Ben Campbell is delighted to relive the memories of his stunning victory last year at International Series Morocco, but on the eve of the tournament at the Royal Golf Dar Es Salam’s iconic Red Course, the defending champion believes the time has come to “flick the switch” and concentrate on the present.
The 33-year-old New Zealander came from three shots back with two to play last year, reeling in John Catlin with an eagle-birdie finish, before another birdie on 18 – the first play-off hole – secured a thrilling victory.
The 33-year-old, a two-time winner on the Asian Tour who also won the storied Link Hong Kong Open in 2023, told a packed pre-tournament press conference: “It is obviously great to reflect on last year, but for me, the here and now becomes the priority. So I have to put last year’s results behind me and focus on what I have to do.
“Obviously, around here, that means trying to hit a lot of fairways and finding the greens. So I think for me, it is great being back. Yes, it is great reminiscing on the win last year, but it is time to flip the switch and get ready for the event.”
Campbell has very happy memories of last year’s tournament. His performance had a lot to do with his close-season move on to LIV Golf, where he joined the Range Goats GC team captained by two-time major winner Bubba Watson.
Since then, he has proved his worth to the team with a season-high third-placed finish at LIV Golf Singapore, as well as a T15 in Riyadh and a T19 in Virginia.

Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand and Ayoub Lguirati of Morocco with Ben Campbell of New Zealand and Charl Schwartzel of South Africa during the press conference ahead of International Series Morocco. Image by Asian Tou
Referring to the performance in Rabat last year, he said: “It had a lot to do with it. I think it got me right up there in the International Series rankings, and it helped me a lot. I also played with Bubba at the Indonesian Masters as well, which also helped for sure. But yes, it had a lot to do with it.”
Campbell tees off at 12:50 in the marquee group alongside major champion Charl Schwartzel of South Africa and Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana.
He is not the only one looking to recreate past glories on the Red Course. Seven-time Asian Tour champion Jazz Janewattananond picked up the last of his wins here in 2022. Like Campbell, he pulled it out of the bag late in his round with an eagle-birdie finish.
Jazz has shown glimpses of good form this season, with a T8 at International Series Macau presented by Wynn and a T2 at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open in Korea. After giving his game a real overhaul, he is hopeful that things are moving in the right direction.
He said: “So I had a little slump last year, and I would say I have just been trying to dig my way out of that over the past year and a half. And over the break, I had been working really, really hard to get myself to where I feel like I can win. I have been grinding on the range and hopefully that will bring some results.”

Jazz Janewattananond. Image by Asian Tour.
Jazz finished a disappointing T49 – 16 shots off Campbell and Catlin last season, but is hoping that his off-course endeavour, where he has gone back to the drawing board on various aspects of his game, will pay dividends this time out.
Jazz, who tees off at 7:50 alongside American LIV Golf star Peter Uihlein, a two-time champion on The International Series, and Miguel Tabuena of the Philippines, said: “Last year when I was back, my game wasn’t that good. I was not happy with my game. It is good that we come back now, I am playing better, and hopefully I will have a chance.
“I think I can win again. I went to see a specialist for my swing and a specialist for my short game, to try to improve myself in the last year, so it is possible – hopefully I can perform and show the potential I have and close out this week.”
Jazz, 29, has been impressed with the evolution of the series, as it has reinforced its position in various territories while also branching out to new destinations.
The International Series returns to the Royal Golf Dar Es Salam for the third time in four years, in a season that has already taken in the new destinations of India and Japan and will see first entries into Cambodia and the Philippines in the second half of the campaign.
He said: “So I won here on the first year of the series, and I think it has been great. Every year so far, we have a mix of new countries and established destinations. This year, we are going to a few new countries, and Morocco is always going to be a staple in the series. That’s great for me, because it is one of the tournaments where I have good memories!”
International Series Morocco takes place from 3-6 July at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in Rabat. Entry is free for all.
Main image: Ben Campbell. Asian Tour
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