Campbell looks to charge going into final day at LIV Golf Promotions

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - In-form Ben Campbell kept his hopes of a LIV Golf League 2025 roster spot alive after an impressive second round at the LIV Golf Promotions event.

A flawless 7-under 64 secured Campbell's place in the 36-hole final day alongside a number of regulars on The International Series in Riyadh, with a final field of 20 now battling it out for one spot on the LIV Golf League next season.

Campbell, a LIV Golf reserve player, entered the tournament in Round 2 as International Series Morocco champion, and highest ranked player on The International Series at three, after narrowly failing to secure an outright spot on LIV Golf last week at the season-ending PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers.

There, on the same Riyadh Golf Club course, he finished one shot off a three-man playoff that ultimately saw Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann crowned tournament winner and The International Series Rankings champion.

Campbell proved he was over that disappointment, carding his third 64 in a row after posting two when it mattered last weekend - to finish one shot behind Scott Vincent, the 2022 International Series Rankings winner, and comfortably earn a place in the top 20 for the final day.

Campbell, also runner-up when defending his title at the Link Hong Kong Open last month, will go into the 36-hole shoot out along with fellow qualifiers from The International Series; Gunn Charoenkul of Thailand (66), Richard T Lee of Canada (67) and Lee Chieh-po of Chinese Taipei (67).

Taichi Kho of Hong Kong (67) also made it alongside Asian Tour 2024 champions Steve Lewton of England (67) and Suteepat Prateeptienchai of Thailand (67), and all 20 players will start equal with the scores being reset once again ahead of the final day.

“I felt like I played pretty well," Campbell said. "I got off to a good start. Made a few birdies, turned 4-under, and yeah, I felt like I swung it pretty well all day. A couple of things to tidy up before tomorrow, but yeah, I did the job I needed to do today. ... You're going to have 20 guys firing at flags. But I still think you have got to stay patient out there. It is one of those courses if you do not have your game, as long as you get through with a few pars, you can go on a few birdie runs out there.”

Charoenkul, who also carded a 5-under 66 to qualify for Round 2 before the scores were reset, admitted he was playing with freedom and ‘zero expectations’. He said: “With all the winners from 2024 coming in, and the guys from the LIV Golf League, it was like a one-day event, and I must admit I didn’t expect too much.”

The Thai has the big game in his locker – especially on the final day. He carded a 10-under round on the final day of the Black Mountain Championship, the fifth event of The International Series, then shot a final-round 63 the following week at International Series Thailand and a last-day 64 at the BNI Indonesian Masters.

He said: “I have to keep believing. I’m not too confident on the greens, but the way to combat that is to hit the ball as close as possible to the flag. I did that today, and hopefully can do the same over 36 holes on the final day.”

Lee is in a good place going into the final day. The champion of the BNI Indonesian Masters, the seventh elevated event on the Asian Tour calendar this season, revealed that the flat stick could be the secret ingredient as he looks to recreate the sensational form he showed in October that led to a T9-T2-W finish in three successive weeks.

Now 100% over a bad flu picked up during the Link Hong Kong Open, he said: “I think I found my putter. Last week I was struggling with it, so I made a few tweaks this week before the round. It seemed like it worked.

“Unfortunately, I had two bogeys on the last two holes, but I feel tomorrow is going to be a good round. If I make sure I read the greens well and not get the bumps (on the green), it is going to be two good rounds out there.”

International Series Thailand champion Lee Chieh-po feels he is going into the final day ‘mentally rested’ thanks to his first-round bye, after a frantic final few weeks of the season. He said: “I prepared myself mentally for today, I gave myself a good rest after four weeks in a row, it was great to give myself a good break.”

Talking about his strategy for the 36-hole grand finale, he added: “I will try to do the same thing I did today – my tee shots were way better than last week and because of that I was much more consistent. If I keep my ball on the fairway then hopefully that will give me many chances.”

There was heartache for MJ Maguire after the Black Mountain Championship winner narrowly lost out in a six-man play-off for 20th spot. The American got down to the last two before losing out on the third playoff hole after compatriot Ollie Schniederjans got a break with a free drop.

There was disappointment too for John Catlin, the leader for so long on The International Series Rankings this season. The American, a regular alternate on the LIV Golf League throughout a stellar campaign, fell back to level par after dropping three shots in the final six holes.

For information on The International Series, visit: www.internationalseries.com.