The Asian Development Tour (ADT) announced today that the Aramco Invitational will be staged at Rolling Hills Golf Club, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, from December 14–16.

Building on 57 years of Aramco Invitational Tournament (SAIT) history, Aramco has joined forces with the ADT to host its 58th edition as the Aramco Invitational Tournament.

The ADT is the best fit with SAIT’s history of developing and promoting golf in Aramco, Saudi Arabia, and the Middle East.  The objective is to create more playing opportunities for players from Asia and around the world.  Such involvement will provide Saudi national players with competitive opportunities and develop games and players at the grass-roots level.

The US$125,000 tournament will be the penultimate event of this season’s 17-leg circuit, which will culminate with the Taifong Open, to be held from December 22-25.

The tournament, which will be preceded by the PIF Saudi Open as part of a new and exciting two-event swing in the Middle East, will feature a field of 126 golfers and be played over 54 holes.

“The Asian Development Tour has enjoyed an incredible comeback year, post pandemic, and today’s news with regard to the Aramco Invitational is yet another boon for the Asian Tour’s secondary circuit,” said Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO, Asian Tour.

Suteepat Prateeptienchai. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

“Importantly, and in much the same way as the Asian Tour is becoming a tour of international destinations, the Asian Development Tour continues to branch out, and the chance to play in the Middle East for a second time this year is another incredible opportunity for our membership.

“Increasing playing opportunities in new markets for our players is always a top priority, so we would like to thank Aramco, Golf Saudi, the Aramco Golf Association, and the Rolling Hills Golf Course for bringing all the key components together to make the event possible.”

The Aramco Invitational launch also comes at a key moment, with players battling it out to try and finish in the top-10 on the ADT Order of Merit (OOM) and secure their playing privileges on the Asian Tour in 2023.

Nabil Al Nuaim, Chairman of the Aramco Golf Association, said: ” Aramco is proud to build on its tradition and continue to grow the game.  This is another great moment for the game of professional golf in Saudi Arabia. The country has an expanding portfolio of world-class events, but we are also active in growing the game at the developmental level, which the Asian Development Tour is a fine proponent of.

“The Aramco Invitational will provide a wonderful opportunity for players in our region to play in an international-standard tour event against a quality field of up-and-coming players and more experienced competitors.”

Malaysia’s Shahriffuddin Ariffin clinched victory at the PKNS Selangor Masters two weeks ago, in the most recent ADT event, while Thailand’s Suteepat Prateeptienchai remains in front on the OOM, thanks to three fine victories this season, earning him a battlefield promotion this year to the Asian Tour.

The Asian Tour season came to a thrilling conclusion at the $1.5 million BNI Indonesian Masters presented by TNE in Jakarta as Scott Vincent was crowned International Series Order of Merit winner, a result that gave the Zimbabwean golfer a ‘golden ticket’ to the LIV Golf League next season.

Going into the final event of the tournament, the entire top 10 of the International Series Order of Merit rankings – including International Series winners Sihwan Kim and Andy Ogletree of America, Jazz Janewattananond and Nitithorn Thippong of Thailand and Taehoon OK of Korea – were still in with a shout of securing top spot.

A T-10 finish for Vincent, the International Series England winner earlier this season, was enough to cement his place at the top of the season’s standings, as none of the other players breathing down his neck were able to find the win that would have vaulted them to the top of the standings in the final event of the season. Janewattananond came closest with a 12-under score this weekend, but that was only enough for him to secure a sixth-place finish.

(L-R) Asian Tour CEO and Commissioner Cho Minn Thant, International Series OOM Winner Scott Vincent, and Rahul Singh, Head of The International Series

Vincent now has his card for the 14-tournament series, which has recently announced dates in Mexico, Spain, Singapore and Australia for next season, and he will line up with some of the biggest names in world golf including Major winners Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith and Brooks Koepka.

Securing his title, a delighted Vincent said: “It feels pretty special to win the International Series Order of Merit this year. It was not something that was on my radar earlier this year. Now that it is a reality, it’s unreal.

“The highlight for me was the International Series in London. Making a putt to win on that last hole was just really cool. Ten footer, left to right, down the hill; making that putt was special.”

On earning his golden ticket to compete in next year’s LIV league, the 30-year-old added: “It’s incredible. Getting a taste of LIV this year, you want to go back. You want to compete against the best in the world. The fact that I get to do that now, it’s really cool, and I look forward to the challenge.”

JAKARTA, INDONESIA: Scott Vincent of Zimbabwe on Sunday, December 4, 2022, during Round Four of the BNI Indonesia Masters, presented by Tunas Niaga Energi at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club, Jakarta, Indonesia. The season-ending event for the Asian Tour and the International Series has a prize fund of US$ 1.5 million and is being held from December 1-4, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

The International Series was launched earlier this year thanks to a landmark partnership with LIV Golf with the aim of invigorating the game in Asia and the Middle East.

The partnership brought the International Series to Thailand, England, Singapore, South Korea, Morocco, and Egypt, as well as Indonesia, on a hugely successful debut season.

Ten International Series events will take place next year, each with a prize purse of at least US$2 million. The highly anticipated International Series 2023 season will kick off in Oman at the Al Mouj Golf from February 9-12, with a prize purse of US$2million.

A number of players signed up to LIV Golf, including Patrick Reed, Chase Koepka, Ogletree and Bernd Wiesberger have all played events on the International Series this season.

Cho Minn Thant, CEO & Commissioner of the Asian Tour, added: “The International Series has been a real game changer, not just through access to LIV Golf but also because of the bigger purses on offer, and for the experiences that offer a pathway to growth and development for all the players.

“It has created a genuinely exciting climax to the season, alongside the Asian Tour Order of Merit title, and this excitement will grow as the series evolves going forward. Big congratulations to Scott Vincent, it will be a pleasure to see the International Series Order of Merit winner defend his title in our flagship events next season.”

Ends.

Thailand’s Sarit Suwannarut brought the Asian Tour season to a memorable conclusion today after an emphatic four-stroke victory in the US$1.5 million BNI Indonesian Masters presented by TNE.

The 24 year old fired a closing four-under-par 68, for a four-round aggregate of 20 under, at Royale Jakarta Golf Club to claim his first Asian Tour title, while Indian Anirban Lahiri, the winner here in 2014, finished in second place after carding a 66.

Chinese-Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang and Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell, both returned 69s to tie for third, five behind the winner.

American Sihwan Kim wrapped up the Asian Tour Order of Merit (OOM) title after finishing in a tie for 28th, while Scott Vincent from Zimbabwe secured the International Series OOM, by finishing in equal 10th position.

Sarit Suwannarat.  Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

The weather, which had caused numerous delays since Thursday, had a final say today when lightning stopped play at 1.09pm with Sarit having two holes left to play and with a comfortable five-shot lead. Play resumed at 2.30pm with the rising Thai star able to par his way home.

“I think I almost cried coming down the 18^th,” said Sarit.

“I just can’t put into words how I feel. I am just happy. I didn’t feel the pressure that much, I was just enjoying my game. I have just enjoyed the whole week.

“I worked with my coach last week and we discovered something with the set up. I wasn’t hitting it good for the Pro Am and the first round but we looked at the video and decided to squat more and get my chin up a little bit, just small things that made a really big impact.”

Delays caused by bad weather over the first three days, meant Sarit had to complete the final four holes of his third round early this morning, following a 6.45am restart.

He parred 15, 16, and 17 before holing a testing 12 footer for a birdie on the 18^th to lead on 16 under by three from countryman Kosuke Hamamoto.

Anirban Lahiri. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

And he was never threatened in the final round making the turn in three under with a birdie on six and an eagle on nine before more birdies on 12 and 15. His only dropped shot came on 16 before the badly timed weather delay added more pressure to the closing stages.

He added: “It’s been a really tough year. I had COVID at the start of the year, later I couldn’t get a visa for Korea, and I was battling to keep my card at one point. I am so happy.”

While Lahiri was not able to win this event for a second time he was more than happy with his week’s work.

He said: “It was a really good week. I think I finally got into some rhythm you know, just coming off not playing much golf. I think I was surprised on Thursday that I played the way I did. And then the next two rounds were more like what I was expecting, but I think as I played more and more I started getting into a good rhythm.

“Just a few kinks in my game, I worked on my putting yesterday after the delay. I was really happy with the way I started swinging it, much better, more like what I like to see from my game.”

Chan was also pleased with his final Asian Tour event of the year, during a season which saw him win twice.

“Today was good but I think on some holes I should have made birdies, I feel like if today was more lucky I could have been more under par. I kept trying to get a low score until the last end. This year has been very good, a perfect year, it’s been very nice.

Chan Shih-chang. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

“I won in Thailand and I in Taiwan, I’m so happy to win in Taiwan. I’m confident on the golf course now, so when I came this week I just wanted to try to improve my ranking and this week was very nice.”

England’s Lee Westwood, a three-time champion here, closed with a 71 to finish in outright ninth place.

American Sihwan Kim completed the finest season of his 11-year professional career today when he wrapped up the Asian Tour Order of Merit title, appropriately on the day he turned 34.

Kim finished equal 28th in the Asian Tour’s season-ending BNI Indonesian Masters presented by TNE which was enough to repel a number of players in with a chance of catching him.

He finished the year with US$627,458.33 in earnings, with Bio Kim from Korea ending in second place, having earned US$ 599,609.49, while Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent was third on US$ 517,845.

Vincent, Chinese-Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang, Canadian Richard T. Lee, and Thais Jazz Janewattananond, Phachara Khongwatmai, and Sadom Kaewkanjana, all had a chance of toppling Kim if they won today but their challenges faded on the back nine.

“It feels good, finally the season’s done and I can’t wait to get some rest,” said Kim.

Sihwan Kim. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

“You know it’s been a long week with you know restarts and stuff like that. I’ve been traveling a lot, this is my 28th event of the year and I think my body needs some rest. I just felt it today where my whole body was just off sync and just couldn’t get anything done.

“Of course [finishing first] was on my mind, but I tried to not let that get to me too much. Been just kind of struggling with my putting all week this week and, and just barely made the cut after my Saturday restart. And yeah, it’s been tough, it always comes down to the last tournament and you know, Jazz [Janewattananond] and James Chan [Shih-chang] they were all up there, and Richard [T. Lee] was up there for a little bit, and if they had won they had a chance to chance to overtake me.”

The 34 year old started the season in brilliant fashion by winning the International Series Thailand in February, which was his maiden professional victory and also the first ever International Series event to be played.

He followed that up by winning the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Stableford Challenge, also in Thailand, in April.

A mid-season loss of form, when he was battling some swing demons and a stray driver, saw him relinquish top spot on the Order of Merit to Bio Kim but a third place finish in the International Series Egypt last month saw him regain first place.

He said: “Yeah, right at the start the year I was kind of playing bad, and in Singapore in January I just kind of got it done somehow at Sentosa and then just kind of upped my game. Then it just like went really cold from there, struggled for about two or three months, and then just kind of found something the last month and a half, and I just kind of rolled with it.”

Sihwan Kim. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

Prior to this year Kim had been a perennial nearly man and had recorded eight top-four results on the Asian Tour since 2018, including two runner-up finishes, and had come close to winning on Europe’s Challenge Tour.

But all that is a distance memory for a player full of confidence for the 2023 season.

Thailand’s Sarit Suwannarut completed the final four holes of his third round early this morning at the US$1.5 million BNI Indonesian Masters presented by TNE carding a five-under-par 67 to lead on 16 under by three shots from countryman Kosuke Hamamoto.

Sarit parred 15, 16, and 17 before holing a test 12 footer for a birdie on the 18^th at Royale Jakarta Club, in the Asian Tour’s season-ending finale.

Hamamoto  shot a 67 after parring his last three holes, while Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell and Chinese-Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang, are one shot back after carding 67s.

Canadian Richard T. Lee (67), Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond (69) and India’s Veer Ahlawat (70) are a further stroke behind.

Kosuke Hamamoto. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

England’s Lee Westwood, a three-time winner of this event, who was able to finish his round yesterday after posting his second successive 66, is 10 under, along with India’s Anirban Lahiri, the champion here in 2014, who shot 70.

Round four quickly got underway.

Said Sarit: “I woke up a little bit late today, not as early as the second day so that extra 30 minutes was good. And I really hit a good tee shot on 15, not an easy putt but still a two putt. So, I think that was a good start, that’s why I’m playing still playing good.

“I am just going do the same thing today and try to shoot like a couple under every round. Just stay positive, try to hit it the best as I can and try to make the putts.”

Play resumed at 6.45am this morning as the tournament played catch up after delays each day caused by lightning.

It promises to be a memorable final day with so much at stake: the BNI Indonesia Masters presented by TNE, the Asian Tour Order of Merit (OOM), the International Series OOM and the top-30 qualifiers for next year’s Saudi International from the Asian Tour’s Merit list. Players are also battling to keep their playing rights for 2023.

Current Asian Tour OOM leader Sihwan Kim from the United States parred his final hole this morning for a 69 to sit at four under and needs a strong finish to repel his pursuers.

Graeme McDowell.  Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

Chan, Lee, Jazz , Phachara Khongwatmai, Sadom Kaewkanjana, and Scott Vincent, are all in contention and need to win to have a chance of overtaking Kim.

Vincent, who leads the International Series OOM, gave himself an excellent chance of winning that title and earning a golden ticket onto next year’s LIV Golf League by firing a 67 yesterday to finish the day on eight under. However, he also needs to good day as Lee, Jazz, and Phachara are also in the running.

Thailand’s Sarit Suwannarut continued to impress at the US$1.5 million BNI Indonesian Masters presented by TNE today moving to the top of the leaderboard on 15 under after 14 holes before lightning stopped play for the day at 3.09pm local time.

Thailand’s Kosuke Hamamoto is two behind with three to play, while Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell is three back with two remaining along with India’s Veer Ahlawat, who has four holes left.

Play will resume at 6.45am tomorrow for what promises to be a thrilling final day that will also see the Asian Tour Order of Merit (OOM) decided, as well as the International Series (OOM) and the top 30 qualifiers for next year’s Saudi International from the Asian Tour’s Merit list.

Sarit, chasing a maiden win on the Asian Tour, started the round sharing the lead with Mathiam Keyser from South Africa, and while Keyser fell back and is seven under for the tournament through 14, Sarit went in the other direction shooting seven birdies and dropping three shots.

England’s Lee Westwood, a three-time winner of this event, made full use of moving day, posting his second successive 66 to reach 10 under and take the clubhouse lead.

Kosuke Hamamoto. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

Westwood triumphed in 2011, the inaugural addition, 2012 and 2015 and showed some of the form that won him those titles today making five birdies, including on the first three holes, on the front side to go out in five under.

“I three putted 10, three putted 12, but you know I birdied 11, 14 and 18 so kind of balanced that out,” said the 49 year old.

“But it got a little bit tricky towards the end, the wind just picked up a little bit, 17 and 18 played tricky into the wind and out the left. But yeah, played alright and made a few nice putts, and hit some good putts that didn’t go in. I’m pleased with my day, at least we got finished.”

Having opened with a first round 74 the Englishman has rebounded brilliantly and blamed lack of play for his slow start.

He said: “It was a combination of a lot of things, but I had four weeks off coming into this week and hit balls for about three hours. So, you know, I went home did a lot of gym work but didn’t really work on my golf game, so I felt really rusty. I’ve been struggling with a bit of a chest infection and not sleeping great with the jetlag, so didn’t do as much practice over the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday as I would have liked, and you know just felt rusty and out of sorts. I was four over through 16 but then birdied the last two holes to finish two over and then played well since.”

Victory tomorrow would allow him to add a missing item from his impressive portfolio: winning an event for the fourth time.

“I will just keep playing like I played the last two days really; you know hit a lot of fairways,” he said.

“I think this golf course gives you chances if you hit fairways, but as soon as you start hitting it in the rough it becomes tricky. I’ve driven the ball pretty well the last two days and started hitting my iron shots a little bit more consistent.

“And I’ve given myself a lot of chances you know, 14 under for the last 38 holes is really the worst I could have been. I could have shot 10 under yesterday and 10 under today quite easily, so my game is pretty good for beginning of December.”

Current Asian Tour Order of Merit leader Sihwan Kim from the United States is four under playing his last hole with a whole host of permutations for tomorrow.

Lee Westwood. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

Chinese-Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang, Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond, Phachara Khongwatmai, and Sadom Kaewkanjana, Canada’s Richard T. Lee and Scott Vincent from Zimbabwe, are all in contention and need to win tomorrow to have a chance of toppling Kim.

Vincent, who leads the International Series OOM, gave himself an excellent chance of winning that title and earning a golden ticket onto next year’s LIV Golf League by firing a 67 to finish the day on eight under.

Helping to whet the appetite for the highly anticipated 2023 season, the Asian Tour announced today the addition of a new, exciting and lucrative event to its schedule, the International Series Oman.

With event details having been finalised by the event organisers and ahead of an imminent fuller schedule announcement, the Tour is thrilled to confirm that the Oman tournament will be held at Al Mouj Golf in Muscat from February 9-12 and boast prizemoney of US$2 million.

In addition, the Tour can reveal that a total of 10 International Series events will be held next season, each with prizemoney of at least US$2 million – helping to build on the momentum gained this season, which saw seven of the upper-tier events positioned on the schedule, which features a total of 20 tournaments.

“On the back of two outstanding weeks at International Series events in Morocco and Egypt, and this week’s season-ending BNI Indonesian Masters presented by TNE, also part of the International Series, the Asian Tour is excited to announce we will return to the Middle East early on in the new season for the International Series Oman,” said Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO, Asian Tour.

“The 2022 campaign was a highly successful one for us and it is great to see the profile of the Asian Tour being raised. Next year promises more of the same with today’s news further enhancing this, even before we have announced our 2023 schedule – one that promises to be the biggest and best in the history of the Tour.

Al Mouj Golf (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

“We are extremely grateful to the Oman Golf Association for being the conduit in helping to launch this pioneering new event in such an important golfing region; and, of course, we thank Al Mouj Golf for their commitment and support in this process. We have every confidence that the event will be a resounding success.”

With one season drawing to a conclusion – which has also seen International Series events played in Thailand, England, Singapore, and Korea – attention is quickly starting to turn to the next one.

“With the support of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, the Oman Golf Association is delighted to welcome the Asian Tour to the Sultanate of Oman in 2023,” said Mundhir Al Barwani, Chairman, Oman Golf Association.

“We are excited to be the first Asian Tour International Series event in the Middle East and to be able to share the beauty of the Sultanate with the players and officials, as well as a wider audience through television.

“Al Mouj Golf is a Tour proven golf course and coupled with the proximity to the airport and the official hotel we are certain that the players will have an enjoyable and memorable week with us. We commend the work that the Asian Tour have done in developing their international schedule and also in strengthening the Asian Development Tour, which will certainly have a positive impact on the growth of the elite amateur game within the region. We look forward to working closely with the key stakeholders and sponsors to deliver this event and to once again use the game of golf to showcase the investment and tourism opportunities that exist within Oman.”

The International Series was launched this year, through a partnership between the Tour and LIV Golf, with the aim of invigorating the game of golf in Asia, the Middle East and beyond.

“LIV Golf is proud to help establish new global events through the International Series that enhance player pathways to the world’s top competition,” said LIV Golf CEO and Commissioner Greg Norman.

“Al Mouj Golf is sure to present a challenging and rewarding experience for the Asian Tour’s very best while showcasing one of the most unique venues in this region of the world. This is a tremendous addition to the global golf calendar as the International Series gets bigger and better in 2023.”

Al Mouj Golf. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

Al Mouj Golf will offer the Asian Tour membership an outstanding opportunity to play on one of the finest golf courses in the Middle East.

The challenging 18-hole championship golf course at Al Mouj Golf is the first links-style golf course to be created in Oman and was designed by two-time Major champion Norman from Australia. Built on a two-kilometer stretch of pristine coastline, it is flanked by the Indian Ocean with the stunning Hajjar mountain range in the background. Natural dunes, striking oasis of lush green grass, accented with bunkers, and water hazards are also its main features.

There is plenty at stake at this week’s US$1.5 million BNI Indonesian Masters presented by TNE, the final Asian Tour event of the season, with some big names in the star-studded field gunning for the coveted Asian Tour Order of Merit (OOM) crown and inaugural International Series OOM title as well as individual glory.

With a winner’s purse of US$270,000 up for grabs, the top 11 could all theoretically claim the Asian Tour OOM crown and the entire top 10 on the International Series OOM are all still in with a shout of securing the top spot and a golden ticket to play on the 14-tournament LIV Golf League next season.

The winners of the six International Series events on this season’s schedule are all in action in Indonesia and took part in a photo shoot on Thursday evening.

Scott Vincent, fourth on the Asian Tour Merit list, first on the International Series ranking and the International Series England winner said: “Of course, victory at the BNI Indonesian Masters presented by TNE would be a perfect way to round off a great season on the Asian Tour. There will be a lot of competition this week, and it is shaping up to be a great season-finale.”

Sihwan Kim. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

Sihwan Kim is top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit but is one behind Zimbabwean Vincent in the International Series rankings. The American, winner of the International Series Thailand, the first event of the season, added: “The win in Thailand was my first professional win so it it was a huge deal for me. Winning any OOM is big and it means you played well for pretty much the whole season.”

Jazz Janewattananond, winner in Morocco last month, knows all about victory in Jakarta having won here in 2019. He looked back on his recent win and said: “To wait that long to win my first International Series title in Morocco, I’m proud of myself and what I’ve accomplished.”

Speaking about the International Series, he added: “It has been great for every Asian Tour player. It’s a big opportunity and it’s a pathway to something bigger.”

Thailand’s Nitithorn Thippong, who is currently ranked third in the International Series OOM, picked up his second win of the year when he claimed the International Series Singapore title in August, while Korean Taehoon OK secured an emotional victory on home soil in Jeju Island and showed some fine form in a T5 finish in Morocco last month.

American Andy Ogletree cruised to a first ever professional win at the International Series Egypt in Cairo last time out.

This week’s event is also part of the International Series.