Published on July 2, 2024

Jazz Janewattananond is hoping a return to Royal Golf Dar Es Salam’s challenging Red Course this week will inspire a change of fortune as he sets out to defend the International Series Morocco title he won two years ago in Rabat.

It was on the iconic course that the Thai golfer sealed his seventh Asian Tour title back in 2022.

A sensational birdie-par-eagle-birdie finish gave Jazz a six-under final round and a 12-under total which edged out Richard T. Lee of Canada by a shot with David Puig of Spain, the overnight leader, a shot further back.

Prior to the tournament, Jazz had shown his undoubted talent with a T11 at International Series Thailand and a T15 at International Series England, the first two tournaments on the new set of elevated Asian Tour events launched that year.

Jazz stepped things up in the two weeks building up to the tournament in Rabat, as he recorded two classy top-six finishes in Europe, a real confidence boost going into tournament week.

Jazz is philosophical about his game as he heads into tournament week, with a T13 at the season-opening IRS Prima Malaysian Open his best result so far this campaign. He said: “Before that point (in 2022) I had struggled for around a year. But I had come off two amazing finishes and my confidence was quite high, and I got there and got the job done.

“I’m in a similar position now, trying to find my swing again, and maybe it will help going back to a great course with such fond memories.”

Referring to his incredible run on the last four holes, he added: “Birdie-par-eagle-birdie, yes that was good finish. I felt I was close the whole day but was not quite there, and then I hit an amazing shot on 15 for birdie and I just knew I could do it, I could win this thing.”

Jazz famously won in Morocco with his then girlfriend, the German pro golfer Sarina Schmidt, on the bag. The pair are now married, but they will not be teaming up this week as Sarina is also playing a tournament in Sweden.

Jazz is trying out a new combination on the bag this weekend, but he knows all too well what is needed to get around the testing Red Course. He said: “It is a great tree-lined course and when you are playing well it really suits your game. But you must hit down the middle or you are going to struggle.”

The 28-year-old managed a T6 at International Series Thailand and a T4 at International Series Vietnam last year, but this season has been a disappointment on the series that offers a pathway to LIV Golf. Injury forced him out after one round in Oman, and he failed to make the cut in Macau.

A true champion, Jazz is optimistic about his chances moving forward, as he said: “I have had a little problem off the tee in last year or so, but everything else about my game is in place for me to win. I just need to get the ball in play off the tee, and if I can get it on the dance floor then I will have a good week.

“It is all part of golf really. It is a long journey and just part of the game. But I have spoken to a lot of amazing people, and I feel it (my game) is going to come back soon and hopefully Morocco will be the place where it does.”

Jazz is part of a world-class field that includes nine LIV Golf League players: 2010 US Open champion Graeme McDowell (Smash GC), Peter Uihlein (RangeGoats GC), Pat Perez (4Aces GC), Branden Grace (Stinger GC), Caleb Surratt (Legion XIII), Scott Vincent (IronHeads GC), Kieran Vincent (Legion XIII), Eugenio Chacarra (Fireballs GC) and Jinichiro Kozuma (IronHeads GC).

American John Catlin, the Asian Tour Order of Merit leader is also in the field. A back-to-back winner already this season after superb performances at International Series Macau presented by Wynn and the Saudi Open presented by PIF, Catlin will be brimming with confidence.

His good form this season led to an invite to play as an alternate for Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC on the LIV Golf League, and he showed he has what it takes with a T24 finish in Houston and a T7 in Nashville.

Hongtaek Kim, who won the GS Caltex Maekyung Open in May for his maiden Asian Tour victory, also starts as does Thailand’s Chonlatit Chuenboonngam, who lost out to the Korean in a sudden-death play-off at Namseoul Country Club.

Multiple Asian Tour winners Gaganjeet Bhullar and Scott Hend also start along with a number of champions on the International Series including Wade Ormsby, Nitithorn Thippong, Sarit Suwannarut, Ben Campbell, and Sihwan Kim.

Local hero Ayoub Lguirati, the Asian Development Tour player who made the cut and finished T28 in 2022, spearheads a local challenge that also includes local professionals Othman Raouzi and Ayoub Id-Omar, as well as promising amateurs Hugo Mazen Trommetter, Aissa Elkhadri, Adam Bresnu and Soufiane Dahmane.

All will be hoping that local knowledge will help them on the testing par 73 Red Course in Rabat.