Josele Ballester announced himself as golf's newest rising force after storming to victory at the $5 million PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers, an extraordinary achievement considering it came in only his 10th start as a professional on the Asian Tour.

The young Spaniard, just 22, delivered a composed and commanding final-round 65 at Riyadh Golf Club to cap off a week of breathtaking consistency with rounds of 66, 65, and 66. His 22-under-par total gave him a convincing three-shot cushion over American Caleb Surratt, last year's joint runner-up, who posted a closing 69.

Ballester's triumph, forged with a fearless display of precision and poise, denied South African Dean Burmester, who beat him in extra holes at LIV Golf Chicago in August. Burmester's 71 left him settling for third, while England's Richard Bland carded a 68 to secure fourth.

Another notable performance came from American Anthony Kim, who continues his remarkable comeback after a 12-year absence from the sport. His closing 70 earned him a share of fifth, his best result since returning to competitive golf.

Dubai-based Adrian Meronk, representing Cleeks GC on LIV Golf, also produced a strong showing with rounds of 62, 70, 68, and 70 to join Kim at 14-under.

Vincent claims rankings crown

The event marked the finale of The International Series season, with Zimbabwe's Scott Vincent clinching the top spot in the Series Rankings ahead of Japan's Yosuke Asaji. Both players have now secured their place on LIV Golf for the 2026 season.

For Ballester, the win marks the culmination of a remarkable year. After claiming the US Amateur title and representing Europe in the Bonallack Trophy at Al Hamra Golf Club in the UAE earlier this year, he turned professional and joined Sergio Garcia's Fireballs GC midway through the season.

Starting the final round one shot behind co-leaders Surratt and Burmeste, and paired alongside them, Ballester wasted no time asserting himself. Three front-nine birdies with no dropped shots flipped the leaderboard in his favour. On the back nine, he refused to relinquish control, adding three more birdies, including a crucial one on the 16th, to glide home unchallenged and pocket the $1 million first-place prize.

“First of all, thank you so much. I'm super happy,” said Ballester.
“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 who have been there supporting me.”

Rapid rise through learning

“It's been great these past few months. It's been a lot of learning. When I joined LIV, I wasn't playing well, 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,” concluded the champion.

Surratt, meanwhile, continues to chase his breakthrough moment. His runner-up finish marks his third time placing second on The International Series, following last year's dramatic playoff loss to Chile's Joaquin Niemann.

On the Asian Tour Order of Merit, Japan's Kazuki Higa retained the top spot after finishing tied 65th, ahead of Vincent and Miguel Tabuena with two events remaining.

Next up for the Tour is a trip to India for the inaugural Bharath Classic at Kensville Golf Resort in Ahmedabad, jointly sanctioned with the newly formed Indian Golf Premier League. The tournament runs November 27–30.

• J. Ballester (Spain) – 66, 65, 66, 65 – 262

• C. Surratt (US) – 62, 66, 68, 69 – 265

• D. Burmester (RSA) – 69, 63, 64, 71 – 267

• R. Bland (Eng) – 70, 66, 64, 68 – 268

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