Asian Tour Yearbook: 2023

champion in Japan, Vincent started with an even-par round that put him in tied 23rd place and way outside the Lock Zone in projected standings. But the long blonde haired Zimbabwean turned it around on Saturday with a spectacular eight-under-par 64, and finished the job on Sunday with a crucial birdie on the 18th hole. And when Sergio Garcia could only make a par to finish on 12-under par total, Vincent had done enough to elevate himself to 22nd place and earn the privilege of playing another full season on LIV Golf. “I was told how the chips fell in place in the end. It was a matter of making a few putts, and others missing a few. I am so happy and so blessed. This is hard to explain. This is the work of God,” said the 31-year-old after his round. “I did what I wanted to do… just stay in the moment and try to enjoy it. No matter how it goes, I knew this whole experience was going to help me become a better player in the future. Just dealing with everything that happened after finishing the round on Saturday, to trying to get good sleep and trying to get ready for today, it is a great learning.” The joy for the Vincent family was doubled later in the year when younger brother Kieran, winner of International Series Vietnam, also punched his ticket to the 2024 LIV Golf season by finishing inside the top-three in the Promotions event in Abu Dhabi. Kieran was involved in a three-way playoff for the second and third places after Finland’s Kalle Samooja won the tournament. Alongside Japan’s Jinichiro Kozuma, Vincent prevailed over England’s Laurie Canter in the second playoff hole. Vincent joins Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII, while Kozuma, who played three LIV events in 2022 and had a top-10 finish in Portland, will become part of Kevin Na’s Iron Heads. American Andy Ogletree was the other LIV Golf hero, securing his spot in the League after winning the 2023 International Series Order of Merit, alongside the Asian Tour Order of Merit. STARS DOMINATE STORYLINES DeChambeau fell outside the top-three of the season-long individual standing and was thus denied a share of the bonus pool, on a topsy-turvy final day in Jeddah. That was a shame as the big Texan was the man to watch all season after he got a few issues with his game sorted in Adelaide. Starting from the second round of Adelaide, DeChambeau posted 20 straight sub-par rounds, including a stunning eight-under par Saturday on the difficult Valderrama, and the remarkable 61-58 weekend in Greenbrier. The Crushers’ captain finished the season number four in the standings with two wins. Also winning twice during the season were superstars Cameron Smith (London and Bedminster) and Brooks Koepka (Orlando and Jeddah). If there was a Player of the Year vote on LIV, Koepka would have been tough to beat as he also finished second in the Masters and won the PGA Championship. However, Gooch upstaged the major champions with his three-win season (Adelaide, Singapore and Andalucia). The key was his clutch performance in finishing second to Koepka in a play-off in Jeddah. That ensured he’d follow Dustin Johnson as the new Individual Champion of LIV Golf. In Team competition, the all-South American Torque GC won four titles but finished the regular season behind 4Aces and Crushers, who both had two titles each. The trick was the higher number of finishes inside the top-four. Crushers GC [FAR LEFT] claimed the overall team title, helped by former Asian Tour number one Anirban Lahiri [ABOVE]. Scott Vincent [RIGHT] kept his playing privileges on LIV, thanks to a fourth- place finish in Singapore. 151