Australians Jack Buchanan and Brett Coletta were among the 20 players who qualified for the final day of the LIV Golf Promotions event in Riyad.
The motivation to play at Riyadh Golf Club is huge because the winner of Saturday’s 36-hole final qualifies for the LIV league next season.
Also at stake is a purse worth $US1.5 million ($US2.3 million). The top 10 finishers, including ties, are also eligible for full exemption from all 2025 International Series events sanctioned by the Asian Tour.
On Friday, Buchanan and Coletta each shot a 4-under 67 to get into the competition.
Their rivals for the top prize include Branden Grace from South Africa and brothers Scott and Kieran Vincent from Zimbabwe.
The event began on Thursday, but Grace and the Vincents were among 29 players excluded from the second round on Friday. All three are former full-time members of LIV Golf who were relegated at the end of 2024.
Grace, a 15-time winner around the world, including one LIV event, became the first player to shoot a round of 62 in a major championship (2017 Open Championship).
Scott Vincent had his best round of the day at Riyadh Golf Club, shooting an 8-under-par 63.
However, there is not enough room for both Vincent brothers in the LIV Golf 2025 golf season, and only the best player qualifies for the next season.
“Of course I want him to do really well,” Scott Vincent said of his brother, “but at the same time I just want to be one step ahead of him and I’m sure he wants the exact same thing.”
Kieran Vincent shot 65 on Friday to Grace’s 66. Kieran Vincent earned promotion to the league at this event last year when three spots were available.
The only American to qualify for the final day was Ollie Schniederjans, who won 6-1 in overtime in three playoff holes.
“I want to play against the best players in the world again,” said Schniederjans, a former top amateur.
“I think I’m getting back into shape – I’m fully healthy. I’ve been through a lot and I just want to prove myself again and get a chance.”
Among the former LIV players who did not play well enough to advance on Friday were Finn Kalle Samooja and American wild card Hudson Swafford.
The list of 20 players is as follows:
Jack Buchanan (Australia), Ben Campbell (New Zealand), Gunn Charoenkul (Thailand), Brett Coletta (Australia), Branden Grace (South Africa), Jeongwoo Ham (South Korea), David Horsey (England), Taichi Kho (Hong Kong), Lee Chieh-Po (Taiwan), Daihan Lee (South Korea), Richard T. Lee (Canada), Soomin Lee (South Korea), Steve Lewton (England), Suteepat Prateeptienchai (Thailand), Max Rottluff (Germany), Ollie Schniederjans (USA), Kieran Vincent (Zimbabwe), Scott Vincent (Zimbabwe), Borja Virto (Spain), Jeunghun Wang (South Korea).
