{"id":635518,"date":"2026-06-12T21:10:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T21:10:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/635518\/"},"modified":"2026-06-12T21:10:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T21:10:08","slug":"thai-golfer-pavit-leads-after-opening-round-at-international-series-morocco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/635518\/","title":{"rendered":"Thai Golfer Pavit Leads After Opening Round at International Series Morocco"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rabat \u2013 Thailand\u2019s Pavit Tangkamolprasert produced a flawless opening round<\/a> to seize the lead after day one of the International Series Morocco, a $2 million Asian Tour event presented by the Moroccan National Tourist Office (ONMT)\u2019s Visit Morocco, held at the Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in Rabat.<\/p>\n

The 37-year-old, runner-up earlier this year at the International Series Japan, carded a bogey-free 65 (eight under par) on the demanding Red Course to move two strokes clear of Australia\u2019s Travis Smyth.<\/p>\n

Smyth, who had defeated Pavit in Japan, responded with a solid 67 to sit tied for second alongside South Korea\u2019s Younghan Song.<\/p>\n

Song also impressed with a clean round, continuing his consistent form in International Series events as he searches for a maiden Asian Tour victory.<\/p>\n

On a day marked by low scoring on the par-73 layout, American Andy Ogletree signalled a return to form with a strong finish, recording an eagle and a birdie over his closing two holes to post a five-under 68.<\/p>\n

The former Asian Tour Order of Merit winner was joined at that mark by Hong Kong\u2019s Taichi Kho, Thailand\u2019s Sadom Kaewkanjana, Denmark\u2019s Lucas Bjerregaard, and American Grant Haefner, who delivered one of the day\u2019s most remarkable performances after playing with borrowed clubs due to delayed luggage.<\/p>\n

Defending champion Scott Vincent of Zimbabwe opened his title defence with a composed 70 (three under par), while Moroccan amateur Hugo Trommetter emerged as the home nation\u2019s best performer with a 73.<\/p>\n

Among the LIV Golf contingent, Bubba Watson, captain of RangeGoats GC, opened with a 69, while Korea\u2019s Doyeob Mun also finished inside the top 20 on 70.<\/p>\n

Pavit\u2019s charge began on the back nine, where he produced four birdies before turning, before maintaining control with steady pars and finishing in style with four consecutive birdies to close his round.<\/p>\n

Read also: International Series Morocco Begins in Rabat with Competitive Opening Round<\/a><\/p>\n

In a press release shared with Morocco World News (MWN), he reflected on his performance, saying that everything finally came together after a difficult run of recent results, attributing his strong round to improved iron play and renewed confidence on a demanding course where precision is essential.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like today everything was in my favour. I haven\u2019t really played well since Namseoul, where I shot five under in the first round, and the last few tournaments have been a bit tough. I couldn\u2019t really putt well. I kept fighting, kept my head up, and reminded myself that this is the International Series \u2014 it\u2019s a big opportunity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday everything just came together. On a course like this, with tricky greens and difficult pin positions, you need to be in the right spots to create birdie chances, and I hit my irons very well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Travis Smyth, meanwhile, continues a strong season that includes victories on the Asian Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia, as well as appearances on LIV Golf. He described the Moroccan venue as one that suits his creative shot-making style, praising the course\u2019s strategic layout and tree-lined fairways.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst of all, I love this golf course<\/a>. It\u2019s a place where I feel like I can play well, so I come in with good vibes straight away. I enjoy the challenge of shaping the ball both ways and hitting different shots. I like moving the ball and visualising different shots, and this course really suits that style. With tree-lined fairways, it forces you to be creative, which I enjoy,\u201d said Smyth.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think winning in Japan earlier this year took a big weight off my shoulders. Before that, I probably put too much pressure on myself in these International Series events. Since then, I\u2019ve felt a lot more relaxed and confident in what I\u2019m doing,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

The International Series Morocco, the third stop in the Asian Tour\u2019s premium International Series, returns to the kingdom for its fourth edition, further strengthening<\/a> the North African country\u2019s position as a key destination on the global golf calendar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rabat \u2013 Thailand\u2019s Pavit Tangkamolprasert produced a flawless opening round to seize the lead after day one of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":635519,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[5904,214817,101,214818,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-635518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-golf","tag-royal-golf-dar-es-salam","tag-sports","tag-the-international-series-morocco","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/635518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=635518"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/635518\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/635519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=635518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=635518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=635518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}