Chinese Taipei's Lee Chieh-po credited the strong fields on The International Series for helping him to claim the golden ticket and take his place among the superstar names on the LIV Golf League next season.
Lee, whose English name is Max, secured his place on the 2025 roster by closing out a two-shot victory in a gruelling 36-hole final day on the three-day, four-round LIV Golf Promotions event at Riyadh Golf Club.
After making it to the final 20 with a four-under 67 on Friday, Max stormed into the lead in the first of two rounds on the final day, thanks to nine birdies and two bogeys in his seven-under 64.
Despite LIV Golf heavyweight Branden Grace and Hong Kong's rising star Taichi Kho breathing down his neck, and concerted pressure from playing partner Ollie Schniederjans, Max stayed cool with a three-under 68 that maintained his two-shot cushion and secured a priceless place on the 2025 LIV Golf roster.
It has been a dramatic rise for the 30-year-old, who only claimed his first win on the Asian Tour in October at International Series Thailand, a high-profile result that rocketed him up The International Series standings.
He said: "At the start of this year, I didn't set any goals of getting onto LIV Golf, it was more about making the most of these incredible playing opportunities on The International Series and the Asian Tour.
"That was still my mindset right up until I won International Series Thailand. It felt as if that win opened more doors for me. But even then, I was not convinced I would get in this week, so it is incredible to be here, to compete in such a strong field, and to go on to win.
Max entered the tournament in round two thanks to his last-gasp victory over LIV Golf star Peter Uihlein in Thailand, where he stole up on the Range Goats GC player with birdies on 17 and 18 for a final-round 63 to triumph at the Thai Country Club in Bangkok, on the sixth elevated event of 10 on the Asian Tour calendar.
He believes that playing in The International Series has had a direct impact on his game, and is hoping to continue his upward trajectory against superstars such as Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Co next season, with his campaign getting underway on the same course at LIV Golf Riyadh from 06-08 February.
He said: "I really didn't expect this from myself (the season and the LIV Golf Promotions win) but I do believe that the quality of the field makes me play better.
"Competing against some world-class players and LIV Golf League stars on The International Series has been huge for me, a big part of my development and I hope I can continue that and do even better next year, playing with such quality players every event on the LIV Golf League."
Max is the latest player to take the pathway onto LIV Golf via The International Series Rankings, following in the footsteps of Scott Vincent and Andy Ogletree, who both progressed as rankings champions, plus Kieran Vincent and Jinichiro Kozuma, who made it via the promotions event last season.
He is hoping he will be joined by more of his peers in the near future and is excited about the next step on his incredible journey.
He said: "It means a lot to me because I was playing on the Asian Tour many years, and LIV Golf, I think it is every player's goal, every player's target.”
The International Series is the most prized pathway in golf. It consists of 10 elite tournaments sanctioned by the Asian Tour and offers the year-long Rankings leader promotion to the LIV Golf League
