By Matt Smith
For fans coming out to watch the Asian Tour’s first visit to North Africa for the $1.5 million International Series Morocco this week should recognise a familiar name on the leaderboard at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam.
A certain Mr Koepka will be leading a fleet of LIV Golfers heading to Rabat to contend in the landmark event, now their inaugural season is over.
However, it is not four-time major winner, former world No. 1 and LIV Golf Jeddah champ Brooks who will line up in Morocco, but rather his brother and fellow Smash teammate Chase.
Chase has steadily improved over the first LIV Golf season, with some solid golf also helping his Smash GC to the team title in Saudi Arabia. He will be leading a youthful LIV brigade, with the likes of James Piot, Turk Pettit, David Puig and Andy Ogletree joining Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent and Asian Tour regulars Sadom Kaewkanjana, Phachara Khongwatmai and Sihwan Kim out on the course from Thursday.
Scott Vincent and Sihwan Kim ahead of the Asian Tour International Series Morocco. Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour
Vincent is no stranger to the Asian Tour himself, balancing his time out there with his duties on LIV Golf, and with just four events remaining, including the International Series Morocco, the Zimbabwean is ranked first on the International Series Order of Merit (OOM) and fifth on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, with lucrative purses still to play for.
Despite the stakes being high, Vincent is taking it one step at a time. “I try not to think about it,” he told the Asian Tour. “Obviously, it is there, and people talk about it. For me it’s not a priority, I am just trying to work on being present, being here. This is one of the steps in my career, this is where I am now.
“I am focusing on the very next thing I have to do, which is a press conference I have to be at shortly. And, of course, any opportunity I have to come back and play in Africa it is a great thing.”
The Tour moves over to the International Series Egypt next week, finishing with the Bangladesh Open and the Indonesian Masters – which is also an International Series event.
Vincent leads the International Series OOM with earnings of US$407,025 from the four International Series events played so far, by $80,000 from Sihwan. On the Asian Tour OOM he trails leader Bio Kim by around $180,000. But, with big purses still to play for, all that could quickly change.
“I think the course this week is going to show you who are the best players,” added Vincent. “My game comes and goes, it is a work in progress and we try and stick to our routines and work the best with what we have. I am constantly working on it, trying to improve, trying to make my game the best it can be.
“Just coming from last week [LIV Golf Team Championship in Miami], I haven’t fully digested it. Off the top of my head, those guys who are the best in the world, like Cameron Smith and Dustin Johnson, they are able to do what they do more consistently at a very high level and very often. I have got to find ways to do that very consistently.”
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