Race for LIV Golf League golden ticket ends at The International Series finale
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - All eyes are on Riyadh this week as The International Series Rankings race is decided in the season-ending PIF Saudi International presented by SoftBank Investment Advisers.
The final event of The International Series and Asian Tour calendar is the last chance to claim the coveted golden ticket to the LIV Golf League, which goes to the overall rankings champion.
There is currently one stumbling block facing the Asian Tour’s finest, however. RangeGoats GC's Peter Uihlein is the current rankings leader with 1,071 points after overtaking LIV Golf reserve player John Catlin - the leader for most of the season - thanks to his emphatic five-shot win at International Series Qatar.
That was Uihlein’s second title of the season after a superb victory at International Series England in August. He also has a T2 to his name after losing out on the final hole to Lee Chieh-po at International Series Thailand at Thai Country Club in October.
Uihlein is already a LIV Golf League member, so will not claim the berth on the roster. However, the golden ticket does not pass down to second place, so his nearest challengers will need a big week to secure top spot.
Although Uihlein is in the pole position to win the race, there are plenty of potential outcomes with 1,000 points up for grabs to the champion at Riyadh Golf Club. Catlin, only 143.65 points behind, has already shown superb form with one victory in Macau, two agonizing playoff defeats and seven impressive performances as a reserve player on LIV Golf.
Ben Campbell, Richard T Lee, Lee Chieh-po and MJ Maguire all feel they have a say after they recorded victories this season.
Tyrrell Hatton of Legion XIII played with Catlin when Catlin filled in for Jon Rahm at the LIV Golf Team Championship in Dallas, and is rooting for his temporary teammate this week.
"You would quite like John to finish in the top spot," Hatton said. "For him, this is an important week. ... (Uihlein and Catlin) are both fantastic players. Pete was the No. 1 amateur player in the world when I was playing amateur golf. He has certainly played a lot better over the last couple of years, which is obviously good for him. John has played really well when he has had the opportunity on LIV Golf this year. I know he's won a few times on the DP World Tour as well. They're both fantastic players. I'm sure it will be an interesting week for them.”
It is the first edition of the tournament to be played at Riyadh Golf Club, with Abraham Ancer of Fireballs GC winning last year’s edition at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in Jeddah.
At the pre-tournament press conference, Ancer said he felt like the top three on the rankings all had a great chance.
"They are all great competitors and good buddies," Ancer said. "I have played a lot with Catlin since college. I know he has been all over the world. He's played everywhere, and he has had a lot of years that he struggled, and then he just rose and played good at the right time. He is a gamer. I feel like he figures out a way to just get it done. ... Same with Peter Uihlein. He just won last week. He is one of those players that he can win any week at any given time."
The PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers takes place from 4-7 December at Riyadh Golf Club. For more information, check www.internationalseries.com.
(Photo by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour)