Eugenio López-Chacarra (-5), with a flawless round of 66 strokes and five birdies, has been the only Spaniard present at the PIF Saudi International who has started the tournament in contention for the top spots this week, wrapping up the 2024 season on the Asian Tour. The Madrid golfer, with a long list of players in fifth place, comes from achieving a notable top 10 last week in Qatar and is finishing the course at a high level.
Ahead in the standings, only four names appear: Taiwanese Chang Wei Lun (-7) and Thai Sadom Kaewkanjana (-7), who share the lead after the first 18 holes, and South Korean Yubin Jang (-6) and Chilean Joaquín Niemann (-6), tied in third place. Other top-level players like Peter Uihlein (-5), winner in Doha, Talor Gooch (-5), Kevin Na (-5), Matthew Wolff (-5), or Jason Kokrak (-5) are also looking upwards like the Spaniard.
Bunker perfection from @TyrrellHatton 💯@SaudiIntlGolf @intseriesgolf @LegionXIIIgc #PIF_SaudiIntlGolf #InternationalSeries #ThisISEverything #TimeToRise pic.twitter.com/FNJtU1jWTj
— Asian Tour (@asiantourgolf) December 4, 2024
Chang, who obtained the visa to play the tournament practically at the last minute, managed to make the most of the first round at the Riyadh Golf Club with seven birdies and no bogeys. “I didn’t get the visa until Monday, which was the day of my arrival. It’s a really big event, probably the biggest I’ve played in, so I’m a bit nervous,” he admitted after completing his first 18 holes in this event that distributes five million dollars in prizes.
The start has been less bright for the rest of the Armada members present in this star event of the Asian tour, with a strong field featuring several LIV Golf players. Luis Masaveu (-2), who delivered a good performance in Doha with an invitation, is the only one alongside Chacarra within the top 50. Meanwhile, David Puig (PAR) and Sergio García (PAR) appear in the lower part of the standings, although with enough time to recover as the distances are not significant.
A birdie putt, a fist pump and a ‘strange’ celebratory dance from @TheSergioGarcia 🕺🤣@fireballsgc_ @SaudiIntlGolf @intseriesgolf #PIF_SaudiIntlGolf #InternationalSeries #ThisISEverything #TimeToRise pic.twitter.com/NixYrEE691
— Asian Tour (@asiantourgolf) December 4, 2024
In the battle for the top spot in the International Series ranking, which grants a spot to play in LIV Golf in 2025 (from second place to 40th can play the Saudi tour school), Uihlein, leader with 1071.10 points, is gaining the upper hand at the start of this tournament over John Catlin (-3), second, and Ben Campbell (-3), third. Other notable names in this event in the United Arab Emirates include Richard Bland (-4), Thomas Pieters (-4), recently signed by the 4Aces in LIV, Cameron Smith (-4), Sebastián Muñoz (-3), Patrick Reed (-3), Bubba Watson (-2), Carlos Ortiz (-2), or Dustin Johnson (-1).
