Staff WriterThe PIF Saudi International didn’t so much begin as erupt, with Caleb Surratt and Adrian Meronk tearing Riyadh Golf Club to shreds in matching nine-under 62s to seize the first-round lead.
By the time the sun dipped behind the clubhouse, the season finale of The International Series had already turned into a scrap worthy of a title fight.
Belgium’s Thomas Pieters lurked just a stroke back after a smooth 63, while Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat made himself at home with a 64. It’s the last stop on The International Series schedule and the third-to-last Asian Tour event of the year — stakes high enough to make even the practice green feel like a pressure cooker.
This week is the final shot for Asian Tour hopefuls chasing the top two spots in The International Series Rankings and, with them, a golden ticket to the LIV Golf League. Scott Vincent, Yosuke Asaji, and Miguel Tabuena — the current top three — found themselves grouped together, and the afternoon didn’t exactly separate them: Vincent and Tabuena posted 67s, while Asaji stumbled to a 72.
With 324 points on offer to the winner, the maths is simple: the door is wide open, and anyone with a pulse still has a chance.
Surratt Back on 59 Watch
Both Surratt and Meronk know this turf well. Surratt famously fired a course-record 61 here last year before losing to Joaquin Niemann in a play-off, and Meronk walked away with the LIV Golf Riyadh trophy in February. Clearly, the place triggers something in both men.
Starting on the 10th, Surratt looked ready to rewrite his own record. He ripped through the back nine in a blistering seven-under 29, rattling off six consecutive birdies from the 11th to the 16th and slapping on another at the last. Two more on one and two put him on 59 watch, before a bogey at the fourth put that dream back in its box. A closing birdie on nine iced a wild 62.
“It was a great day,” he said. “I’ve been working really, really hard the last few weeks. This is my fifth week travelling, so I’ve learned a lot. I’ve had to fight a lot of battles, so it was kind of nice to win today’s battle. I’m very pleased, but it’s just the start of the tournament.”
Just 21, the North Carolina talent signed with Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII after turning pro and has spent the year menacing leaderboards without quite sealing one off.
“It’s been a much better year. I believe I’m one of the best players, and I truly have shown myself that, especially towards the back half of the year. I’m really starting to learn my process, learn what I need to do to play well,” he said.
“I think it’s an everlasting process to learn how to be more consistent. I feel like my good golf is more than good enough, but what makes all these great players so good is they can bring it nearly every week.”
Meronk’s Riyadh Comfort Zone
Meronk, meanwhile, looked as settled as a man playing his home club on a Wednesday roll-up.
“I don’t know. It just seems like it [Riyadh Golf Club] suits my game,” he said. “I really like it. I think I kind of know how to play this course already, and I like the greens. They roll nicely. I see the break nicely. Yeah, I just enjoy playing here. Excited to be here again.”
With his first LIV Golf League win arriving here earlier in the season, the Polish Cleeks GC star is clearly tapping the same rhythm again.
Pieters Red-Hot With the Putter
Pieters closed with two birdies to haul himself into contention, fuelled by a putter that behaved like it owed him money.
“I putted unbelievable today. I think I had 24 putts,” he said. “Usually, I don’t make a lot of putts from 10 to 15 feet, and today I made all of them.
“I was putting on Sunday night on my putting green at home, and I was just kind of messing about with different models and stuff. I always like to tinker with putters. This one is an old one that I got eight, nine years ago, never used it, but it did a good job today.”
Kiradech Knocking Again
Kiradech, another player with solid memories in the region, kept himself well in the hunt. The former Asian Tour Order of Merit champion has been knocking on the door for weeks, and once again looked comfortable in Riyadh.
“I’m quite pleased with the way I’m playing the past couple months. Starting really good, just can’t get everything going through the weekend. But I just keep knocking on the door, and hopefully everything is coming together,” he said.
“I’ve been playing here not often, but this is my third time playing in this place, and I would say the green conditions is one of the best compared with the last two I played before.”
Chasing Pack
Louis Oosthuizen, Paul Casey, Seonghyeon Kim, and Sebastian Munoz lurk at five-under, while defending champion Joaquin Niemann limped in with a 72. Cam Smith, also part of last year’s playoff, signed for a 71.
And with the PIF Saudi International once again playing host to late-season drama, you get the sense we’re only just getting warmed up.
