na, Korean Jung Chanmin and Australia’s Todd Sinnott shot 67s – on an unexpectedly windy day here at Riyadh Golf Club.

Forty-year-old Chapchai, who claimed the last of his four Asian Tour titles in 2014, threatened to win the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open two weeks ago, leading at the halfway mark before a final day 75 saw him slip back into a tie for 11^th.

Ratchanon Chantanauwat receives a hug from his father/caddie on the 18th green. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

“Today so happy,” said the Thai golfer, who started on 10 and made an eagle, seven birdies and two bogeys.

“The wind is so strong. I had to keep the tee shot in the fairway. I was lucky. I started on the back nine. I was three under for the nine, that was good.”

Having been in the golfing wilderness for several seasons, he has bounced back this year and is 31^st on the Asian Tour Order of Merit. A third-place finish in The DGC Open presented by Mastercard in March being his best performance in five years.

He added: “I am not thinking about my game too much, I am in a good place.”

TK, aged 16 and the region’s most exciting young golfer, birdied 17 and 18 to complete his best round on the Asian Tour for a considerable period, as following his sensational victory in the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup on the Asian Tour last year, his focus has been on his studies.

“I haven’t shot anything better than a four under in an Asian Tour event for quite some time so it’s really refreshing to see myself play good golf,” he said.

“I had lots of fun out there. I think the wind made it super interesting.  It’s been dead for the past three days so for it to have wind I am super happy.”

He didn’t drop a single shot today, making a birdie on the second, before further gains on 10 and 15.

His relief at finally mounting a challenge was palpable.

Kevin Na. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

He added: “It has been very busy for the past two years, actually. Ever since I decided I wanted to go to Stanford it has just been super hectic. Just school and golf. I barely had time to breathe.

“Now that I have been accepted obviously the workload is still there and I have to graduate high school with pretty much three top grades, but the fact that I can let the world know, I can confirm it … I know I am going, I have got that acceptance letter, it relieves a lot of the pressure, mentally mostly.”

Five-time PGA Tour winner Na came into this week feeling his game is in a good place and backed that up today with a strong start.  A missed six-footer for birdie on the last costing him outright second place.

“I played really good. The front nine I played winds were low,” said the 40-year-old, now enjoying life on the LIV Golf League, where he is captain of Iron Heads GC.

“I took advantage of that and shot four under. At the turn the wind started pumping. There were some balls moving 20 plus yards in the cross winds. Made it difficult.

“Overall, I played good. Made a couple of mistakes. I was a little disappointed about that six-footer lipping out on the last hole, but we have three more days to go.

“My game felt good coming into this week. Took some time off and thought about my golf game. I made a couple of minor little changes that I felt could be good for next year and I wanted to test it out. First round it felt pretty good out there.”

Chanmin Jung. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai, Gunn Charoenkul, Panuphol Pittayat and Tirawat Kaewsiribandit plus Korean Seungtaek Lee fired 68s.

Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, one of the event’s marquee players, came in with a 70.

Henrik Stenson says he is looking forward to seeing what kind of shape his game is in at this week’s US$1 million Saudi Open presented by Public Investment Fund having had nearly two months away from competitive golf.

“We are in the middle of the off season,” said the 47-year-old LIV Golf star today at Riyadh Golf Club.

“I think it is a great opportunity to see where I am at. I have had some down time and probably more focus on fitness, than golf practice of late.”

The Swede’s last event was LIV Golf Miami in October and he counts this week’s event, which is the season-ending tournament on the Asian Tour, as part of his preparations for 2024.

He added: “Since I knew I was coming here I have done a couple of sessions. Even in the off season you kind of keep it going. I played some rounds with my son, and with some friends.

Henrik Stenson. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

“It has been two months now since we played competitive, since Miami, so it will be good to test, to see where we are at with an eye on next season. I have a couple of weeks holiday ahead with the family, then we have some time to rev up before the season starts.”

His preparations for tomorrow’s start were derailed today when poor weather and the threat of a sandstorm meant the Pro-Am had to be cancelled when he was about to reach the turn.

“I have just got to figure out a game plan to come up with for the back 10 holes as I have only played the first eight,” he said.

“It’s an old-style course like we are used to playing in Dubai and Qatar, and other places in the region.”

Grey skies, rain and much cooler conditions accompanied the change in weather catching everyone by surprise, including Stenson.

Said the 2016 Open champion: “Well, I thought it was going to be a little bit warmer than this. I think I will have to go clothing shopping a little bit later to get one extra layer for the rest of the week, but I am excited to be back and to see Riyadh. I have been multiple times. I can’t even remember how many. About six or seven, to Royal Greens in Jeddah.”

This week marks his third appearance of the season on the Asian Tour as he also competed in the season-opening PIF Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers and the World City Championship presented by Hong Kong Golf Club.

The Saudi Open presented by Public Investment Fund, which has been upgraded this year from the Asian Development Tour, provides him with the final chance to lift a trophy this season.

His most recent win came in the LIV Golf Invitational Bedminster last year.

“The year has been alright,” explained Stenson, an 11-time winner in Europe, six-time champion on the PGA Tour plus a winner on the Asian Tour at the 2006 Qatar Masters.

“Obviously, you can always do better. Had some strong finishes on LIV Golf and had a pretty decent showing at The Open as well.

Henrik Stenson. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

“It has been okay, it could have been better, but it certainly could have been worse as well.”

He has been paired in the first two rounds with Indian Gaganjeet Bhullar and Phachara Khongwatmai from Thailand. They start at 11.35am local time tomorrow.

At the age of 40 Kevin Na is approaching the twilight of his career but announced today that one thing he still wants to do is be ‘a multiple winner on the Asian Tour’.

He will have an opportunity to do that this week as he is competing in the Tour’s season-ending US$1 million Saudi Open presented by Public Investment Fund at Riyadh Golf Cub, although he needs to overcome the fact that his first victory in Asia came at the Volvo Masters of Asia 21-years-ago.

“Makes me sound old, 21-years-ago, there are some golfers who are younger than that out here,” said Na, when reminded about his win at Kota Permai Golf and Country Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

“I remember like it wasn’t too long ago, that was my first win. It was a big deal for me. I always loved the Asian Tour and it’s nice to back. I have a lot of friends out here. I played a couple of practice rounds with them the past couple of days. You know this is where it started and hopefully I can be a multiple-winner on the Asian Tour. So, let’s give it a shot this week.”

(L-R) Khalid Walid Attieh of Saudi Arabia, Kevin Na of the USA, Kieran Vincent of Zimbabwe, James Piot of the USA, Ratchanon Chantananuwat, amateur of Thailand, Faisal Salhab of Saudi Arabia, Saud Al Sharif of Saudi Arabia and Kipp Popert of England pose for a photograph with the winner’s trophy on Tuesday December 12, 2023, during an official practice round ahead of the Saudi Open presented by the Public Investment Fund at Riyadh Golf Club. The US$ 1 million season ending Asian Tour event is staged from December 14-16, 2023. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

Na was just 19-years-old when he claimed the Volvo Masters of Asia, the Tour’s season-ender that year, in what was his rookie year as a professional.

Despite two decades having passed since that victory his memories are still very vivid.

He said: “Oh, I remember exactly how I felt on 18. There was water down the right, I was nervous. I aimed down the left, I hit a cut out there, laid up, hit a wedge to 14 feet. I thought two putt, but I wanted to make it, and I missed and I had a two-footer coming back, and I was still a little nervous over that two footer.

“And I remember waiting on 18 green just to see how it played out to get my first win. I played really good that year.”

He shot a brilliant four-under-par 66 on the final day to come from three shots back and win by two from Scotland’s Simon Yates, Anthong Kang from the United States, India’s Arjun Singh and Craig Kamps from South Africa.

The result also allowed him to finish as Rookie of the Year.

Na made it onto the PGA Tour in 2004 and never looked back, winning there on five occasions, the most recent being the 2021 Sony Open in Hawaii.

His career moved into another exciting new phase in 2022 when he joined the LIV Golf League and his close association with the Asian Tour makes him fully appreciative of The International Series, the Tour’s feeder platform for the series.

“The Asian Tour being the pathway to LIV Golf, it gives these kids something to aim for, to play for and to have the opportunity to make it straight to the biggest league, with the biggest names in golf. I think it is very inspiring,” said the Korean-American.

He says the signs are there that his game is trending in the right direction after a mixed season when he captained Iron Heads GC.

Kevin Na. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

“I felt like when I had the opportunity to have a high finish I finished poorly in the last few holes and that was very frustrating,” said Na.

‘There were a few times when I was second or third with a few holes to go and I made mistakes coming in. I wasn’t too far from having a decent year. I feel like things are changing. My game and my mental state are better and taking a little break right now it put me in a better position. I feel like my swing is in a good place.”

That bodes well for this week when a win would be a phenomenal achievement that allows him to complete the cycle and triumphantly return to his beginnings.

The clear pathway onto the LIV Golf League from The International Series could not have been better emphasised than by Kieran Vincent claiming one of three golden tickets on the 2024 roster, in a thrilling play-off which brought the curtain down on the LIV Golf Promotions event in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

The Zimbabwean had earned an exemption into round two of the unique qualifying event thanks to his high finish on The International Series Order of Merit (OOM), finishing fourth after a successful campaign across 10 events that included a win at the International Series Vietnam in April.

Vincent, who took one of 32 spots available to the Asian Tour via the OOM, then finished T6 in round two to comfortably book his place in the 36-hole finale.

He was second outright, behind Kalle Samooja of Finland after a quality five-under par third round of 67. And after another impressive 18 holes, he had enough in the tank to emerge from the play-off at the second attempt alongside Japan’s Jinchiro Kozuma, at the expense of the unfortunate Laurie Canter from England, to join champion Samooja on the podium.

ABU DHABI: (L-R) Kieran Vincent of Zimbabwe and Kalle Samooja of Finland pictured on the 12th green on December 10, 2023, during Round Three of the LIV Golf Promotions event. Picture by Paul Lakatos /Asian Tour.

He said: “Obviously it has been a great year and it keeps getting better. Credit to so many people, the Asian Tour, The International Series and LIV Promotions and so many others. Without that support and hard work from other people, I wouldn’t be here today. I can’t take a lot of the credit and I’m super grateful to be here.”

He joins elder brother Scott, who earned his place on the LIV Golf Roster by winning the Order of Merit outright in 2022.

Outlining his plans for the forthcoming year, he said: “Next year is going to have its own opportunities, I hope it propels my career to a whole new level. My goal is to try and make it the Olympic Games, we just have to try and figure out the best way.

“The International Series has already set me up for the best path going forward and I’m forever grateful, so I will look forward to teeing it up there again next year.”

The final field of 20 players featured 11 players who regularly tee it up on The International Series, the set of 10 elevated events created by a landmark US$300m deal between the Asian Tour and LIV Golf in 2022, underscoring the opportunity that it offers the cream of the Asian Tour and international players from around the world.

Indian star Gaganjeet Bhullar was one of the favourites going into the weekend thanks to a wire-to-wire win at the BNI Indonesian Masters by TNE last month which secured eighth place in the OOM, and direct entry to round two at the weekend.

Bhullar just could not reproduce the form which he showed in Jakarta on the Abu Dhabi National. He said: “Getting the opportunity to play for those three spots on LIV Golf means a lot. Unfortunately I just struggled a bit with my form. I definitely learned a lot this week, you do live and learn from these situations.

Gaganjeet Bhullar. Picture by Paul Lakatos /Asian Tour.

“I played well in pretty much all The International Series events last year, I finished fifth in Scotland and the momentum was building up and it all came together in Indonesia. You need to be mentally prepared. I was patient enough, playing well and ready to take advantage of that and click at the right time.”

Englishman Steve Lewton had qualified for the first round by finishing 22^nd in the Order of Merit, and the 40-year-old made the most of his opportunity by shooting a four-under 68 to finish T10 on Friday and progress from round one. Things were looking even better after scores were reset, as he carded a six-under round to finish T2 on Saturday.

But the 36-hole finale on Sunday proved a step too far, leaving Lewton to think about his prospects next year.

One of his main priorities will be earning a higher spot on the Order of Merit to try and gain an exemption into round two of the qualifying event next year.

He said: “The International Series has been magnificent for us on the Asian Tour, it has opened so many doors. Each year we have travelled to more and more countries to play on really great courses against very strong fields, as a lot of the LIV boys play most of the weeks. For us it is great because you want to play against the best to get better.”

Chinese amateur Sampson Zheng impressed this weekend, and although he finished just one place off the top 10, and a place on all 10 events on the International Series next season, he is eager to take that pathway in the future and follow in the footsteps of Andy Ogletree, who won the Order of Merit to qualify for a LIV Golf spot this season.

Sampson, who is in his final year on the University of California Berkeley, said: “I performed decent over last couple of days but it came down to putting and I couldn’t get the momentum going. But I beat a lot of good players this week and there are a lot of positives to take away.

Steve Lewton. Picture by Paul Lakatos /Asian Tour.

“I think the International Series is a great series with some amazing tournaments, they have a ton of good players from LIV in the field, and a lot of quality players from the Asian Tour, so I hope to play on them as well. It’s a good bridge (for me) between amateur golf to turning professional.”

All of Kieran Vincent’s dreams came true today at the LIV Golf Promotions event when he was one of the three players who secured playing rights on the 2024 LIV Golf League, following a gripping and intriguing finish in extra-time at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

The Asian Tour member finished second after surviving a three-man sudden-death play-off under lights late in the day, on the famous par-five 18^th, with Jinichiro Kozuma from Japan and England’s Laurie Canter, for the second and third qualifying places.

Vincent prevailed after making a birdie on the second play-off hole, having reached the green with two fine blows, while Kozuma finished third after making a par. Canter made life much easier for his opponents after hitting his second into water before going onto make a double bogey.

Kieran Vincent. Picture by Paul Lakatos /Asian Tour.

It was an incredible turn of events as all three parred the first play-off hole, where Canter missed a very makeable six-footer for birdie to win and Kozuma bravely drained a 12-foot par putt having found water off the tee.

Finland’s Kalle Samooja had earlier won the event in normal time when he birdied the 18^th for a fourth-round one-under-71 to finish on eight under, one better than the trio who tied for second.

Vincent, playing in the final pairing with Samooja, closed with a 70, while Kozuma, also an Asian Tour member, carded a 68 and Canter a 69.

The result means Vincent will join his older brother Scott on next year’s multi-million-dollar LIV Golf League – which commences with LIV Golf Mayakoba, at the El Camaleón Golf Course, in Mexico from February 2-4.

“I don’t think words can put it together,” said a tearful Vincent, who was exempt for the first round this week after finishing fourth on The International Series Order of Merit.

“It’s going to be awesome. I am just excited. Next year is going to have its own opportunities, its own fun just like today. A lot of guys battled so hard out there. Obviously, I am just so grateful to be on the winning side of it.

“I have to give credit to a lot of people. Credit to my team. And obviously excited to play with my brother next year. It is going to be awesome. I don’t think tears are doing it justice.”

Thirty-six holes were played today and after this morning’s third round, which was a shotgun start, Vincent was two behind the leader Samooja after shooting a 67.

He was in the driver’s seat for much of the final round after going three under for his round after 10 following birdies on three, nine and 10. However, he dropped a shot on the par-four 14^th, which was his only bogey in the afternoon, after his ball plugged in a greenside bunker. He did well to drop only one shot after brilliantly extricating his ball from the tough lie. He parred home from there to make the play-off while Samooja eased ahead after making birdies on both 17 and 18. A critical 30-footer on 17 was the highlight for the Finnish golfer, who played on the Asian Tour from 2011 to 2013.

It’s proved to be a whirlwind 18 months for Vincent since he turned professional mid-way through 2022. He’s shone on the Asian Tour, winning the International Series Vietnam in April, which was his maiden win in the pro game, before today’s lifechanging result.

All three qualifiers received gold coins for the achievement.

Asian Tour regular Jaco Ahlers from South Africa agonisingly missed the play-off by one shot. He closed with a 69, lipping out for birdie on 17.

A total of 11 Asian Tour members were in today’s final 20. Thailand’s Poom Saksansin was next best placed after shooting a 71 to tie for seventh, three short of the play-off.

ABU DHABI: (L-R) Kieran Vincent of Zimbabwe and Jinchiro Kozuma of Japan pictured with their coins. Picture by Paul Lakatos /Asian Tour.

Players finishing fourth to 10th – Canter, Ahlers, Zach Bauchou, Poom, Kevin Chappell, Martin Trainer, and Suradit Yongcharoenchai – have the consolation of being exempt for next year’s 10-event International Series.

Zimbabwe’s Kieran Vincent is well placed for a final push to claim one of three golden tickets for the 2024 LIV Golf League roster after posting a five-under-par 67 to sit two off the lead in the third and penultimate round of the potentially life-changing LIV Golf Promotions event at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

Vincent, winner of this year’s International Series Vietnam, sits in second place outright, two behind Finland’s Kalle Samooja and one ahead of England’s Laurie Canter, after an eventful third round on the Abu Dhabi National on Sunday morning.

Teeing off hole 7 in the 7:15 am (local time) shotgun start, the 25-year-old, who is aiming to join his brother Scott on the LIV Golf League, got off to a blistering start, with a birdie on his second hole and an eagle on 10. A double bogey on 11 briefly threatened to derail his start, but birdies on 13, 17, 18 and four left him well placed and one round away from a coveted spot on the LIV Golf League next season.

Poom Saksansin. Picture by Paul Lakatos /Asian Tour.

International Series regulars Jaco Ahlers of South Africa, Poom Saksansin of Thailand and Jinichiro Kozuma of Japan are also well placed for one final push in a five-man group at T4, three under par and four back from leader Samooja, who played full seasons on the Asian Tour in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

Ahlers, who has finished T10 and T11 in the first two rounds to qualify for the final day, dropped a shot on 16 after starting on 14, but bounced back with consecutive birdies from one to three, before adding another on five and back-to-back birdies on seven and eight.

Poom, who had started his final day on 12, birdied his first two holes, and hit back from a bogey on 16 with another two birdies on 17 and 18 before playing the front nine and his final two holes in regulation.

The Thai trio of Suradit Yongchareoenchai, Suteepat Prateeptenchai, and Chonlatit Chuenboonngam will need to put the foot down in the final round if they want to claim one of the three spots on the LIV Golf League next term. They sit on one under alongside fellow International Series stalwart Steve Lewton, one ahead of their compatriot Gunn Charoenkul and Australian Kevin Yuan who are on level par.

Jaco Ahlers. Picture by Paul Lakatos /Asian Tour.

Gaganjeet Bhullar, the winner of the Indonesian Masters in Jakarta last month, the final event on schedule for The International Series, had a disappointing morning and finished three over.

The innovative qualifying event will finish with a final round on Sunday afternoon, with tee times from 12:00pm to 12:30pm (local time) on the first and tenth holes.

Thailand’s Suteepat Prateeptienchai led 20 qualifiers into the final day of the LIV Golf Promotions event after shooting an imperious bogey-free eight-under-par 64 today – setting the stage for tomorrow’s 36-hole thriller, with three places on the line for next year’s multi-million-dollar LIV Golf League.

Fresh from his victory in the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open last week – his maiden title on the Asian Tour – the 30-year-old made eight birdies, including four in the last four, here at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

His compatriot and fellow Asian Tour player Chonlatit Chuenboonngam, Steve Lewton from England, Jediah Morgan from Australia and American Braden Thornberry were next best with 66s.

Eleven players from the Asian Tour made it through to Sunday, when the lives of the top three players will be transformed.

Suteepat Pratteeptienchai. Picture by Paul Lakatos /Asian Tour.

As strictly the top-20 and no ties progressed today, a sudden-death play-off took place as five players ended in joint 17^th place after returning 69s, including Asian Tour members Kevin Yuan from Australia and New Zealand’s Ben Campbell. They were joined by England’s Laurie Canter, France’s Joel Stalter and Kevin Chappell from the United States.

Canter made birdie on the first extra hole, the par-five 18^th, to make it through as did Yuan and Chappell with pars. Campbell and Stalter surprisingly three putted for bogeys, leaving them to battle it out for the final spot, which the Frenchman won after holing a 10-footer for birdie on the same hole. Campbell, winner of this year’s Hong Kong Open, missed from a slightly shorter range.

“Today I didn’t make any mistakes,” said Suteepat, who was in the same group as Suradit Yongcharoenchai, his compatriot who also survived with a 67.

“I played really good, especially my putting, so that really helped me for a low round today. I am just playing my own game, try to go out and have fun. Getting through to the final was more than I expected, so just enjoy the final round for tomorrow.”

Steve Lewton. Picture by Paul Lakatos /Asian Tour.

Today’s performance is yet another high point in an outstanding rookie season for Suteepat, who claimed the Asian Development Tour Order of Merit last year to earn his Asian Tour card.

He added: “After the victory [last week] I’m feeling more confident in my game, especially my driver. When I came over for this week, I was just positive on my game. I’m just feeling confident, just tee it up and hit every shot.”

Asked when was the last time he played two rounds in one day, he replied: “I don’t remember. A long, long time. I think maybe playing 36 holes with a golf cart, but I think tomorrow we’re going to be tired.”

He earned a place in the starting field this week thanks to his win last week while Lewton got through after finishing in the top-25 on The International Series Order of Merit.

Said Lewton: “Really happy, got off to a good start. Didn’t hit it very good to start with and then slowly got into the round a bit. Kind of got it going. Made a really good eagle on eight, hit two really good shots and made a great putt there. I putted really nicely today.

“I was [feeling the pressure] but I got to five under through 10, and I looked at the leaderboard and I thought ‘I’m doing alright here’. Just after that I thought ‘fairways and greens’, and see if we can roll some in.”

Kevin Yuan. Picture by Paul Lakatos /Asian Tour.

All 20 players play both rounds tomorrow and in true LIV Golf League fashion the third round will be a shotgun start at 7.15am before a two-tee start for the decisive final round, commencing at mid-day.

Promising Thai golfer Gunn Charoenkul took full advantage of his first-round exemption to book his place in the final day of the LIV Golf Promotions event at Abu Dhabi and was quick to praise his younger brother as he secured a spot in the final 20 for the potentially life-changing final 36-holes shootout.

Charoenkul booked his place in round two after finishing seventh on The International Series Order of Merit, and a four-under round of 68 on day two was enough to secure a T11 and a shot at the three golden tickets for the LIV Golf roster up for grabs on the final day.

Gunn is one of 10 players from The International Series Order of Merit to progress to the potentially life-changing final day.

Gunn Charoenkul. Picture by Paul Lakatos /Asian Tour.

However with players at three under being dragged back in for a nerve-wracking play-off, Gunn admitted he never felt fully comfortable until he sunk a knee-trembling birdie on 18 to move to four under.

The 31-year-old, who managed a season-high finish of outright second behind Andy Ogletree in the International Series Qatar back in February, admitted things might have been different if only he had listened to younger brother Karn, who works at a nine-hole course back home in Thailand but is on caddie duties this weekend.

Gunn said: “He’s a very good green reader. If I trusted him on a couple of the putts earlier in the round I would have made it easier! He got 70-80% of them right but I just didn’t see them. He’s an aggressive putter and that’s not me, I just couldn’t trust him. But the last two holes I trusted him completely!”

And tomorrow, with a place in the lucrative LIV Golf League at stake, will Gunn take a different approach?

“Yes I will trust him 80-90% anyway,” he joked. “I have been hitting some really good shots today but just not reading putts well. All day I had some really good shots but I was burning the edges with the putter. I had a very nervous final few holes and when I looked at the leaderboard I knew I was on the line. So that putt was important! I’m exhausted today, I felt I was under pressure but I made it to the final round to give myself a shot.”

For Gunn’s little brother Karn, the final 36 holes provide another opportunity to support big bro with some sound putting advice. So what’s his plan if Gunn doesn’t listen tomorrow?

“I leave it up to him and if he doesn’t listen, I just give him a look,” smiled Charoenkul junior.

Korean-American Seungsu Han, who so impressively won this year’s Kolon Korea Open wire-to-wire, shot a fine six-under-par 66 to finish day one in second place at the LIV Golf Promotions event here at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

He was one of 18 Asian Tour players to qualify for round two and take a step closer to securing one of the three cards up for grabs on next year’s incredibly lucrative LIV Golf League.

New Zealander Kerry Mountcastle leads the way following a 64, in the inaugural three-day, four round competition that offers a life-changing opportunity to the graduates.

A total of 29 players out of a starting field of 60 players made it through to tomorrow’s second round, where they will be joined by 13 exempt players.

Han’s victory in his national Open in June is one of the standout performances of the year on the Asian Tour, and after today’s round, made up of eight birdies and two bogeys, he has emerged as one of the week’s dark horses.

Poom Saksansin. Picture by Paul Lakatos /Asian Tour.

The 37-year-old was in the first group out, along with Asian Tour regular Jaco Ahlers from South Africa, who also progressed following a 68.

“Our season ended about three weeks ago in Korea, and it’s been really cold,” said Han, whose western name is Steve.

“Haven’t been able to get a lot done game-wise. So yeah, it was really nice to just come here and play golf in the warm weather more than anything. Yeah, just excited to be here.”

Born in Incheon, Korea, he moved to the United States when he was 13, where he still lives, and first started to play in Asia back in 2010. His other wins to date are the Casio World Open in Japan in 2017, and the 2020 LG Signature Players Championship in Korea.

He also enjoyed success in the amateur game, attending the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and winning the 2006 Porter Cup – a long-standing, prestigious amateur event in the United States won by some of the game’s biggest names, including Phil Mickelson, David Duval and Ben Crenshaw.

He added: “I putted well today, so that helped a lot. I felt a little bit rusty all day, but putts dropped, so I think I got the job done today.

“I was really excited to be here. My brother is here this week with me, so just the opportunity that’s ahead, it’s very exciting. I like being here. I came here a few years ago during the HSBC, and just happy to be here and to have the opportunity.”

His victory in the Kolon Korea Open is the reason for him being here as one of the exemption categories is tournament winners from this year’s Asian Tour.

Thailand’s Poom Saksansin and Sadom Kaewkanjana, Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho, Jinichiro Kozuma from Japan, and Korean Junghwan Lee are the next best Asian Tour players, after carding 67s.

Poom credited his wife Ing Ing, whom he married just two weeks ago in Bangkok, for his strong start.

“She is the reason I played well today and why I have been playing well for a while,” he said.

She also caddied for him in September when he won the Yeangder TPC in Chinese-Taipei, which was his first victory in five years on the Asian Tour.

Jaco Ahlers. Picture by Paul Lakatos /Asian Tour.

Despite his fine start, he joked: “I have a two percent chance of making it through as there are only three places available.”

Ahler was also five under playing the famous par-five 18^th but dropped a shot after finding trouble off the tee when his ball landed near a cactus plant. He bravely chose to pitch it out from there and appeared to hurt his hand, but later said: “The second shot, the cactus? A little thorny maybe, but it’s [the hand] okay. No, I tried to go left at it, and my caddie talked me out of it. At the end, it was the right decision. I like where I sit. Should get the job done. That’s what we wanted today.

“This is career changing. I’ve had a pretty long career, played in South Africa, played in Asia, played in Europe, everywhere. It would be nice. It’s a career-finishing moment, so it would be nice.”

The qualifying mark was two under, which Korea’s Bio Kim made with the last roll of the dice as he made a birdie on 18.

Finland’s Tapio Pulkkanen was another to qualify for Saturday, with his performance made extra special by a hole in one on the par-three 15^th. He shot a 67.

The scores will be reset tomorrow with the top-20 making it through to the 36-hole showdown on Sunday. However, unlike today only the top-20 and no ties will make it through, meaning there is a strong likelihood of a play-off for the final places.

Five players from the top eight on The International Series Order of Merit are part of the 13 exempt players who join the field for tomorrow’s round.