Vincent hoping to rekindle past glories as The International Series swings into Japan

Scott Vincent is hoping for a strong showing at International Series Japan presented by Moutai, and the 2022 International Series Rankings champion certainly has form in the Land of the Rising Sun, having previously won three times in the country.

The Caledonian Golf club date is the third of 10 LIV Golf-backed tournaments on the Asian Tour calendar.

The elevated event in Chiba prefecture has attracted talent from the LIV Golf League, a host of Japanese talent including local hero Ryo Ishikawa and the cream of the Asian Tour.

A win or high finish would support Vincent's bid to win a second Rankings title and a return to the LIV Golf League following his disappointing relegation last season, and he'll be eager to replicate the form that got him there in the first place.

In June 2022, the Zimbabwean won the inaugural International Series England, a result that was instrumental in securing the end-of-season rankings title.

That made Vincent the first player from the Asian Tour to earn the coveted place on the LIV Golf League for winning the season-long rankings race.

It was richly deserved for Vincent. His triumph in England completed a remarkable fourth title in a 10-month spell between 2021 and 2022, which included three wins in Japan.

In August 2021, the Zimbabwean finished one shot ahead of Ishikawa to win the Sansan KBC Augusta, before going on to secure a three-shot victory over Tomoharu Otsuki at the ANA Open the following month.

Vincent then secured a play-off win at the Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open in May 2022 before his win at Slaley Hall in the north of England a week later.

After securing that coveted place on the LIV Golf League, the 32-year-old grasped the opportunity with both hands and for two years he successfully competed against the world's best for the Iron Heads GC team, before narrowly losing his status at the end of last season.

Despite that disappointment, he has shown glimpses of that sensational form in recent times with a T9 in Japan at the Maezawa Cup last month, adding to top-10 finishes at the star-studded International Series India presented by DLF and the season-opening Philippine Open on the Asian Tour.

He looked to be kicking on even further on Asian Tour duty at the 44th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship in Korea last week, sitting fifth behind co-leaders Jazz Janewattananond and Baekjun Kim going into the final round.

That was before a nightmare three bogeys and double on the closing four holes left him T12 overall, as local star Doyeob Mun roared to victory with eight birdies on the final day.

A disappointing finish perhaps, but still something to work on in a country that has brought rich rewards both in the past and in more recent times.

Vincent said: “Overall I feel like it is moving in the right direction. I've been obviously working on it (my game), and sometimes it works out great, sometimes not. But I like where it's heading, and the feels that I'm creating.

“I am obviously just trying to play the best I can and do the things that I think are going to help. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't. Right now it feels good - I will just keep trying to work on the things that I'm working on.”