Double first for Uihlein with win in Qatar and Rankings lead
Peter Uihlein proved simply too strong at the US$2.5 million International Series Qatar today, marching to a five-shot victory at Doha Golf Club.
The American, the leader since day two, shot a final round three-under-par 69 to finish on 16-under, for his second victory on The International Series this year. The result also saw him move to number one on The International Series Rankings.
South African Charl Schwartzel came home in second place after a 68, while his close friend and compatriot Louis Oosthuizen tied for third two shots back with Filipino Miguel Tabuena.
Oosthuizen fired a 71 and Tabuena a 70 – in the penultimate event of the season on the Asian Tour and The International Series.
American John Catlin tied for 19th after a 71 to wrap up the Asian Tour Order of Merit title with one event remaining, next week’s US$5million PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Advisers. He is now second on The International Series Rankings having led for most of the year.
Peter Uihlein. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Uihlein’s one-stroke lead at the start of the day became four at the turn. He was coasting before Schwartzel, playing three groups ahead, made a late charge with birdies on 16 and 17. Uihlein holed a clutch putt for par from 12-feet on 15 to leave the gap at three, and then birdied on 16 and 18 to put the icing on the cake.
It was an impressive finish considering the wind was up again and the greens were hard and fast.
He said: “Yeah, it was a good day and yesterday was good as well, it was a very solid weekend. I think I only missed a total of five greens for the weekend around here. When the wind is blowing, that’s pretty good. Felt pretty solid, felt in control.
“The putt on 15 was nice, to get up and down there, and I got a nice break in the rough. It was funny, I tried to do a little different mindset for me this week, at least on the back nine. I kind of saw the board, and that I had like a four-shot lead, and I was basically just trying to play match play against the golf course and par was a good score. I felt like if I could beat the back nine, I was going to be in good position, so making those birdies at the end was kind of nice for my little mini goal.”
Uihlein claimed International Series England in August by the sizeable margin of seven shots for his maiden title on the Asian Tour and The International Series.
Charl Schwartzel. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
It looked like he was also going to win the International Series Thailand two months later, but he bogeyed the final hole to hand victory to Lee Chieh-po from Chinese-Taipei.
Today’s victory is redemption for that near miss and gives the Range Goats GC player a chance of winning the rankings next week, although with a wealth of points on offer the race is wide open.
“I feel like my game is trending, it’s just getting better,” he added.
“Like stuff I’ve been working on even before, all that stuff feels like it’s kind of getting easier under the gun, which was nice. But yeah, it’s 1,000 points to the winner next week so it’s obviously all still up in the air.”
Schwartzel’s round, which started with an eagle on the par-five first, was the lowest of the day.
“It was a fantastic putting round today, I made so many feet of putts,” said the 2011 Masters champion.
“It was tough again you know; the wind hasn’t stopped blowing for the last three days. And you know, the golf course has been quite penalising when you miss the fairways and it’s hard to hit the fairways with the crosswinds and stuff. So, it was always going to be a grind, and I needed a good putting round. I putted well and yeah, I was happy with my round.”
Miguel Tabuena. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
South African Dean Burmester (69), India’s Anirban Lahiri (70), Eugenio Chacarra (71) from Spain, and Thai Suteepat Prateeptienchai (72) were next best placed on eight under.
In the battle to retain playing rights for next year and finish in the top 65 on the Merit list Australian Jed Morgan was the big mover. He carded a 71 to finish joint 37th and move from 66th to 64th to ensure he is safe for the new season.
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 37th 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 19th 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.
Peter Uihlein will have another crack at winning his second International Series title tomorrow after he took the third-round lead in the US$2.5 million International Series Qatar today.
The American birdied the final two holes at Doha Golf Club to make up for a fairly lacklustre day by his high standards to record a one-under-par 71 for a one-shot lead over countryman Zach Bauchou.
Bauchou returned a 70 and is three ahead of Italian Stefano Mazzoli, who aced the par-three 17th, for a 69 and Gaganjeet Bhullar from India, also in with a 69.
Just over a month ago Uihlein was on the brink of winning the International Series Thailand but surprisingly surrendered a two-shot lead on the last to finish second behind Chinese-Taipei’s Lee Chieh-po. That occurred not long after he won the International Series England – his first on both the Asian Tour and The International Series.
Zach Bauchou. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Uihlein began the day two ahead of Bauchou and that was the margin at the turn. Uihlein made birdie on the first but on another difficult windy day with firm and fast greens more birdies where hard to come by. He made bogeys on three and 14 before his fine finish.
He said: “Yeah, it was hard. I’m pleased, I mean, I hit 16 greens so my two bogeys were on the greens that I missed. So other than that it was pretty steady. I don’t feel like I was really ever out of position, and yeah it was a tough day, I mean, really tough.
“You know, it blew all day yesterday, blew all night and morning, so it was only going to get crispier. So, the greens definitely felt like they had a little bit more bite to them today, and it was tough to get close.”
He is also in the running to win The International Series Rankings with just one more event remaining, next week’s PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers. He is currently in fourth place and could overtake the leader John Catlin from the Unites States tomorrow with a win.
Bauchou also finished well with birdies on 13, 16 and 18.
“No doubt it was a tough day,” said the American, who has been playing on the Korn Ferry Tour.
“It was hard to get the ball close to the hole. There are only a couple of birdie-able holes out here with the par fives and 16 a driveable par-four but the rest of the course is hard to get it close.
Stefano Mazzoli. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“Need to just try and grind and make pars on those holes and when you get on a par five you try and make a birdie. I will just try and play the best I can and try and play pretty aggressive tomorrow. I will hit driver on almost every hole out here.
Surprisingly, Mazzoli’s ace on 17 was the first of his career. He used a wedge and his ball went straight into the cup without touching the surface.
“It went straight in and we never saw it again,” said the Italian, who is in the running to win this year’s Asian Tour Rookie of the Year Award.
“Usually, you know it can bounce out and come back, but it was straight in and never moved out of the way. After a tough battle on the course today with the wind, I mean, I couldn’t ask for a better finish than this. I was already pleased with a birdie on 16 and, I mean, I never had a hole-in-one, so I wasn’t expecting that, for sure and then obviously I got a birdie also on 18.”
South African Louis Oosthuizen and Suteepat Prateeptienchai from Thailand are tied for fifth on eight under following rounds of 71 and 70 respectively.
Gaganjeet Bhullar. Picture By Ian Walton/Asian Tour.
Catlin shot a 70 and is three under and is gradually moving closer to winning the Asian Tour Order of Merit title with none of his nearest pursuers making a challenge.
Peter Uihlein unleashed all of his talent on an eight-under-par 64 to take the halfway lead in the US$2.5 million International Series Qatar today – embracing the windy conditions that replaced the calmness of yesterday.
He is 12-under for the event at Doha Golf Club and leads by two from American Zach Bauchou, who carded 68.
First-round leader Ian Snyman from South Africa is in third, a shot further back, following a 70.
South African Charl Schwartzel (65), Spain’s Luis Masaveu (69) and David Puig (70) plus Miguel Tabuena (68) from the Philippines are tied fourth, four behind the leader.
American Uihlein won the International Series England in August for his maiden victory on the Asian Tour and The International Series. He nearly followed that up with a win at the International Series Thailand but finished second after letting a two-shot lead slip on the last and therefore has unfinished business this week.
Peter Uihlein. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“It was hard,” said the 35-year-old, about the conditions.
“I mean, it is when it gets windy. It’s fun though. I enjoy it. Kind of shapes the shots for you a little bit. I enjoy it. I definitely prefer when the wind picks up.”
An eagle on the short par-four 16th, seven birdies, and a solitary bogey saw him charge through.
“You just kind of try and execute really, I mean, best you can,” he added. “You’re not really playing like plotting, I guess you’re kind of playing like you’re painting a picture when you’re out there, I enjoy that style of golf. I mean when the wind picks up I kind of enjoy it. I feel like it brings everybody into my game.”
Uihlein is one of a host of players who can win The International Series Rankings with just next week’s PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers remaining. He is currently in fourth place and within reach of the leader and fellow American John Catlin.
Snyman was unable to repeat his brilliant first-round 65 but was delighted with his round in much more difficult conditions that he felt played four shots harder.
Ian Snyman. Picture By Ian Walton/Asian Tour.
He said: “This is probably one of my best rounds I would say, on the Asian Tour. Hit it really good, hit lots of fairways, which is great in these conditions. Hit lots of greens, made some great putts. One bogey, I mean, I think that basically says it, it was a solid round of golf.
“Shot wise compared to yesterday, probably about four shots I would say, that would be my guess. It was just a guessing game out there, and yeah, I managed to guess most of them correctly. Even putting you had to take the wind into account.”
Earlier in the day best buddies Schwartzel and compatriot Louis Oosthuizen, paired together, moved into contention. Oosthuizen fired a 71 and is another stroke behind.
Schwartzel, whose most recent victory was the LIV Golf Invitational in 2022 – LIV Golf’s first ever event – began on the back nine, and made a brilliant start by birdieing the first, before holing out for an eagle on the par-four 11th. He dropped his only shot of the day on 14 but coasted to the top with five more birdies.
“Yeah, that was quite a surprise,” said the 2011 Masters champion.
“Struggled with my driver a bit yesterday and with this wind I was a bit worried. I actually drove it well and got off to that fantastic start and played solid from there, all the way in.”
Charl Schwartzel. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He has registered some strong performances on the LIV Golf League this season, tying for second in Jeddah and finishing equal third in Adelaide, and would no doubt dearly love to finish the year with a win.
He added: “With me it’s always rhythm, I get all quick, just tried to keep it smooth today and did a good job of it.”
The race to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit continues to gain momentum, although Catlin remains in pole position.
At one point he looked like missing the cut for the second week in a row, to make things slightly more interesting, but a 73 put him into the weekend on one under.
His nearest challenger Richard T. Lee from Canada is three under after a 72.
Lee or New Zealand’s Ben Campbell, in with a 70 and four under, need to win this week to have a chance of surpassing Catlin’s 3,030.06 points on the Merit list and finish solo second next week. That scenario also needs Catlin to finish at the bottom of the leaderboard both weeks, so the American remains on course to win the title for the first time.
Catlin also leads The International Series Rankings, but that battle is wide open.
South African Ian Snyman says spending two days in the company of one of his country’s finest golfers, David Frost, has helped play a big part in his fine run of form recently – which includes taking the lead on the opening day of the US$2.5 million International Series Qatar today.
Snyman nailed a confident seven-under-par 65 here at Doha Golf Club, to lead the way from compatriot Louis Oosthuizen, Spaniard David Puig and Zach Bauchou from the United States, who carded 66s.
Two other Spaniards, Luis Masaveu and Eugenio Chacarra, fired 67s, along with Sadom Kaewkanjana from Thailand and Japan’s Tomoyo Ikemura – in the penultimate event of the season on both the Asian Tour and The International Series.
After today’s opening salvo, consisting of an eagle, seven birdies, and one double, Snyman is on course to make his 12th successive cut on the Asian Tour, as well as put himself in position to claim his first title on the circuit.
David Puig. Picture by Ian Walton/Asian Tour.
“My coach, Paul McKenzie, and I have been working on a few things and I also got some advice from David Frost – he is a former Asian Tour winner having won in Hong Kong,” said Snyman, about Frost – winner of the Hong Kong Open in 1994 and 29 titles around the world.
“About five months ago we spent two days with David. We were trying to find some consistency, that was my main concern. Looks like we are getting there. Just need to get some low ones like we did today, which is exciting.
“The big thing we worked on with David was the takeaway. I always take the club back outside and get laid off at the top. He kind of helped me feel a way to get it straighter.
“Another big thing was not to be so rigid. I would be very stickman like golf, my left arm would be very stiff and strong but he kind of got me to relax a bit more, you can actually bend that left arm.”
He was cruising at eight under with two to play but made double on the par- three 17th.
He explained: “Bit of a brain fade there. I was over the ball, they [the officials] were trying to calm some people down behind the tee box, but instead of re-starting my routine I walked straight into my shot. I think I was mis-aligned and pushed it way right of the green.”
Luis Masaveu. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He duffed his chip and three putted but bounced back on the par-five 18th hitting his third to two feet.
Puig is making his first appearance on the Asian Tour since April – in that time he has played on the LIV Golf League, three Majors and the Olympics, where he played alongside Jon Rahm.
“Pretty solid, especially after a month off tournaments. Super, super proud of how I fought,” said Puig, winner of the season-opening Malaysian Open and runner-up in the International Series Macau presented by Wynn, where American John Catlin defeated him in a play-off.
“Didn’t hit it that good but somehow managed to post a pretty good score. Hit a lot of greens in regulation, which is something I have been working on.”
His countryman Masaveu, just one year younger at 21, was even happier as today marked his debut as a professional in a Tour event.
“First tournament as a professional, so very happy,” said the Spaniard, who birdied the last three holes and has his dad, Rafa, caddying for him.
Louis Oosthuizen. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“To be honest, I didn’t really think about this being my first event as a pro. The good thing is my coach Gonzalo [Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano] is also playing. We did a good plan. I just tried to stay focused on my emotions.”
Masaveu finished third in this year’s US Amateur, having been beaten by compatriot and eventual winner Jose Luis Ballester 3&2 in the semis, and could be one to watch this week.
American John Catlin, leader of both the Asian Tour Order of Merit and The International Series Rankings with just two tournaments to go including this week, signed for a 70, while his countryman Patrick Reed, winner of last week’s Link Hong Kong Open, came in with a 71.
Catlin can put the Merit list title beyond the reach of others this week if results permit. His nearest challengers Richard T. Lee, in second, from Canada and third-placed Ben Campbell from New Zealand, shot rounds of 69 and 70 respectively and need to step on the gas to deny Catlin top spot.
Lee was well placed to finished higher but doubled the 18th after a big hook off the tee found trouble.
The International Series Rankings, which will see the champion earn a place on next year’s LIV Golf League, will go down to the wire at next week’s US$5 million PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers.
Thailand’s Ratchanon ‘TK” Chantananuwat, the amateur star currently in his Freshman year at Stanford University, returned a 71 in what is his first appearance on the Asian Tour since April.
John Catlin has admitted there’s “a lot of hard work to be done” over the remaining two weeks on the Asian Tour and The International Series to finally finish number one on both.
It all starts tomorrow when the US$2.5 million International Series Qatar tees-off at Doha Golf Club and concludes next week at the US$5 million PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers.
This week the American could potentially complete the first part of his mission and claim the Asian Tour Order of Merit. It’s a far easier feat compared with topping The International Series Rankings.
He leads the Merit list on 3,030.06 points, with his nearest challenger, second-placed Richard T. Lee from Canada, trailing by the large margin of 1,245.81 points.
Picture By Harvey Jamison.
To put things into perspective, this week’s winner will earn 787.5 points, while 427.5 points goes to the player in second, meaning a good finish by Catlin and other results going his way will see him crowned Asian Tour number one for the first time.
“It would mean so much to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit as this is where it all started for me,” said Catlin – a six-time winner on the Asian Tour, two of those coming this season.
“It has been a special year. I have done a lot of great things. I have two more weeks to go and hopefully I can do a few more great things and clinch both the Asian Tour and International Series titles.
“It would be really, really, special but there’s a lot of hard work to be done.”
Catlin surprisingly missed the cut at last week’s Link Hong Kong Open and while that did not have much impact on his Merit list ambitions, thanks to a dominant year, it has made the Rankings race even closer than it already was.
John Catlin. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He has an 82.95 lead on the Rankings from New Zealand’s Ben Campbell, who is second and closed the gap by finishing second in Hong Kong, where he was defending champion.
Next week many more points are available – the winner earns 1,000 – so it is literally wide open and going to be exhilarating to watch as the winner earns a place on next year’s LIV Golf League.
Added Catlin: “For LIV Golf, having played there this year, having seen that, it gives me an enormous goal to try and win The International Series Rankings.”
Catlin attended a press conference today with American Patrick Reed, the winner in Hong Kong on Sunday.
Both players shot 59 this year: Reed in the third-round last week while Catlin registered his at the International Series Macau presented by Wynn when paired with Reed, also on day three.
John Catlin. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Both players also sealed the deal with lengthy left to right putts on 18.
“You have to make a putt that has a lot of left to right to get it done,” joked Catlin.
“It [shooting 59] is just a culmination of a lot of hard work. I am sure Patrick would say the same thing. You just keep putting in the hours and doing the right stuff.
“It is fine margins out here, you can be doing a lot of things right, but it doesn’t happen. You just wait and try and go out on the day it does. Not really any secrets to share, I don’t have them, I wish I could share.”
Tournament Information
- Tournament: International Series Qatar
- Date: November 27- 30, 2024
- Venue: Doha Golf Club
- Par/Yards: Par 72 / 7,437 Yards
- Purse: US$2.5 million (US$450,000)
- Asian Tour leg: 20th event of the 2024 season
- The International Series leg: Ninth
- Edition of tournament: second
- Total number of players: 120
- Format: 72-hole stroke play with a cut made after two rounds. The leading 65 pros plus ties make it through to the weekend
- Social Media Hashtags: #InternationalSeries #ThisISEverything #TimeToRise
Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Field Breakdown
- Asian Tour Order of Merit winners: Sihwan Kim (2022), Jazz Janewattananond (2019), Scott Hend (2016), Anirban Lahiri (2015), Jeev Singh (2006, 2008)
- Nationalities: 32
- Top contenders: John Catlin (USA), Ben Campbell (NZL), Patrick Reed (USA), Michael Maguire (USA), Lee Chieh-po (TPE), Richard T. Lee (CAN), Peter Uihlein (USA), Anirban Lahiri (IND), David Puig (ESP), Dean Burmester (RSA), Louis Oosthuizen (RSA)
- Highest ranked player on OWGR: David Puig (ESP) #103
- Highest ranked player on 2024 Asian Tour Order of Merit: John Catlin #1
- Highest ranked player on 2024 International Series Rankings: John Catlin #1
- Defending champion: Andy Ogletree (USA) – Not playing
- Number of amateurs: 5
- Number of Qatar players in the field: 2
General view of the 18th green at Doha Golf Club. Picture By Ian Walton/Asian Tour.
Tournament Notes
- Although American John Catlin missed the cut at last week’s Link Hong Kong Open, he has otherwise been in fantastic form this whole season with eight top 10s in 12 Asian Tour starts, and he leads both the Asian Tour Order of Merit and The International Series Rankings. The 33-year-old has posted two victories so far this season, the International Series Macau presented by Wynn and the Saudi Open presented by PIF, as well as three runners-up at the Black Mountain Championship, the International Series Morocco and the Yeangder TPC. A tied third finish in the season opening Malaysian Open secured him a spot in the 152nd Open Championship where he finished tied 16th for his best result in a major. He currently leads the Merit list with 3,030.06 points to Canadian Richard T. Lee, the winner of the recent BNI Indonesian Masters, who is in second place with 1,784.25. He also tops The International Series Ranking with 900.58 points against 817.63 for last week’s runner-up Ben Campbell. Catlin has also subbed in for injured players on three different teams on the LIV Golf League this year and posted an impressive T7 in LIV Golf Nashville in June. He has amassed US$1,393,925 in earnings on the Asian Tour so far this season, while his LIV Golf League total was US$1,629,367 in his 2024 campaign.
- Chinese Taipei’s Lee Chieh-po is coming into the week with five consecutive top 10s, seven in his last eight events, after a T8 in Hong Kong last week. His hot run includes a win at International Series Thailand late last month, a solo third at the Black Mountain Championship, missing the play-off by only one shot, a fourth-place finish at Yeangder TPC, a T7 at the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open and a T9 at the Shinhan Donghae Open in September. Lee is fourth on the Asian Tour Order of Merit and fifth in the International Series Rankings.
- Last week’s runner-up Ben Campbell of New Zealand is a two-time International Series winner after capturing this summer’s International Series Morocco in a play-off against John Catlin, and the 2023 Hong Kong Open. Currently third on the Asian Tour Order of Merit and second in The International Series Rankings, Campbell also finished T6 the BNI Indonesian Masters and T4 in the Black Mountain Championship last month. Other good results this season includes a T5 at the International Series Macau presented by Wynn and a T10 at the 103rd New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport.
- American MJ Maguire won the Black Mountain Championship after defeating John Catlin on the second play-off hole and followed that up with a great week at the International Series Thailand finishing T4 after a final round 61. Maguire also posted a good result at the BNI Indonesian Masters with a T8 for his third straight top 10, and earlier had a T7 at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters in October. He is currently ranked sixth in both the Asian Tour Order of Merit and The International Series Rankings.
- Richard T. Lee from Canada recorded his third Asian Tour win at the BNI Indonesian Masters early this month, this win was his first since 2017 and was his fourth top 10 in a row. He also finished T2 at the International Series Thailand, T9 at the Black Mountain Championship and T10 at the Yeangder TPC in September. He has been a remarkably consistent high performer this season, posting a third at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open in May and an eighth-place finish at the International Series Macau presented by Wynn in March. Lee is second on the Asian Tour Order of Merit and third in The International Series Rankings.
- American Peter Uihlein won the International Series England in August and came close to posting another victory at the International Series Thailand, finishing T2 just one shot behind the winner after a bogey on the 72nd He is currently in fourth place in The International Series Rankings. In addition to the results in England and Thailand, he also has a T3 at the Saudi Open presented by PIF and a sixth-place finish at the International Series Oman earlier in the season. Uihlein also plays on the LIV Golf League where he had a T2 at the LIV Golf Las Vegas as his best result this year.
- The 2015 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Anirban Lahiri of India came very close to capturing his first LIV Golf League event at the legendary Real Club Valderrama in Andalucia, Spain in July. A missed short putt on the 18th in regulation play put Lahiri in a play-off with Sergio Garcia who came out on top in the end. Lahiri’s impressive resume boasts seven Asian Tour titles as well as a runner up at the 2022 Players Championship, a tied second at the 2017 Memorial Tournament on the PGA Tour. His best finish in a Major is a tied fifth at the 2015 PGA Championship.
- Last week’s Link Hong Kong Open winner Patrick Reed of the U.S. is making his third Asian Tour start of the season, after playing the International Series Macau presented by Wynn earlier in the year finishing fourth. The 2018 Masters champion is a nine-time winner on the PGA Tour and has appeared on three Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup squads each. Reed should be considered one of the top shot-makers in the game, as was on display in Hong Kong when he fired a third round 11-under-par 59.
- David Puig of Spain won the season Opening IRS Prima Malaysian Open and has finished inside the top 10 in the other three Asian Tour events he has played in this year, posting a T10 at the International Series Oman, lost a playoff to John Catlin in the International Series Macau presented by Wynn and finished fifth in the Saudi Open presented by PIF. He has also been playing on the LIV Golf League this season as part of the Fireballs GC, and his best individual result was a T3 at the LIV Houston event. On the DP World Tour Puig has also had some success lately, finishing T3 at the Acciona Open de España presented by Madrid, T4 at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and T12 at Estrella Damm Andalucía Masters.
- The 2010 winner of The Open Championship Louis Oosthuizen from South Africa had a good 2024 season on the LIV Golf League, with two runners-up and five other individual top 10s to rank sixth overall. The Stinger GC captain has played in one Asian Tour event earlier this year, the International Series Oman, where he finished in solo second place. He has an impressive record in golf’s Majors, where in addition to the win in The Open he has posted six runners-up, two third place finishes and two other top 10s. He represented the International Team in the Presidents Cup in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019.
- Fellow Stinger GC and South African Dean Burmester recorded his first LIV Golf League win in Miami in April this year and posted three other top 10s finishing the year ranking ninth individually. He had his latest win playing the Vodacom Origins of Golf Final Oubaai on the Sunshine Tour two weeks ago in South Africa. In late 2023 Burmester won back-to-back events on the DP World Tour in his native country, the Joburg Open and the Investec South African Open Championship.
- Other notable LIV Golf League players in the field this week are Anthony Kim, Brendan Steele, Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace, Sam Horsfield, Thomas Pieters, Kalle Samooja, Matt Jones, Jinichiro Kozuma, Scott Vincent and Kieran Vincent.
Patrick Reed’s outstanding winning four-round total of 22-under-par 258 at the Link Hong Kong Open tied the lowest score in the tournament’s 63-year history. As preferred lies were played it did not count officially but it was still a performance that will live long in memory.
The only player with the same winning score at the Hong Kong Golf Club is Englishman Ian Poulter in 2010, while Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain also went 22 under when he triumphed in 2001 – but that year the course played as a par 71 so his winning total was 262.
Reed blitzed the field in the third-round last week firing a flawless 11-under-par 59 around the Composite Course – incredibly hitting all 14 fairways and all 18 greens in regulation while requiring only 25 putts. Again, because of preferred lies it could not stand officially, meaning Englishman Aaron Rai’s 61 in 2018 remains the course record.
For Reed, known as one of the game’s premier shot-makers, the tree-lined Fanling course is one of his favourites, and his stats show that. He topped the Greens in Regulation (GIR) category for the week with 87.5%, missing only nine greens. He was also impressive on the greens averaging 1.62 Putts per GIR, ranking third in this category, and 28.5 Putts per Round, for T16th. Off the tee he managed to find the Fairways 80.36% of the time (T9th), while averaging 287.75 yards (44th).
Ben Campbell. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
The 2018 Masters champion also tied Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana for most birdies during the week with 26. Also he only made four bogeys for the week: one on the 15th and another on the 18th on Sunday when the tournament was all but decided.
Runner-up Ben Campbell of New Zealand did his best to defend the title, and led the field after the first two rounds on 12-under-par. While he was unhappy with his putting on the weekend, he did put up great numbers across all major stat categories ranking T4th in Putts per Round with 27.5, sixth in Putts per GIR on 1.638, T9th in GIR with 80.56% and T2nd in Fairways Hit with 89.29%, missing only six fairways for the week.
China’s Ye Wocheng had a magical week on the greens topping both the Putts per Round and Putts per GIR, on 26 and 1.53 respectively. Unfortunately, the other parts of his game did not perform so well as he tied for 52nd.
Statistics Categories leaders at the Link Hong Kong Open (of players making the cut):
- Putts per Round: Ye Wocheng (CHN) – 26
- Putts per GIR: Ye Wocheng (CHN) – 1.53
- GIR: Patrick Reed (USA) – 87.5%
- Fairways Hit: Ajeetesh Sandhu (IND) – 91.07%
- Driving Distance: Eugenio Chacarra (ESP) – 332.75 yards
- Most Birdies: Patrick Reed (USA), Sadom Kaewkanjana (THA) – 26
- Fewest Bogies or Worse: Ben Campbell (AUS), Natipong Sritong (THA) – 3
- Scrambling: Chan Shih-chang (TPE), Chapchai Nirat (THA) – 83.33%
Patrick Reed stormed to a runaway victory in the US$2 million Link Hong Kong Open today – to claim the prestigious event for the first time and register his first victory in four years.
After his off-the-charts 11-under-par 59 yesterday here at the Hong Kong Golf Club, he signed off with an equally fine 66 today to finish on 22-under, for a convincing three-stroke victory over New Zealand’s Ben Campbell, the defending champion.
Campbell ended his excellent defence with a 65, while Japan’s Kazuki Higa shot a 63 to claim third, another shot back. Australian Wade Ormsby, a winner here in 2017 and 2020, shared fourth with Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana. They both fired 65s.
Hong Kong’s top golfer Taichi Kho returned a 66 to tie for sixth – his best result of the year, and his best finish in an event which means so much to him.
Patrick Reed. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Any concerns that Reed, who started the day three ahead, would have difficulty shooting another low round following yesterday’s heroics were quickly dispelled when he birdied four in a row from the third for a six-shot cushion. And at the turn he had a gaping seven-shot advantage to be in complete control. Dropped shots on 15 and the last while his nearest challengers were making birdies closed the gap, but it remained a foregone conclusion.
“Nothing like coming to a place that I know pretty well and love the golf course,” said the 34-year-old Texan, who plans to play in the final two events of the season: next week’s International Series Qatar and the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers, the week after.
“I love how it makes me think about golf shots and you have to be creative around this place. So, to be able to come out and play the way like I did on the weekend. I mean, it always helps shooting 59 yesterday, but the biggest thing, the hardest part, was today.”
It is his maiden title on the Asian Tour and also his first victory since the Farmers Insurance Open on the PGA Tour in 2021 – not including his two team wins with 4Aces GC on the LIV Golf League in 2023.
He added: “Kind of going out there and forgetting about the 59 and going out, even though I had a three-shot lead, to try to expand on that. And the goal was to go out there and make a couple birdies early quickly, get up on top, so then on the back nine I could just kind of hit fairways and middle of the greens.
“When I was able to birdie 13 there, then it just kind of got into really boring golf which led to two mistakes. But, you know, the last one, I was not ever going to take that on.”
Ben Campbell. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Campbell had a phenomenal back nine, making five birdies but Reed was simply too far ahead.
“Another frustrating day with the putter,” he said.
“I hit it really well but yeah, for the weekend the putter was pretty cold unfortunately. Obviously, it’s still a good result, but just frustrating it was not to be. I feel like I should have been right up there and pushing Patrick. So, yeah, it is what it is, but it was close.”
Hong Kong Golf Club Ambassador Kho finished in a blaze of glory by nearly holing his second shot on the par-four 18th, where he tapped in for a birdie. It completed a strong finish, as he was not in the running for much of the day but came back by also making three successive birdies from 13.
Taichi Kho. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Kho, who has only just returned following a back in injury, said: “Feels great. Had so many friends and family out there, and so much credit goes to them, and I felt so supported out there. So yeah, super happy with this performance. It’s been a while since I played on the Asian Tour, so overall a really good week.
“It feels so great to have so many people I know out here, and even people I don’t know, I just feel so supported out here. And yeah, even though Patrick’s running away with it a bit, I felt like it was a small win for me today, and I felt like I made a lot of good progress this week.”
Justin Rose from England, the winner here in 2015, fired a 67 and ended in a tie for 18th on 13 under.
LIV Golf star Patrick Reed said earlier this week he had come here to win the US$2 million Link Hong Kong Open and not treat it as a warm-up, and he spectacularly backed that claim up today by shooting an 11-under-par 59 to take the third-round lead.
Five birdies in a row started it and four on the trot finished it as the American leapt into the lead on 18-under.
Indian Rashid Khan and Nitithorn Thippong from Thailand share second place, three behind the leader. Khan shot a 63 and Nitithorn a 66.
Defending champion Ben Campbell from New Zealand, the leader at the start of the day, is one shot back following a 68.
Rashid Khan. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
It is only the second 59 recorded on the Asian Tour – the caveat being that preferred lies were played so it does not stand officially.
The only other 59 was registered back in March when American John Catlin recorded the magic number at the International Series Macau presented by Wynn.
Remarkably, Reed played with Catlin on that day, and it was also in the third round.
Reed sealed the deal with a confident 15-foot birdie putt on the famous par-four 18th here at Hong Kong Golf Club.
“Yeah, you know, it was kind of one those days,” said Reed, who is attempting to win for the first time in four years and claim his maiden Asian Tour title.
“I got up, I felt a little tight but felt ready to go and got out here and had probably one of the worst warm-ups ever.
Nitithorn Thippong. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“I looked at my caddy, and he goes, hey, a warm-up is a warm-up, let’s go out and just play golf. He goes, some of your best rounds have come from a poor warm-up.”
Reed also made birdies on seven and 13 and was bogey free. He has only dropped two shots in three rounds.
Added the 2018 Masters champion: “And you know, I stepped up on that first tee and did a great drive, and then from that point on, just quality iron shots, leaving myself a lot of really good looks, and was able to make a lot of putts.”
He has been a regular visitor here over the past 10 years and came close to winning in 2015 when he tied for third.
Khan, who made five birdies on the back nine, two on the front and was also bogey free, is in a battle to keep his Asian Tour card, in 90th place on the Order of Merit. He needs a big finish tomorrow to take the pressure off.
Ben Campbell. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He said: “I feel great. I mean, you know, it’s been very long since I have been in contention playing. You know, to get a trophy home, I’m really working hard and really enjoying myself right now. That’s all I can say. I mean, when you’re playing golf, when you’re playing an event, a competitive round, it’s all about being comfortable on the golf course and just having fun out there.”
He is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour, but it has been a while as both those wins came a decade ago.
Campbell was in far less prolific form today but did well to stay in touch with the front runner.
“I just putted really poorly today,” said the Kiwi.
“The putter was ice cold, so it was frustrating. It felt like it should have been a pretty low one out there, I think I only missed one or two greens, and I think I missed one fairway or something like that. So, I hit it easily well enough to have a really good score out there.”
Australian Wade Ormsby, winner of this event in 2017 and 2020, has a chance of adding a third title after carding a 64 to sit six off top spot. He is tied with Hong Kong ace Taichi Kho, after a 66.
England’s Justin Rose, the 2015 champion here, returned a 65 and sits eight behind “Mr 59.”
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