Former U.S. Amateur Champion Gets First Pro Win As Two Players Earn Spots on LIV Golf

Josele Ballester won the Asian Tour’s Saudi International, as Scott Vincent and Yosuki Asaji will join the Spaniard on LIV next year due to their finish in the season-long rankings.

Josele Ballester claimed his first pro victory at the Saudi International. | Melissa Tamez-Imagn Images

Victor Perez and Laurie Canter won’t be the only players to join or re-join LIV Golf next year. 

On Saturday at the Asian Tour’s Saudi International, Scott Vincent of Zimbabwe and Yosuki Asaji of Japan finished atop the circuit’s season-long standings, earning two spots on LIV in 2026. 

“Obviously, very thankful,” said Vincent, who was part of LIV in 2024 but was relegated from the Saudi-backed circuit. “It’s great that this has worked out for me.”

Meanwhile, the winner of the Saudi International is LIV golfer Josele Ballester of Spain. The 22-year-old former Arizona State Sun Devil, who won the 2024 U.S. Amateur, claimed his first professional title by three strokes. 

“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,” he said. “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.”

Elsewhere on the leaderboard, Anthony Kim was T5, eight strokes behind Ballester. It’s the 40-year-old American’s best finish since returning to golf last year, playing on LIV, after a 12-year stretch away from the sport.

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