• Five-Man Playoff Battle Determines Last Spots to Qualify for Sunday's Thrilling Finale in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi, UAE – Following a day of intense competition in the first round of LIV Golf Promotions at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club, 42 players battled it out in the second round, competing for one of 20 spots on the final day of this three-day qualifier and a chance to fulfil their LIV Golf ambitions.

The leading score of the day belonged to Thailand’s Suteepat Prateeptienchai, who delivered a bogey-free eight-under par 64, securing a comfortable spot in Sunday’s finale. Reflecting on his performance, Prateeptienchai remarked, “Yeah, today I didn't make any mistakes, and I'm playing good for this round, especially my putting, so that really helped me for a low round today. I'm feeling more confident in my game, especially my driver. When I came over for this week, I was just positive on my game. I'm just feeling confident, just tee it up and hit every shot.”

Playing alongside Prateeptienchai, compatriot Suradit Yongcharoenchai showcased a strong performance with a five-under par 67, earning his place in Sunday’s field. Yongcharoenchai commented, “Today I played I thought very good. I had a little bit of problems with my driver, but that didn't matter if my game is okay. I have my caddie who helped me a lot for today. Really happy to make it for tomorrow. Just one lucky day for me.”

Braden Thornberry emerged as the top American of the day, carding a six-under par 66, including an eagle on the last hole. Reflecting on his round, Thornberry shared, “Yeah, every day I've gotten off to a slow start. I three-putted the second hole. I almost birdied 1, then three-putted 2, so it was kind of a disappointing start, and then kind of was a little flat on the front nine, couldn't get anything going. Then turned to the back and kind of everything clicked. Made four birdies and an eagle on that side. It's always nice to finish off good and kind of guarantee yourself a spot.”

Chinese superstar Sampson Yeunhe Zheng impressed with a five-under par 67, placing comfortably within the top 20. Zheng expressed, “I think today for the most part I was able to do what I wanted to do, keep the ball in the fairway, keep it out of trouble, keep it on the green. I had a few good looks that I missed, but fortunately I was able to make some coming in, so it was a good run today. I was in a bit of trouble on 17, almost made bogey there, but I was able to bounce back. It was a good third shot and hit a good second shot into 18, so yeah, really happy with how I finished.” On the support Zheng has received from home, and the opportunity to become the first Chinese player on the LIV Golf league, Zheng remained focused and present, saying “Yeah, it would mean a lot. It would be very special. I want to stay in the present, just one shot at a time, and see what happens tomorrow.”

Australian Jed Morgan, looking to regain his place in the LIV Golf roster, delivered a solid round of 6-under par 66. Morgan reflected, “Yeah, I rolled in a nice putt on my second hole and my third hole, and yeah, I think it was just a nice round of golf. I haven't played like that for a little bit, so it was good to play like that. Obviously I want to be back [on LIV Golf]. Like that's where I want to play my golf. It sucks that I have to come back here, but also after the year I had, this is where I'm supposed to be. I haven't quite put together the consistent golf, and I need to earn my spot again. Do I feel like I've got more on my shoulders? Not really, but I do want to get back there.”

Kieran Vincent, aiming to follow in his brother Scott's footsteps as an LIV Golf player, executed a clean, bogey-free round of five-under par 67. Vincent commented, “I think it was just great execution of the game plan that we set out. It's obviously an awesome golf course in great condition, and so I was just pretty thankful to kind of keep the ball in front of me and just hit the spots we needed to on the greens and allow the putter to roll. Rolled in a couple today, which is always a good thing.” On the prospect of playing alongside his brother Scott in the 2024 roster, he said, “I think it would be great. Obviously we're five years apart, so we haven't really been able to spend too much time together, so obviously being able to spend like a full year together on a specific tour would be great. But we've got a lot of golf ahead of that between now and the end of tomorrow, so I think first things first, just got to go out there and execute a game plan that we set out.”

The final 20, or as it turned out, 21 players finished three-under par or better, setting the stage for a dramatic playoff between the five players who finished tied-17th at three-under par. Kevin Chappell, Kevin Yuan, Laurie Canter, Joel Stalter, and Ben Campbell battled it out in a five-man playoff on the 18th hole to secure their place in Sunday’s final 36-holes. Laurie Canter birdied the first playoff hole and was the first player to progress, with the two Kevins, Chappell and Yuan both parring the 18th hole to secure their place in Sunday’s field. After the playoff, Canter said, “This is such a unique kind of event because in normal circumstances, you'd be keeping your foot down on it a little bit, and that's what I was trying to do, but truthfully because you just know today is just about moving on to tomorrow, I was just trying to just focus -- just basically trying to hit fat side of the green and seeing if I could pick anything up. To be honest, once I made that bogey on 15, it got pretty ugly coming in. I was grinding really to get in that playoff. Yeah, so obviously just delighted to hang on and get through to tomorrow.”

With a pair of bogeys, both Stalter and Campbell needed to play the 18th hole again, with the Frenchman Stalter birdieing the second playoff hole to earn the final spot in the field on Sunday. After an emotional day, a relieved Stalter said, “I played really good. I knew it was going to be tough. I knew it was going to be close. At the end, I figured 2-under, I needed a birdie on 18, and I hit two fantastic shots on the green, two-putted for birdie, which was awesome, and I was hoping not to go to a playoff because I was the first group out, so I knew it was going to be a long day. It's intense. It's very intense because you're playing elimination and then you start over again. Really getting into the final tomorrow was the big thing.”

On the pressure of playing for the final spot on the second playoff hole, Stalter said, “it was tough. To be honest, I thought I did the job, and then you're going to a playoff at the end of the day. You're tired. Look, I hit good drives and see from there. On the first hole, I hit a really good drive, it just leaked in the bunker, and that was a bad three-putt. Nerves kicked in. Second hole, I'm like, we need to make a birdie, then hit a great drive, which was tough. We both three-putted. Then I hit a really good drive. So I was really proud of that because it just kind of showed, let's go. That birdie was awesome. Really happy.” On the pressure of the final day at LIV Golf Promotions, Stalter’s approach is simple and knows what’s needed to get done, “Just play my best golf ever. I mean, it's the chance of a lifetime tomorrow, especially in my position. Even the top 10 gets International Series. That would really change my year next year. I'm just glad I've been working hard, and I see my game starting to pay off. Tomorrow I'm just going to go and give it everything I've got. No regrets.”

Catch the drama unfold on the final day of LIV Golf Promotions, where three players will earn the opportunity of a lifetime and become fully-fledged LIV Golf players in 2024. Coverage will be available globally live and on-demand on LIV Golf Plus, the LIV Golf YouTube channel, and broadcast partners around the world, with live coverage on Sunday from 12:30 – 5:00 p.m. (all times local). For more information, visit LIV Golf Promotions 2023.

The LIV Golf League is owned and operated by LIV Golf Investments whose vision and mission is centered around making holistic and sustainable investments to enhance the global golf ecosystem and unlock the sport’s untapped worldwide potential.

About LIV Golf

LIV Golf is a global sports league featuring 12 teams, a 14-tournament schedule, and 48 world-renowned golfers. Founded in 2022, LIV Golf was designed to expand the game on an international level and finally unlock the sport’s true and untapped economic and societal potential. Hall of Fame golfer and renowned businessman, Greg Norman, is the league’s first and founding Commissioner and CEO. Only two years into operations and with tournaments across North and Latin Americas, Asia, Australia, the Middle East and Europe, LIV Golf is proving that it’s possible to grow and improve the game for fans and golfers alike.

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