Former US Amateur champion Ballester wins in Saudi and 2 players advance to LIV Golf

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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Former U.S. Amateur champion Josele Ballester closed with a 6-under 65 for a three-shot victory Saturday in the Saudi International for his first professional victory.

It was the final event of the International Series on the Asian Tour. Scott Vincent of Zimbabwe and Yosuki Asaji of Japan finished atop the rankings to earn the two spots on LIV Golf for next year.

Vincent was part of LIV Golf in 2024 but finished 50th in the standings and was relegated out of the Saudi-funded league.

Ballester, who played his college golf at Arizona State, joined the Fireballs team on LIV Golf last summer. He had two top-10 finishes in his six starts.

The Spaniard started the final round one shot behind and finished at 22-under 262, three ahead of Caleb Surratt (69). Anthony Kim (70) tied for fifth, eight shots behind, for his best finish since he returned to golf last year on LIV after a 12-year hiatus.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf