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Golf Monthly

Sport

Jonny Leighfield

44 LIV Golfers Confirmed For Saudi International

LIV (Organization) Saudi International (Organization) Golf OWGR LIV Golf (Event) Abraham Ancer Asian Tour (Event) Anthony Kim Bubba Watson Cameron Smith

Abraham Ancer with the PIF Saudi International trophy.

The Asian Tour's season-ending tournament - the PIF Saudi International - is set to have a very distinctive LIV Golf theme running through it next month.

The last time this tournament took place was in February 2023, and Abraham Ancer claimed the spoils in what was - at the time - the Asian Tour's opening event of the season.

Back then, all 48 players who had participated in the inaugural LIV Golf Team Championship months prior travelled over to Saudi Arabia while Bubba Watson also joined after missing much of 2022 due to knee surgery.

But, having moved to become the Asian Tour and International Series' finale between December 4-7 in 2024, the breakaway circuit will have 44 of this term's 54 permanent members in action at Riyadh Golf Club.

The Saudi course - which was also used for the Asian Tour's 2024 Saudi Open - makes its debut at this event after five years of Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City.

Discussing the new date and course, Asian Tour CEO, Cho Minn Thant said: “This new date gives the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers the key position and prominence it deserves as the climax to our season.

"We believe Riyadh Golf Club will provide an excellent stage to showcase the culmination of our year and, with so much on the line, it should make for a dramatic and must-watch ending to our 2024 season.”

Among the high-profile names confirmed includes four previous winners of the event - Dustin Johnson, Graeme McDowell, Harold Varner III, and Ancer - plus several of LIV's biggest stars such as Tyrrell Hatton, Cameron Smith, Joaquin Niemann, and Patrick Reed.

Anthony Kim will make the latest appearance in his comeback season, too, and a handful more invites could yet be handed out.

The preliminary field does not feature any PGA Tour players, however, after Cameron Young was one of "a few" golfers from the US-based circuit who was allowed to miss the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last season.

Jon Rahm is one of a few high-profile LIV names not in the Saudi International field (Image credit: Getty Images)

However, LIV Golf's 2024 individual champion Jon Rahm is not teeing it up after becoming a father for the third time recently, and neither are Major winners, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau as they prepare for their TV clash against Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler in Las Vegas a couple of weeks later.

The PIF Saudi International will have a total of 120 golfers in the field competing for a $5 million prize purse, with more than a third holding a current allegiance to the LIV Golf League.

In a much stronger field than many Asian Tour events, several non-LIV members will be desperate to do well in order to try and top the International Series Rankings and secure promotion to the 54-hole league in 2025.

John Catlin leads the International Series Rankings and played six LIV events in 2024 (Image credit: Getty Images)

Aside from the LIV Golf Promotions competition days after the Asian Tour campaign ends, topping the 10-tournament group of elevated events is one of the very few ways golfers can earn their spot in the lucrative circuit for the following year.

As it stands, John Catlin - who filled in as a reserve six times in 2024 - is on track to collect a full LIV card next season ahead of Richard T. Lee.

The 2025 LIV Golf League schedule was released earlier this month and confirmed the circuit will begin at Riyadh Golf Club in early February before taking in four further Asian or Oceanic nations over the first half of the season.

Bearing in mind the full schedule has not been announced, the final tournament is currently LIV Golf Indianapolis - set to take place at The Club at Chatham Hills.