John Catlin was rewarded for a remarkable season today by securing the Asian Tour Order of Merit title here at the International Series Qatar, the penultimate event of the year.

The American sealed the deal by finishing equal 19th after signing off with a one-under-par 71 at Doha Golf Club, where victory went to his countryman Peter Uihlein.

Canadian Richard T. Lee from Canada and Ben Campbell from New Zealand began the week second and third on the Merit list respectively and needed to win to have any chance of catching Catlin but finished joint 37^th and tied 13th respectively.

The result means Campbell has moved into second, with just next week’s PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Advisers remaining where Catlin will be out of reach.

Uihlein’s victory saw him knock Catlin off the top of The International Series Rankings, with Catlin now second. That race is wide open heading into next week.

John Catlin. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

Catlin didn’t actually realise he’d secured the Merit title after finishing his round today.

He said: “I am kind of at a loss for words because I didn’t even know it was done. If I had a chance to think about it a bit more, I would have more words to say.

“It’s a career accomplishment to be on that Asian Tour Order of Merit list with some of the great players of the game, it’s very special.”

Catlin has now amassed 3,088.59 points from the 14 events he’s played in. Campell is second with 1,808.66.

Catlin won back-to-back earlier in the season, at the Saudi Open presented by PIF followed by the International Series Macau presented by Wynn, where he defeated Spaniard David Puig in a play-off. A 59 on day three in Macau also saw him become the first player on the Asian Tour to break 60.

The 34-year-old also lost in two play-offs, at International Series Morocco and the Black Mountain Championship, finished second in the Yeangder TPC, third in the Malaysian Open, and tied for fourth in the SJM Macao Open.

John Catlin. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

“After the Saudi Open it felt like if I just kept playing solid someone was going to have to do something pretty special to catch me. And I was able to do it, to keep playing good golf. To have it finally done is pretty awesome,” he added.

“It is testament to the hard work me and my coach Noah are putting into it. I am just really proud of what I have done, and I am looking forward to what comes next.”

It is the first time he has claimed the Merit list, having come closest before in 2018, when he won three times and was named the Players’ Player of the Year.

Winning the Merit title is validation for the American who returned to play on the Asian Tour this year after playing in Europe for four years.

He’d lost his playing status in Asia and had to negotiate Qualifying School in January but comfortably made it through securing the 19^th card.

Catlin is a six-timer winner on the Asian Tour, where he has been playing since 2015, constantly developing his game to become one of the greatest players the circuit has ever seen.