daniel chigunwe
Takudzwa Chitsiga
Zimpapers Sports Hub
TOP Zimbabwean professional golfer Scott Vincent had a bright start on the Asian Tour when he finished strongly at the Smart Infinity Philippine Open 2025 golf championship at the Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club in Carmona, Cavite, yesterday.
Vincent was part of the strong field that teed off at the opening event of the Asian Tour season where he finished tied for sixth position.
The 72-hole tournament serves as the first leg in the Asian Tour calendar and it also marked the event’s return to the Asian Tour scene after a decade.
The top professional had some decent rounds of 69, 70, 66 and 69 for a total 274 to pocket US$9 870 for his efforts.
The Zimbabwean ace was tied with Aidric Chan, Kazuki Higa, Danthai Boonma and Xiao Bowen on sixth.
The top ten finish saw Vincent sitting on position eighth on the Asian Tour Order of Merit standing with 41,50 points.
Frenchman Julien Sale won the tournament on 11-under-par to pocket US$70 000.
Sale a recent qualifying school graduate made history by becoming the first athlete to win on his maiden Asian Tour debut to follow in the footsteps of Tiger Woods’ 1997 Asian Honda Classic win in Thailand.
Sale delivered a spectacular five under 65 in the final round to claim victory in the US$500 000 purse tournament.
Second place was a two-way tie between Japan’s Tomoyo Ikemura and Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana who birdied the last hole and finished tied second at 10-under.
Australian Kevin Yuan birdied the last two holes to finish sole fourth at 282, while the highest-ranked Filipino star in the field, Miguel Tabuena, surged to tie fifth at 273 with Thai Poom Saksansin and South Africa’s Ian Snyman.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter