Online Reporter
Takudzwa Chitsiga
Zimpapers Sports Hub
TOP Zimbabwe professional golfer Kieran Vincent missed the cut at the Asian Tour’s International Series Japan over the weekend.
The tournament was held at Caledonian Golf Club, just outside Tokyo, from Thursday to yesterday. Vincent returned to the Asian Tour on the back of his outing at the DP World Tour’s Jo’burg Open in South Africa, where he finished tied for 36th. But he fell short in Japan. Rounds of 69 and 73 left him just outside the cut line, which was set at one-under-par.
The Zimbabwean, currently ranked 351 in the world, is expected to continue balancing his schedule across the Asian Tour, Challenge Tour and DP World Tour as he looks to climb the rankings. Australia’s Travis Smyth took the title in dramatic fashion.
Smyth holed an eagle putt on the par-five 18th to snatch victory, draining a 20-footer to avoid a play-off with Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert and Japan’s Ryosuke Kinoshita.
The Australian’s brilliant final putt saw him shoot a 7-under 64 to move to 15 under, with Pavit and Kinoshita both in the clubhouse on 14 under.
Pavit and Kinoshita had earlier turned the tournament on its head by shooting scintillating rounds of 62 and 63, respectively, to come through from much further back. The former was in the 10th from last group and Kinoshita the sixth.
Korea’s Hongtaek Kim and Shugo Imahira from Japan had started the day sharing the lead but were unable to keep up with the fast pace being set.
Kim shot a 69 to tie for fifth while Imahira returned a 70 for equal seventh.
This week’s US$2million event is the opening event of the season on The International Series, and it is Smyth’s first success on the Series — the upper-tier level of events on the Asian Tour that provide a pathway to the LIV Golf League, via The International Series Rankings.
It’s also his second victory on the Asian Tour, having won the Yeangder TPC in 2022, and comes during a remarkable run of form.
He claimed the ISPS Handa Japan-Australasia Championship last month which put him on course to win the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit for the 2025-26 season.
The 31-year-old also finished third and fifth in the first two events of the season on the Asian Tour and now leads the Order of Merit, as well as The International Series Rankings.
“That’s what dreams are made of right there,” said the Australian about his closing putt.
“As a young kid, you know, you’re on the putting green having putting comps with your mates, you’re trying to chip in to win, you’re trying to hole 25 footers to win. And that was unbelievable.
“You know, I won a tournament two weeks ago, probably a pretty similar putt downhill, left to right — just drew upon that. But yeah, for it to go in like that, it’s the best feeling ever.”
