Smyth soars to victory at International Series Japan

CHIBA, Japan - Travis Smyth’s dream run continued today when he made an eagle putt on the par-five 18th to sensationally win the International Series Japan by one. 

In a riveting finish, he drained a 20 footer to narrowly avoid a playoff with Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert and Ryosuke Kinoshita from Japan – at Caledonian Golf Club, near Tokyo. 

RELATED: Leaderboard | More news for Intl. Series Japan 

The Australian’s brilliant final putt saw him shoot a 7-under 64 to move to 15 under, with Pavit and Kinoshita both in the clubhouse on 14 under. 

Pavit and Kinoshita had earlier turned the tournament on its head by shooting scintillating rounds of 62 and 63, respectively, to come through from much further back. The former was in the 10th from last group and Kinoshita the sixth. 

Korea’s Hongtaek Kim and Shugo Imahira from Japan had started the day sharing the lead but were unable to keep up with the fast pace being set. Kim shot a 69 to tie for fifth while Imahira returned a 70 for equal seventh. 

This week’s US$2million event is the opening event of the season on The International Series, and it is Smyth’s first success on the Series – the upper-tier level of events on the Asian Tour that provide a pathway to the LIV Golf League, via The International Series Rankings.

It’s also his second victory on the Asian Tour, having won the Yeangder TPC in 2022, and comes during a remarkable run of form. 

He claimed the ISPS Handa Japan-Australasia Championship last month which put him on course to win the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit for the 2025-26 season. 

The 31-year-old also finished third and fifth in the first two events of the season on the Asian Tour and now leads the Order of Merit, as well as The International Series Rankings.

“That’s what dreams are made of right there,” said the Australian about his closing putt. 

“As a young kid, you know, you're on the putting green having putting comps with your mates, you're trying to chip in to win, you're trying to hole 25 footers to win. And that was unbelievable. 

“You know, I won a tournament two weeks ago, probably a pretty similar putt downhill, left to right – just drew upon that. But yeah, for it to go in like that, it's the best feeling ever.” 

Having started the day two behind the leaders, he gradually worked his way through the field on the front nine with birdies on one, two and six. 

With the course playing nearly three shots easier today and players making a deluge of birdies on the back nine he still had a lot of work to do. Birdies on 13 and 16 saw him move one behind Pavit and Kinoshita before he gained two shots on the last to finish the job in regulation play. 

He explained: “I've had a hard time trying to win tournaments. People don't understand how hard it is to win, you know. Like it's such a mind game with yourself out there. In the past, like you're always trying to come up with excuses as to why you might not be leading, or why you might not be hitting the shots under pressure that you want to, but I don't know, I've been able to turn a corner.” 

Pavit’s 62 was the lowest of the week and consisted of 10 birdies, and just the one dropped shot. His bogey came on the third, after which he burst into life making seven birdies in the next eight. 

He said: “Today I played pretty much like perfect golf. I drove the ball very well; I hit my irons very good and I was putting well. So, everything was like on momentum. I sunk putts and had like a streak on the first nine, so I gained confidence with my putting.” 

Austen Truslow finished in fourth on his own, two behind the champion. He closed with a 65, helped by an unlikely and adventurous eagle on the par-four 16th. Remarkably, his first tee shot hit some overhanging cables which allowed him to replay the shot. He promptly found the putting green in one and made his eagle putt from about 30 feet. The American faced a similar length for eagle on 18 but was unable to convert that attempt to catch Pavit and Kinoshita. 

“On 16, I mean, that was a crazy situation,” he said. “It hit the telephone pole line, got to re tee, and then I drove it to 36 feet and made the putt. And the first ball was going probably 20 yards right of the green. So that was insane. That's the craziest eagle in my life. So that happened.” 

The Asian Tour heads to the Singapore Open presented by The Business Times next. The US$2million event will be played on The Serapong at Sentosa Golf Club from 23-26 April and is also part of The International Series. 

(Photo courtesy of Asian Tour)