Staff WriterThe PIF Saudi International delivered a new star on Saturday, as Spain’s Josele Ballester tore through Riyadh Golf Club to claim his first professional title.
The 22-year-old did it with the swagger of someone who’s been here for years, not someone making just his 10th professional start, and certainly not someone who only joined Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs GC midway through the season. By the time he tapped in for a six-under-par 65, the PIF Saudi International had its champion, and golf had one more young contender who looks like he’s built for the long haul.
Ballester didn’t tiptoe into the spotlight. He smashed his way in, seeing off last year’s joint runner-up Caleb Surratt by three shots. Surratt, who carded a 69, found himself forced into playing catch-up before breakfast, and never quite clawed back the gap. Dean Burmester – the same Burmester who edged Ballester in extra-time at LIV Golf Chicago – returned a 71 for third. England’s Richard Bland stitched together a tidy 68 to take fourth.
But the story beneath the headline belonged to another comeback man: Anthony Kim. The American shot 70 and tied for fifth, easily his most convincing result since his return from that 12-year sabbatical. For Kim, it was a flicker of the fire everyone hoped he still had.
Ballester’s Breakout
Ballester started the day one behind Surratt and Burmester. By the turn, he’d turned the tables with three birdies and no mistakes. The back nine was more of the same: clean, composed, and cold-blooded. When his final birdie dropped on 16, the fight was over.
“First of all, thank you so much. I’m super happy,” he said, brimming with the sort of joy that makes you forget this sport can be brutal.
“It’s been everything, right? Like at the end of the day, being a young boy dreaming about this moment, winning your first professional career. This is why I worked so hard every day. It’s been really cool, to finally get this done. It’s going to make me keep working even harder to accomplish all the things I have.
“But right now I’m really happy and thankful for all the people that have been there supporting me.
“It’s been great these past few months. It’s been a lot of learning. When I joined LIV, I was not playing great, and it was a learning process. I had to become better. It’s been really cool to see that in this brief time I’ve gotten so much better and that I can compete at the highest level with the best players in the world.”
If his play in Riyadh is anything to go by, he’s not just competing—he’s circling the top of leaderboards with intent.
Surratt Left Wanting Again
Caleb Surratt knows this feeling too well. Another close call, another runner-up finish on The International Series, and another week where the win was there for the taking.
“Yeah, it’s hard,” he admitted.
“I finished runner-up at this event last year. So, it’s tough. I feel like I’m overdue on my first win. I definitely had that in my mind today. Just getting off to a bad start really hurt me. Josele was beating me by four shots today through three holes. He’s an amazing player, props to him. I’m sure we’ll have many, many good battles.”
Two dropped shots in the opening two holes set the tone. He fought hard, made enough birdies to stay relevant, but the hill he built for himself early on was too steep.
Vincent Secures His Return to LIV
While the title battle played out, the season-long narrative came to its conclusion. Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent, the steady hand of The International Series, locked up the Rankings for the second time after winning the inaugural edition in 2022. His final-round 75 wasn’t pretty, but it didn’t need to be. His cushion was enough.
“I think it’s still settling in,” he said.
“Right now, all I want to do is go see my family. Yeah, we’ll head towards them tonight and can’t wait to see them.
“I woke up at about 4:30, which was two hours before I was hoping to. Then you start playing all the different scenarios in your head, which was not what I was hoping for.
“Yeah, I kind of just – I wanted to come out here and just play freely and give it my best, but yeah, I was nervous. Obviously not knowing and not trying to look at leaderboards, you don’t know how much of a cushion you have. You don’t want to be the guy who’s ahead and loses, all those things.”
He’ll rejoin the LIV Golf League next year, alongside Japan’s Yosuke Asaji, who hung on to second in the rankings despite missing the cut in Riyadh. Filipino Miguel Tabuena made a valiant charge but fell 25.25 points short after finishing tied 11th.
Looking Ahead
Tabuena needed a top-six finish to leapfrog Asaji and seemed on track through the front nine, but late bogeys at 12 and 16 ended the dream of becoming the Philippines’ first LIV League player.
With the season wrapped, attention now shifts to India. The Asian Tour heads to Ahmedabad for the Bharath Classic at Kensville Golf Resort, November 27–30, jointly sanctioned with the new Indian Golf Premier League.
If Riyadh taught us anything, it’s that fresh faces are coming fast, and none faster than the kid from Spain who just blew the doors off the PIF Saudi International.
