July 3: John Catlin continued his love affair with the Royal Golf of Dar Es Salam course, starting the US$2 million International Series Morocco with a five-under par 68 and a tie for lead at the halfway stage of the opening round on Thursday.

American Catlin, who was denied here last year by New Zealand’s Ben Campbell’s stunning eagle-birdie finish and lost in a playoff, was six-under through his opening nine – the back nine of the golf course. However, two bogeys on his way back dropped him to a share of the lead with another multiple International Series champion, American Peter Uihlein.

Korea’s Hongtaek Kim, winner of the GS Caltex Maekyung Open last year, and Thailand’s Sarit Suwannarut were tied third on 69, while Australia’s Kevin Yuan and Thai Chanat Sakulpolphaisan were a further shot behind on a calm Thursday morning.

Catlin, the reigning Asian Tour No.1, has just one top-10 finish this year, but he seems to have rediscovered the touch that helped him win in Macau and Saudi Arabia last year and post three runners-up finishes.

Peter Uihlein of the USA. Picture by Steve Bardens/Asian Tour

The 34-year-old from Sacramento started with a birdie on the 10th hole and added five more as he made the turn in six-under. On his back nine, Catlin made a three-putt bogey following a tricky first putt before dropping another shot on the par-five fifth hole. A closing birdie on the par-five eighth completed his score.

“Yeah, it was very solid. Wish I could have played the third hole a bit better. I had an 18-footer with a two-and-a-half-foot break and rolled it seven feet past. Not much you can do there from seven feet. Outside of that, I played pretty much flawless golf. So very, very happy with the start. Three more rounds to go,” said Catlin.

Asked if he had some unfinished business in the tournament after the heartbreak of last year, Catlin added: “No. It’s a new year.

“I love the golf course. I think that was part of my attitude last year. I think it really suits my game. You have to put it in play off the tees. You have to be very precise with your irons. You’re going to miss some greens, so short game is going to be important. I feel like it really favours my game.”

Sarit Suwannarut of Thailand. Picture by Steve Bardens/Asian Tour

Uihlein used his length to great advantage once again, and that was most evident coming in with birdies on the par-five fifth and eighth holes. After starting from the 10th, Uihlein finally overcame a string of disappointing early holes with four straight birdies from the 15th to the 18th holes to make the turn at three-under.

“It was a bit of a mixed bag with the start. It was really ugly, and I scrambled quite a bit, made some nice pars. And then I kind of got going, made a bunch of birdies in a row, and then was kind of cruising, had a lot of looks, but did not make any before finishing with a couple of birdies,” said Uihlein, winner of the International Series Qatar and England last year.

“The driver in really the big thing for me. Just with those trees, I’m trying to kind of get as close to the greens and keep it between the trees. And with the greens being as soft as they are, it’s pretty gettable.”

Suwannarut was bogey-free for his round, in which he holed a brilliant long bunker shot on the par-three second hole. Like Catlin, Kim also fell prey to the tricky third hole, his only bogey of the day.

The International Series Morocco is the fourth of 10 elevated events on the Asian Tour calendar, which form a pathway to the LIV Golf League.