The players of LIV Golf are making their presence felt in Riyadh to the delight of the owner of the Arab league. The dominance is absolute in the PIF Saudi International with 18 holes to go. The third day of the tournament, which is being held at the Riyadh Country Club and serves as the season finale for the Asian Tour and the International Series, has only confirmed that barring a major surprise this Saturday, the victory will go to a LIV golfer, which is not surprising considering that 44 of the 120 golfers in the tournament were from LIV.
Joaquín Niemann (-17) is the sole leader after delivering a card of 65 strokes this Friday. The Chilean secured his first place in the last seven holes, with a sensational five under par, including an eagle on the 15th by holing from the edge of the green and a birdie on the 18th after a trademark second shot.
One stroke behind Niemann are Caleb Surratt (-16), who produced the round of the week with a card of 61 strokes, ten under par, and Peter Uihlein (-16), who finished by saving a great par on the 18th hole to keep his chances of winning for the second consecutive week intact, following his victory in Qatar, and to secure his victory in the International Series ranking. In reality, for Uihlein, from a sporting perspective, winning this order of merit doesn’t mean much. After all, he is already a guaranteed member of LIV Golf in 2025, and therefore, the spot that belongs to the winner of the International Series would remain vacant, as it does not pass on.
Two strokes behind Niemann, tied in fourth place, is another dangerous group of players: Tyrrell Hatton (-15), whose driver, probably his best club, prevented him from finishing even higher today, Jason Kokrak (-15), and Logan McAllister (-15), a young American looking to redeem himself this week from his poor year on the Korn Ferry Tour and, in the process, catch the attention of LIV Golf, which is in the midst of team composition for next year.
That’s also what Eugenio López Chacarra (-11) wants, to catch the attention of the LIV captains. He is certainly working hard for it. It’s as if his best golf has returned just when he saw the writing on the wall. The Madrid native is far from victory, six strokes behind Niemann, but his reference should be Surratt. If the American, who has yet to win a tournament since turning professional and signing with Legion XIII, shot 61 today, it means it’s possible. With that card, Chacarra could dream of victory and still give himself a chance to win the International Series ranking and, in the process, secure LIV for next year without needing anyone to sign him.
Eugenio signed a good round of 68 strokes today, somewhat overshadowed by that final bogey on the 17th, a par 3 where he failed to hit the green. From tee to green, he was solid again, only lacking a bit more accuracy with the putter to be closer to Niemann. He has 89 putts in the first three days, while the Chilean, for example, has 82. One more stroke difference than they have in the standings. Be that as it may, like in Qatar last week, and although it’s somewhat distant, Chacarra is once again creating a chance for victory.
The one who was on his way to doing a Surratt today was Luis Masaveu (-9). The young Madrid native was five under par for the day after eleven holes and with a fairly favourable stretch to go. However, from there, his putter went completely cold. His long game was spectacular, hitting 17 of 18 greens. He didn’t miss a green until the 16th hole. He didn’t make any bogeys, but that’s because it was materially impossible to make them. He is in 29th place and within reach of breaking into the top 10. Specifically, four strokes away. That would be a magnificent goal.
As for the battle for the International Series ranking, really only Ben Campbell (-13) still has a chance to win it and take the spot to LIV Golf. The Australian is in eighth place and needs to win the tournament. It’s not easy because he also needs help from Uihlein, but at least he has the opportunity. Meanwhile, John Catlin (-6), who was the leader for a good part of the year, has been completely ruled out. Remember that Uihlein has been the leader of the ranking since he overtook Catlin last week in Qatar.
