Josele Ballester Breaks Through - Two New Players Join LIV Golf League

The two extreme's of professional golfer were represented at this weekend's PIF Saudi International.

The field featured major champions like Cameron Smith, Dustin Johnson, and Sergio Garcia, but was also filled with Asian Tour players aspiring to continue their climb to the highest levels of the game. Players like Yosuke Asaji, a 32 year old veteran of the Japan Golf Tour who’s been on the run of a lifetime. There were also players like Anthony Kim, Scott Vincent, Frederik Kjettrup, and Yubin Jang. Players who had a taste of what playing on LIV Golf was like, and were trying to find their way back.

Recent changes to the International Series Order of Merit exemptions awarded to LIV Golf added to the storylines at this event. In years prior, the winner of the Order of Merit for the International Series was awarded a spot on LIV Golf. It would be awarded to just one player, and if that player was already a member of LIV Golf, then no spot was awarded. Earlier this fall it was confirmed that not only would the spot be guaranteed, meaning it would drop to the first non-exempt player, it would also be granted to the top two finishers on the order of merit.

A dozen or so players entered the week in the hunt for the coveted exemptions, but no one was better positioned than former Iron Heads GC member Scott Vincent. He played on the league for the first three years, but was relegated after finishing 50th in the season long standings. He entered the week with 325 points, 40 clear of his closest competitor. Aside from a terrible stroke of luck where two players in the hunt for the exemptions finished inside the top 3, he had all but secured his spot.

The second spot wasn’t as much of a lock, though Yosuke Asaji must have felt great about his chances entering this event. Yosuke has accumulated a handful of wins on the Japan Golf Tour, but had never been able to make his mark in his spattering of chances on the DP World Tour and Asian Tour, until very recently. Earlier this season he finished T22 in Morocco as part of the International Series, his best finish in an event of that caliber since his T14 at the ISPS Handa Championship on the DP World Tour in 2013.

Just last month he’d do even better, finishing in a tie for second place at the International Series Philippines. His best performance to date by far. But Yosuke wasn’t done as two weeks later he’d win the Moutai Singapore Open, an International Series Event also on the Asian Tour.

This recent form positioned him nicely to claim the second LIV Golf exemption being awarded this week. Unfortunately he’d shoot +1 in both of the opening rounds and miss the cut, meaning his future was in the hands of others, mainly Miguel Tabuena. Tabuena was roughly 50 points behind him in the Order of Merit, meaning he’d have to finish in 6th place to leap over Asaji and claim the spot.

Tabuena would fall two shots short and both Scott Vincent and Yosuke Asaji would remain the #1 and #2 ranked players respectively, and claim the LIV Golf exemptions for the 2026 season.

Though it’s likely that both players will join as Wild Cards, I could see Iron Heads captain Kevin Na signing Scott Vincent to the roster, as he had some solid showings in prior seasons.

The LIV Golf exemptions are only part of the story at the PIF Saudi International though. For the fans, this is the first time we’ve seen some of the top players in the world teeing it up since the conclusion of the LIV Golf season. While many have played events on other tours already this offseason, there weren’t any with the quality of the field they’re up against this week.

The field featured 43 LIV Golf players, a $5 million purse, and an opportunity to see where everyone's game is midway through the offseason.

The most captivating story in the first half of the tournament was Anthony Kim's performance. After being relegated from LIV Golf as a “wild card” player, he’d played four events on the Asian Tour before this week, making the cut in three of them. Though none of those resulted in a finish better than T43, there were signs that his game was continuing to trend in the right direction.

Though nobody expected it to take the step that it did this week. He’d open with a round of 67 and follow it up with a bogey free 64, finding himself tied for third place through 36 holes. He’d simmer down slightly, but still finish with a 69-70 on the weekend, posting his best result since returning to professional golf.

AK's performance would overshadow the strong opening rounds from young LIV Golf stars Caleb Surratt and Josele Ballester. Through three rounds Caleb and Joesele would find themselves firmly in the hunt, tied for the lead at -17 and one shot back at -16, respectively. But nobody was catching Josele Ballester this week. He’d make birdie on three of the first 6 holes en route to a final round of 65, finishing at -22. Three shots clear of Caleb Surratt and four of Dean Burmester, the 54 hole leader.

Ballester turned professional and joined LIV Golf as a member of Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs GC midway through the 2025 season, replacing Luis Masaveu. After a slow start to his professional golf career, he’d record two top 10s, including a playoff loss in Chicago. Everybody who’s watched him play knew immediately that he had the talent to compete with anybody in the world, and know he’s shown that. Prior to turning professional he’d won both the European Amateur and the US Amateur, and now he’s a winner as a professional with the 2025 PIF Saudi International.

Hard to imagine that Josele Ballester isn’t a name we’re going to be hearing a lot of over the next few years. It’s something you hear a lot around professional golf, and it’s become a bit of a cliché, but it just sounds different when you hear Ballester hit the ball.