Robert TheodorsonThe Riyadh Golf Club will host the finale to The International Series (IS) this week (November 19 – 22).
The PIF Saudi International, the star-studded event that will feature over forty LIV Golf stars, including Joaquin Niemann, Tyrrell Hatton, Dustin Johnson, and more. The finale will take place at the fabulous Riyadh Golf Club, home to the 2025 and 2026 LIV Golf League opening tournaments.
Joaquin Niemann, the 2024 PIF Saudi International Champion, looks to defend his title and gain further recognition as one of the world’s top golfers.
Joining Niemann and the LIV field will be Asian Tour veterans looking to finish the season strong, and be rewarded greatly for their season-long efforts and a chance to play in the 2026 LIV Golf Promotions event.
Pathway to LIV
The top two golfers from The Asian Tour who have participated in The IS will earn themselves a pathway to membership for the 2026 LIV Golf season.
Currently, former LIV golfer Scott Vincent leads the standings with 325 points by way of participating in all eight tournaments up to this point. Japan’s Yosuke Asaji, winner of the last tournament in Singapore, is holding on to second place with 285 points.
With a win being worth 180 points and a second-place finish good for 110, the PIF Saudi International is shaping up to be a great contest that could very well make or break careers!
There is however, good news for those who fail to capture the win, but end the season on a strong note!
The PIF Saudi International can be used as a springboard to the special LIV Golf Promotions Event (January 8 – 11) at the Black Diamond Ranch in Lecanto, Florida.
According to the IS’s website, “The International Series Rankings guarantees the leading two players a coveted golden ticket to the lucrative LIV Golf League. Additionally, based on points accumulated across the set of elevated Asian Tour events, the top ten available players from the top 20 on the Rankings earn automatic entry into the second round of next year’s innovative LIV Golf Promotions event. Asian Tour winners, and the next 25 eligible players in the top 40 of the rankings, will also secure a place in the first round of the innovative tournament, which offers two additional places on the LIV Golf roster.”
This means that those golfers ranked 3 – 10 after The PIF Saudi International will get an additional chance to snag one of the two remaining spots up for grabs.
Last season Taiwan’s Max Lee earned his spot in the league by taking down all competitors. This time around, two lucky and well-deserving Asian Tour stars plan to make the jump to LIV.
The Stars Come Out to Shine for Autumn’s Biggest Tournament
On November 4th LIV announced their intention to move to a 72-hole format tournament.
For those not named Tyrrell Hatton or Patrick Reed who have not played much golf outside LIV, the PIF Saudi International will act as a tune-up for the majority of the LIV field who will need to get back into the feel of four-day tournaments.
By moving to the 72-hole format, LIV hopes that it’s events will become accredited like the IS. For young up-and-coming golfers like Tom McKibbin and Joselle Ballester earning OWGR points isn’t just about career development; it’s about making a name for themselves.
McKibbin, who recently qualified for the 2026 Masters and Open by virtue of winning the Link Hong Kong Open (also an IS tournament) is on the fast track towards stardom and looks to give fans another look of what he is capable of before the 2026 major championship circuit.
Ballester, the 2024 U.S. Amateur Champion, has tasted the majors’ atmosphere by winning that title, but currently does not have a roadmap to getting back into the mix of things. Tournaments like this weekends could change that.
Last year’s PIF Saudi International winner Joaquin Niemann is perhaps the highest-profile LIV golfer who will benefit from tournaments like this and the subsequent hypothetical OWGR points. Of the move to 72-holes, Niemann had this to say, “I’m excited to see the League make this shift. Moving to 72 holes means more competition, which is what we want. We’re here to compete every round and this evolution delivers that for our team. More time on-course means more opportunity, whether it’s visibility, performance, or delivering for our fans.”
Future Dividends, Majors in the Mix?
Niemann, who has not currently qualified for the 2026 Masters but finished T29 last April, likely owed his special invitation to winning the 2024 PIF Saudi International. For big-name stars like Joaco, this 2025 iteration could lead to another special invitation and a chance to play for the coveted green jacket.
Teammates such as Carlos Ortiz and Sebastian Munoz, joined by other strong options in the field will certainly be looking to parlay this unique experience into future dividends as Niemann did last year.
Consistently fielding a strong list of golfers as the Riyadh Golf Club shall do this weekend will likely ensure interest and momentum in the IS picks up. As we’ve seen with Tom McKibbin’s recent success, there’s no reason that a number of these tournaments can’t turn into qualification pathways.
When Bryson DeChambeau decided to tee it up in the season opener in India earlier this year, it signalled something pretty simple: The International Series is no longer a side quest – it’s part of the main storyline. The fields are deeper, the purses are bigger, and the consequences for careers are real.
The collaboration between LIV Golf and the Asian Tour has already turned heads in locker rooms and major championship boardrooms. Now, with a 72-hole LIV format on the horizon and OWGR conversations refusing to go away, weeks like this aren’t just about cashing a cheque – they’re about proving you belong on the sport’s biggest stages.
Riyadh Golf Club sits right at the crossroads of all of it. For some, the PIF Saudi International will be a launchpad into LIV. For others, it will be a last audition in front of the majors. And for the next wave of McKibbins, Ballesters and Max Lees, it’s a chance to turn anonymous tee times into career-changing Sundays.
Of all the tournaments on the calendar before the New Year, few carry as much risk, reward and repercussion as this one.
If you want to see where men’s professional golf is heading next, you start by watching what happens in Riyadh this week.
