Surratt leads host of LIV Golf players at PIF Saudi International after Rd. 2

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Legion XIII star Caleb Surratt continued to shine at the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment and heads into the final two rounds with a one-shot lead after his 5-under 66 in Round 2 at Riyadh Golf Club.

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Surratt sits at 14 under through two rounds but has a bevy of LIV Golf players in close pursuit. 4Aces GC's Thomas Pieters is one shot back after his 5-under 66 while 2025 LIV Golf Wild Card player Anthony Kim, Fireballs GC's Josele Ballester and Legion XIII star Tyrrell Hatton are tied for third, just three shots off the lead. In all, eight LIV Golf players are in the top 10.

“Very pleased. It was a good day,” Surratt, 21, said. “I think some of the hardest rounds in golf are honestly ones that have to follow up great ones, so to go out there today, kind of fight my thoughts at times, getting ahead of myself, I was still able to play well. That was good that I showed that to myself, and hopefully use this same momentum.”

Surratt is without a win since turning professional last year but has finished second twice in International Series events and third once.

“It is a great leaderboard," Surratt said. "It will be good to see how it shakes out next few days.”

At the conclusion of the week, two career-changing tickets to the 2026 LIV Golf League will be awarded to the first- and second-ranked players in The International Series’ season-long standings, not including players already on LIV Golf.

Kim made a big move in Round 2 and shot a 7-under 64 for his best round since his return to professional golf. He turned heads by moving into contention in a tournament for the first time since making his comeback to the game last year – after an absence of 12 years.

Like Surratt, he did not drop a shot and made seven birdies.

“My wife told me that if I make less bogeys than birdies my score will be good, so I followed that direction well today," Kim said with a smile. “I'm finally starting to see some of the work show. I haven't been able to swing like I have been in practice rounds and back at home in tournament golf, but it's starting to show up and starting to feel more comfortable out here.”

The 40-year-old has not been in contention since joining LIV Golf and his most recent victory is the 2010 Shell Houston Open.

He last finished in the top 10 in an event at the Singapore Open in 2011, where he tied for third, during a period in time when he reached No. 6 in the world.

Stinger GC's Dean Burmester (63) and Cleeks Golf Club's Adrian Meronk (70) are in a tie for sixth along with Seungbin Choi of Korea (66). Meronk entered Round 2 tied for the lead with Surratt.

Surratt was beaten by Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann in a sudden death playoff here last year and has clearly returned seeking redemption.

Surratt reached the front edge of the green on the short par-4 18th from the tee and got up and down to edge Pieters for the halfway lead. He made two birdies on the front and three on back and was bogey free.

Pieters last won in 2022 at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship – one of his six titles on the DP World Tour. This year he has recorded his two best finishes on LIV Golf, finishing joint fourth in both Korea and Virginia.

“Pretty similar to yesterday,” he said of his round. “Played really well. I made loads of 10- to 15-footers. Only difference is I missed a couple shorter ones. Overall, super happy, obviously. Yeah, just really looking forward to the weekend and I enjoy this golf course a lot.”

Pieters came into the week full of confidence after top-10 finishes in Hong Kong and Singapore on the Asian Tour and The International Series.

“I am just putting in the work," Pieters said. "Swing feels good. Not too many swing thoughts to be honest. Short game has been good, and I practice a lot on my wedges in my simulator at home and that's been paying off.”

The 32-year-old, who made seven birdies and two bogies in Round 2, has also changed his irons.

“My irons were kind of at the end of their lifetime and somehow I ended up with some Miura irons, and they've been working quite well,” Pieters said. “We're not quite there yardage-wise, but you've got a lot of wedges this week so I haven't hit a lot of long irons yet. But I really love the shape of them. The ball comes off really nicely. Yeah, I think they'll be in the bag for next year.”

Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent, the leader of The International Series, put himself in a strong position to finish the season in top spot by shooting his second 67 to sit six off the lead. Filipino Miguel Tabuena is also well placed following a 68 and is another shot back.

The top two on the Rankings will earn places on the LIV Golf League next year. Japan’s Yosuke Asaji is in second place in the rankings but fired a 72 to miss the cut, leaving the door open for Tabuena, who is in third place in the rankings.

(Photo courtesy of Asian Tour)