International Series Macau presented by Wynn: Statistically speaking
Hua Hin-based American John Catlin is now a five-time winner on the Asian Tour after a dramatic victory at the International Series Macau presented by Wynn, on Sunday.
He became the first player to break 60 on the Asian Tour after shooting a cracking 11-under-par 59 on Saturday and defeated Spanish sensation David Puig on the second hole of an exciting and entertaining sudden-death play-off.
Not surprisingly, both players dominated the week’s statistics, especially as they both finished on 23-under-par, on the par-70 Macau Golf and Country Club layout.
Preferred lies were adopted but that did not detract from the remarkably low scoring.
John Catlin. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Catlin’s 59 dominated the headlines and will do so for some time. His record-breaking round included nine birdies and an eagle, on the last hole; he needed only 22 putts; hit 16 Greens in Regulation (GIR) (89%); and found 10 out of 13 Fairways in regulation (77%).
Instrumental in Catlin’s win was him excelling in the putting stats for the whole week, with 1.56 Putts per GIR he ranked second only to Puig.
In fact, putting was the standout stat category for the week with the top three players, Catlin, Puig and Lucas Herbert of Australia – who finished two shots shy of the play-off in solo third – ranking second, first and third respectively in the Putts per GIR category.
Both Catlin and Puig also managed to avoid three-putts for the entire week on the tricky Macau greens.
Catlin’s victory was built on a solid week across the other stat categories. He was joint 22nd in GIR on 79.17%, 23rd in Driving Distance averaging 302.90 yards, and tied ninth in Fairways in Regulation on 71.15%.
Puig, winner of the IRS Prima Malaysian Open a month ago, is known as one of the best putters and longest drivers on the Asian Tour, finishing first in the Putts per GIR category and fourth in the Driving Distance last year.
David Puig. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He again had a stellar week on the greens in Macau ranking first in both Putts per Round (25.50) and Putts per GIR (1.49), and as usual he was one of the longest drivers with a median of 314.60 yards, ranking fifth.
The 22-year-old also made the most birdies with 28.
Statistics categories leaders at the International Series Macau presented by Wynn (of players making the cut):
Putts per Round: David Puig (25.50)
Putts per GIR: David Puig (1.49)
GIR: Jbe Kruger (88.89%)
Fairways hit: Takumi Kanaya (86.54%)
Driving Distance: Li Haotong (324.10 yards)
Total Eagles: Charng-Tai Sudsom and Kieran Vincent (3)
Total Birdies: David Puig (28)
Fewest Bogies: Martin Trainer (1)
Teen sensation Ratchanon ‘TK’ Chantananuwat has revealed that maverick LIV Golf star Bryson Dechambeau is his inspiration while he puts his game on pause this summer to focus on his studies as he prepares to attend the prestigious Stanford University in the United States this year.
The Thai amateur star, who turned 17 earlier this month, will play the Saudi Open presented by Public Investment Fund in April, before taking a break to concentrate fully on his studies from the summer onwards.
‘TK’, as he popularly known, has already sounded out American DeChambeau, the 2020 US Open champion, over his study plan. The captain of the Crushers GC is notorious for his meticulous approach to all aspects of golf, from club fit through to his diet, as he seeks to make marginal gains on all aspects of his game.
‘TK’ is hoping to take a similar approach and said: “In the US the way it works is you don’t pick your major until your third year. So basically you study the mandatory stuff and things you are interested in.
Ratchanon Chantanuwat, amateur of Thailand pictured during Round Three on Saturday March 16, 2024, at the International Series Macau, presented by Wynn, at the Macau Golf and Country Club. The US$2 million Asian Tour event is staged from March 14-17, 2024. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“I talked to Bryson recently and he said that if I wanted to study things that will help in golf, I should study Newtonian mechanics, particle physics and maybe dabble in engineering and anatomy and economics. My areas of interest are physics and economics and so I’ll study something along those lines.
“Or I could study something easy,” he laughed. “At the end of the day I want to be a professional golfer and that’s my priority, that is not going to change. I have liked science ever since I was around six years old – it explains everything that works and how everything works.
“As an athlete the best thing you can do for yourself is to learn everything about your sport. For Bryson, that approach has worked out.”
The Thai impressed once again throughout the International Series Macau presented by Wynn last week, with a 14-under total for four days. On day four he carded a three-under round of 67 to finish T14 in a field packed with LIV Golf League stars, major champions and the best players from the Asian Tour
He got off to a flying start on his final round, with a birdie on his first hole. A dropped shot on five threatened to derail his round but back-to-back birdies on eight and nine got him back on track, before an eagle three on the testing par-five 12th.
He picked up a careless double bogey on 16 but hit back hard with a birdie on 18 and walked off the Macau Golf and Country Club course at Grand Coloane in positive fashion shortly before American star John Catlin beat Spaniard David Puig on the second play-off hole for a fifth Asian Tour victory.
Ratchanon Chantananuwat helped conduct a clinic earlier in week. Picture by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.
‘TK’, who won the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup on the Asian Tour aged 15 in 2022, said: “Fourteen under as a score is not bad, I was similar in Malaysia and the Saudi Open last year, and averaging three to four under each day on the Asian Tour is ok. I had pretty decent shot control, I was manipulating a draw and fade when I needed to, and so I am pretty happy overall.
“I hit one bad shot all day and this weekend has shown what I have to improve upon and that’s my mindset. I overthink things and stress too much and I have to remind myself I’m still amateur, I’m not playing for a lot of money just yet.”
A particular highlight for ‘TK’ this weekend was his second shot on 12, when he hit driver off the deck and managed to make an eagle. He might be eager to learn all aspects of his sport while at college, but he’s not about to change the basics that have served him so well so far.
He said: “In the most humble way, I’ve played a good score here and that’s with a few stupid mistakes in there, I hit one bad shot today and got double bogey.
“I four putted once and three putted twice on the first day. If I can minimise that then I’d be scoring better, I’m still eight off the lead for a bang on average week, and that’s without even considering my putting. My putting is not bad but it is far from good. They just don’t go in. If I putted like the LIV guys I played with, I could be in contention every week.”
John Catlin claimed the International Series Macau presented by Wynn today after a monumental finish to the inaugural event, that saw the irrepressible American beat David Puig on the second hole of a wild sudden-death play-off.
Catlin, who shot an 11-under-par 59 yesterday to become the first player to break 60 on the Asian Tour, backed that up today with a typically tenacious performance – which culminated in him winning after getting up and down for a birdie four on 18, after Puig missed his four from five feet.
The pair had ended the tournament tied on 23-under with Catlin shooting 65 and Puig 60, while Australian Lucas Herbert returned a 64 to finish third, two shots behind. Patrick Reed from the United States secured fourth, one stroke further back, following a 63.
This is Catlin’s fifth victory on the Asian Tour, and first since the 2019 Thailand Open – which also came after a play-off – plus first success on The International Series, and it came after an unexpectedly close finish.
John Catlin. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Catlin had a two-stroke lead at the start of the day and put one hand on the trophy when he went out in four-under-par 30 – thanks to three birdies in a row from the fourth and another birdie on nine – for a four-shot advantage at the turn. A birdie at 10 then extended his lead to five.
However, he dropped a shot on 11 before Puig, playing four groups ahead, made a late charge. He emerged from the chasing pack and moved to within two when he birdied 12 and eagled 13, both par fives. The Spaniard then made a birdie on the 15th to sit one back before drawing level with another birdie on 16.
Catlin made a clutch eight-foot birdie putt on the par-three 14th to slide one ahead, but Puig draw level once again when he got up and down for a birdie on the par-five 18th.
On the par-three 17th, Catlin appeared to be in trouble after missing the green with his tee shot. He chipped to nine feet, but once again rose to the challenge and drained the putt, meaning he needed to birdie the last to win.
The final hole has seen birdies and eagles all week and Catlin was hot favourite to win in normal time, especially the way he was putting. However, after chipping to five feet he missed his putt for birdie to the disbelief of everyone watching.
On the first play-off hole, the tournament appeared to be going Puig’s way when Catlin’s second shot, with a fairway wood, sailed past the right side of the green and looked to be heading out of bounds. Fortunately, his ball came to rest on the road behind the main hospitality marquee and from there he was able to take a free drop.
John Catlin celebrates with his caddie Barry Cornwall. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
As that was happening Puig sensationally nearly made an eagle after his bunker shot from 20 yards hit the pin. It left him with a tap in for birdie.
Catlin had to negotiate a difficult chip, with little green to work with, and left himself much to do after leaving himself with a tricky six-foot putt.
But putting the memory of his miss moments earlier behind him, he confidently made the putt to keep the play-off alive.
The next time round Puig again had the upper hand when he found the putting surface in two, although he faced a long-range putt, while Catlin’s second shot missed the green on the right leaving another awkward chip.
Surprisingly, Puig’s first attempt was not up to his usual standard while his American opponent, sensing an opportunity, took the pin out and nearly holed out. After Puig missed his putt, Catlin was left with an easy tap in for an epic victory.
“We made that a little more difficult than we had to,” said Catlin to caddie Barry Cornwall immediately after holing the winning putt.
As well as winning the Thailand Open in extra time he won the 2021 Austrian Open on the DP World Tour in overtime. He’s never lost in a sudden-death play-off and he’s always won if he’s held the third-round lead.
“Still hasn’t quite sunk in, and that was one heck of a battle,” said the 33-year-old Californian.
“I mean, if you had told me I would finish minus 23 on the tournament, and I still have to be in a play-off, I’d be like, you’re kidding. But I mean, it was special all week, I fought really hard. You know, I was battling all week long and to come out on top is really, really special.”
On his struggles on the first play-off hole he said: “Basically I just figured I had nothing to lose, I mean he’s already made four. So, I either got to make four or it’s over, and it actually kind of took a little bit of the heat off and I had a decent chip and a good putt.”
David Puig. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
This is also his first appearance on The International Series and is redemption for being beaten by Puig in the season-opening IRS Prima Malaysian Open. He tied for third there and also missed out on a place in The Open due to a countback based on world rankings.
The win also justifies his decision to return to playing on the Asian Tour. He has been competing in Europe for the past four seasons – where he won back-to-back titles in 2020 and once in 2021 – but after a poor couple of years he opted to play in this year’s Asian Tour Qualifying School, where he made it through in 19th place.
He moves into second on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, while Puig has the consolation of becoming number one. On The International Series Rankings, Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz is still first, with Catlin second and Puig third.
“Yeah, good day, obviously the score says it right?” said Puig.
“And I played good. Had a very good back nine and I’m happy that I got into the play-off and I had a chance. It has been a good week. I mean different course for sure but pretty fun. Also, you know, I’m pretty tired being the seventh week in a row, so I’m glad I finished on a good note and ready for what’s next.”
The Asian Tour has a break now before it heads to the US$1million Saudi Open presented by Public Investment Fund, at Riyadh Golf Club, from April 17-20.
Kieran Vincent has only been on the LIV Golf League for just over a month, but it is clear that this new chapter of his fledgling career has already had a huge impact on him, not just because at the first event, in Mayakoba, he was part of Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII winning team.
“I mean it’s been nothing short of spectacular,” said the Zimbabwean, speaking at this week’s inaugural International Series Macau presented by Wynn.
“You dream for it to go really, really well, and I think it’s done that and more. Obviously to get paired up with such an awesome team, with Jon, Tyrrell [Hatton] and Caleb [Surratt] you can’t ask for better teammates and just the acclimatisation of now being part of the LIV Golf League it’s been awesome. I’m excited for what’s in store for us the next few events coming up.”
Vincent is playing the LIV Golf League by virtue of the fact that he successfully negotiated last year’s tension-packed LIV Golf Promotions event in Abu Dhabi – where he secured one of the three places on offer, after surviving a sudden-death play-off, to add even more drama and emotion to a lifechanging week.
Kieran Vincent. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Above all else the 26-year-old feels the greatest part of the experience so far is getting the chance to spend an extended amount of time with the best players in the world.
He explains: “It’s just kind of seeing the day-to-day life, what they get up to on a day-to-day basis is awesome. You know you always think of the life of a tour pro, awesome and glamourous, and I think that Jon and Tyrrell and even Caleb have kind of shown me that there is so much more to it than just playing on the golf course.
“I’ve learned so many things just being around them for the last four weeks now, and as I said I think the world of them. They’re such awesome guys both on the course and even off the course, they want the best for everybody. I think that’s what makes that whole LIV lifestyle so unique, it’s that you get to spend so much in-depth time with all these guys, so it’s really, really cool.”
The team element of the LIV Golf League is also something he is enjoying immensely.
“Yeah, it’s so different in so many different ways,” said Vincent, who won the International Series Vietnam last year, for his maiden victory as a professional in his first full season on the Asian Tour.
“You know that in a team event like this, where on the last day all four scores count, everyone has to do their bit to really jump up the leaderboard. And I think that’s what we did so well in Mayakoba, that all four scores were really good scores, and that we put the best scores that we could out there.”
There is no doubt that having his brother Scott playing on the LIV Golf League also provides extra inspiration, and on that front, at this stage, they are about even stevens. Legion XIII are fourth on the team rankings, while Scott’s Iron Heads GC team are joint 12th, however the latter is equal 44th individually, one place ahead of his younger brother, with everything to play for over the next eight events.
Talented Thai sensation Denwit Boriboonsub was left to rue a number of missed putts around the Macau Golf and Country Club, but still managed to stay in contention going into the final round of the International Series Macau presented by Wynn.
A wonderful eight-under round of 62 would surely have made the headlines on any other day – until American John Catlin’s stunning 59 and two other 62s from LIV Golf stars, Ripper GC’s Lucas Herbert and Smash GC’s Jason Kokrak.
Denwit picked up a birdie on his first as he started on 10, after hitting his approach to five feet, and he was motoring after three more on his front nine at 13, 15 and 18. Birdies on the first and third, as well as two more on the spin on eight and nine, ensured a blemish-free eight under round that moved him to T8.
Things might have been even better for the 20-year-old had his flat stick been as hot as his driver and irons.
Denwit Boriboonsub. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
The 20-year-old has already proved he can mix it with the big guns after beating 2016 Open champion Henrik Stenson at the Saudi Open late last year for his first ever Asian Tour title and his third title in an astonishing three-week spell where he also claimed victory in the Aramco Invitational and then the Thailand Open.
And he’s clearly not afraid of competing at the highest level in a field that includes major winners Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed and Graeme McDowell alongside a large number of LIV Golf League stars and the cream of the Asian Tour.
He said: “Today’s round, I hit my driver so good and I hit my irons so well too. But I missed a lot of putts, left a lot out there. But because of the irons that I hit so well, I hit it so close all day long – right from my second shot of the day which was close to five feet.
“I think today in the round I was pretty confident with my shots and drives, but luckily today there was no wind. It was very calm and the green speeds were the same over all three days, so I learned it all from the greens on the first and the second day.”
Denwit is young and hungry, not without ambition. The Asian Tour Order of Merit is the target for this season. He explained: “This season I really want to win the Order of Merit – you get a five-year exemption and that’s the main goal for me. The International Series events are a huge opportunity on the Asian Tour for players like me.
“Playing with the likes of Jason Kokrak, Sergio Garcia, and top players like Graeme McDowell, that’s a huge opportunity for players like me.”
Compatriot Charng-Tai Sudsom is a shot further back on -12 after an eventful round that yielded five birdies and a bogey in a seven-hole burst from his third. An eagle on 15 ensured a six-under 64 that moved him up to T14, six behind Catlin after his incredible 59.
Charng-Tai said: “I’m very happy with my result. I was driving the ball well and my wedge game was very good today – five birdies and one bogey in the front nine is a really solid round. The International Series is very important for my career – it helps me focus on my goal to try and get there, and I’m trusting my process.
“I want to try to finish top 30 in the International Series Order of Merit (Rankings) and I’m just grinding and grinding, I’m enjoying it and I just want to go out and have fun.”
John Catlin set his name in stone in the history books today by becoming the first player to shoot a 59 on the Asian Tour, at the International Series Macau presented by Wynn – emphatically announcing his return to the region.
The American, a four-time winner on the Asian Tour who has spent the last four seasons playing in Europe, carded an explosive bogey-free 11-under-par 59 to take the third-round lead at Macau Golf & Country Club.
He leads the event on 18-under by two from American Jason Kokrak, who shot a 62. Lucas Herbert from Australia also returned a 62 and is a further stroke back along with joint overnight leader Jbe Kruger from South Africa, who came in with a 66.
Spaniard David Puig, who shared the lead at the start of day with Kruger, returned a 68, which, on a day of tremendously low-scoring, saw him fall back into a tie for eighth on 13-under.
John Catlin celebrates his eagle putt on the 18th green with playing partner Patrick Reed. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Catlin holed a brilliant big left-to-right breaking 20-foot eagle putt on the par-five 18th to seal the deal, after making six birdies on the front nine and three on the back.
His ecstatic reaction to holing the putt marked yet another memorable milestone for the 33-year-old Californian on the Asian Tour. He first made his name here by winning on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) in 2016 and 2017 before graduating to the main Tour where he won three times in 2018 and once in 2019.
Three victories followed in Europe soon after but having successfully passed through the Asian Tour Qualifying School in January it appears being back in the region has proved to be the correct career move.
“Yeah, I’m pretty much speechless,” said an emotional Catlin, who admitted later that he thought he would never break 60, even though all his passwords end with 59.
“It’s pretty, crazy. It hasn’t totally sunk in yet. Wow. Yeah, the emotions are hitting me for sure. Just everything I’ve been through over the last two years. To be here. It’s pretty special.”
Just prior to his remarkable three on the last he also made birdie on the challenging 239-yard par-three 17th, where he holed an eight-footer. A 10-footer to save par on the 12th also proved crucial.
Jason Kokrak. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
The American was able to benefit from calm conditions and preferred lies but that didn’t detract from shooting the first sub-60. Sixty has been shot on three occasions on the Asian Tour before while a 59 has been carded once at both the Qualifying School and on the ADT.
When asked about his dip in form since last winning in Europe in early 2021, he said: “Yeah, it’s really difficult. You know, you sacrifice a lot, you put in a lot. I definitely want to thank my coach Noah Montgomery. He’s been with me now for 10 years and he really helped me through it. I don’t know where I’d be if I didn’t have him in my corner and we just kept pushing. We just kept pushing. And yeah, to be here right now is pretty special.”
Catlin secured the 19th card at Qualifying School before going on to finish equal third at the season-opening IRS Prima Malaysian Open.
Kokrak, when asked if he felt he needed to play aggressively on a day of low scoring, said: “You have to. I mean it’s a golf course where if you’re in the fairway you have to attack it. The greens are soft, you have to attack this place with no wind. If it’s windy out there it can play a little tricky, but with it being calm we knew we had to go out there and shoot something low.”
Fellow LIV Golf League player Herbert added: “John [Catlin] has won plenty of tournaments, I have won plenty of tournaments and a few other boys have played plenty as well, and we all know how to get it done. So hopefully I can get in with a sniff with nine to play, and do the best I can do and it should be a good battle out there.”
Last year’s Hong Kong Open champion Ben Campbell (63) from New Zealand, Frenchman Martin Trainer (64), a Qualifying School graduate, and Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz (65), who won the International Series Oman last month, are four behind Catlin, in a tie for fifth.
Lucas Herbert. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Thailand’s 20-year-old star Denwit Boriboonsub, winner of the season-ending events on both the Asian Tour and ADT last December, signed for a 62 and is in a group of players one shot further adrift.
This week’s US$2million event is the fourth event of the year on the Asian Tour and second on The International Series.
Australian veteran Scott Hend has put himself in contention again for a second successive tournament after a two-under round of 68 left him just four off the lead at the halfway stage of the International Series Macau presented by Wynn.
And the 50-year-old has vowed to be his usual aggressive self as he goes in search of win No.11 on the Asian Tour, two weeks after missing out in agonizing fashion to Takahiro Hataji at the 103rd New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport.
A fortnight ago, Hend rolled back the years with a vintage display and had either led or shared the lead over three days before Hataji took to the front with birdies on 12 and 15. And even though Hend caught up with birdies on 16 and 17, a missed four-footer for par handed the Japanese star outright victory at Queenstown’s Millbrook Resort.
In Macau, the 10-time Asian Tour winner and 16-time champion around the world, followed up his five-under first round 65, when he was out in the second group, with a steady round today to sit well-placed behind David Puig of Spain and Jbe Kruger of South Africa at the Macau Golf and Country Club.
Scott Hend. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Reflecting on his New Zealand experience, he said: “I am not a person to leave putts short, or a person who believes in tomorrow – I’m about the here and now. My nature is aggressive, and it comes out in my golf – up front.
“You win some, you lose some – you do not win by leaving putts short. I misjudged one (on 18) and hit a good putt coming back and it just lipped out. There is not much more I can do. Unfortunately, it cost me some money but it is not where I lost the tournament.
“I lost the tournament on the back nine, where I missed a three and a half footer on 13 for birdie, I did not birdie 12, and I did not birdie the par-five 14th. I cannot blame 18. I birdied 16 and 17 to get in position, and then I went for the win. I tried to get it done in real time and that is the way I am!”
Reflecting on his second round, Hend added: “I missed a lot of putts today and couldn’t get a grasp of the greens. On the first round, being out second in the morning, we did not have much grain to contend with.
“As it dried out a bit in the afternoon, the grains stood up and I was a quarter of a ball out from holing putts. I am playing really well, and we had wind this morning and this afternoon, and the other side of the draw had nothing! I’m well positioned for the weekend; the guys are shooting good scores and let’s see what happens. No one is going to get away with one club length preferred lie because of the condition of the fairways. It always comes down to a bit of a putting competition and not really a ball-striking thing. We will see, with the greens today, hopefully tomorrow we can get back into it.”
Bangladesh golfing hero Siddikur Rahman is mixing it with the big guns at this week’s International Series Macau presented by Wynn – and that is all the more impressive considering his limited game time this season.
The two-time winner on the Asian Tour is on seven under at the halfway stage, just four off the lead following up his opening-day 66 with a second-round 67 at the Macau Golf and Country Club.
Starting on 10, the 39-year-old carded three straight birdies from 12 to 14 before ‘careless’ bogeys on 15 and 18 threatened to derail his round.
Two more birdies on one, his tenth, and six got him back on track, and his round could have been even better had he converted any of three birdie chances on his final three holes.
Siddikur Rahman. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Rahman, who managed a T3 at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters back in 2022 for one of his best finishes in recent times, and qualified under the career earnings category this week, said: “I have played quite well, today I had a lot of chances, but I made a few silly mistakes. My last three holes I could not capitalise on any of them from inside 70 yards, and I also made two silly bogeys.
“On 18 I topped a 240-yard shot into water for bogey, and on 15 I made bogey from the green with a three putt. I am hitting it so well with my first and second shots, but inside 80 yards, where I am normally strong, somehow, I seemed to miss in both rounds.”
Perhaps it should be no surprise that Rahman left a few shots out on the course. He has only played once this season, at the IRS Prima Malaysian Open a month ago where he managed a T31 on 13-under, 10 off winner David Puig of the Fireballs GC in the LIV Golf League.
The reasons for his lack of golf are varied – a mixture or bureaucracy and practice issues.
Rahman, who plays at Kurmitola Golf Club in Dhaka, said: “At my golf course I can play any time and practice inside the course, but my range has artificial matts and range balls, and as pro golfer you really need proper grass and real ball.
“So I didn’t get the chance to practice on the real course. I’m lacking a bit of practice. The last two weeks I didn’t do enough short game practice. I can see the impact on my long game, but I couldn’t practice that much so when I take set up, I’m not sure what to do. I’m in between. But I’m in good shape and feeling comfortable.
“Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a visa for Oman – as a Bangladeshi, there are often problems with visa. And because I was supposed to play Oman, I didn’t put my name down for New Zealand. So then I couldn’t get the visa for New Zealand at the last moment because it was too late. So seven under is not bad, I’m happy for both days!”
Siddikur Rahman. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Rahman, whose wife Samaun Anjum Auroni is also a golf pro, is optimistic about his game this season. He said: “Honestly, with the game I have and the way I am moving forward, I will hopefully be in a good position. The two bogeys today were from centre fairway, and the opportunities I got I could not convert, but my game is there and if I continue playing the way I am playing I will be in a good position.”
If there is a golf course that suits his renowned accuracy from the tee and strong short game it is Macau Golf and Country Club, so among the stars of LIV Golf lookout for Bangladesh’s favourite golfing son this weekend.
LIV Golf League star Harold Varner III is known for his big personality, and that attitude seems the perfect fit for the glitz and glamour of Macau. After a mixed first round, the mercurial American is eager to put on one of his better displays to match the surroundings in the International Series Macau presented by Wynn.
The bubbly 4Aces star was one over through 11, after a run of nine straight pars and one bogey at the turn. But the 33-year-old put together four birdies in the last six holes to bounce back and ease himself to a three-under 67, just four shots off leader Li Haotong of China and behind a huge chasing pack at the Macau Golf & Country Club.
Varner got the season underway with a dead-last finish at El Camaleon Golf Course for LIV Golf Mayakoba at the start of the season. And he is hoping to keep ‘trending’ in the right direction after a T15 last time out at LIV Golf Hong Kong last weekend.
Harold Varner III. Picture by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.
He said: “That was good considering I was one over just after the turn – I really got to get going a little faster, I would say. That’s golf though. I played pretty well in Hong Kong so I have got to keep up that momentum. I’m really loving my golf right now, I’ve been working on doing good things and I have to trust that process and keep going.”
Varner clearly likes the international brief of the Asian Tour. Aside from last week’s T15 at Fanling, he carded a sublime 62 and two consecutive 66s last year on his way to a top-10 finish in the Hong Kong Open.
He also won the Australian PGA Championship in December 2016 and the PIF Saudi International in February 2022 with a monster eagle putt on the last.
He can’t quite put his finger on the good form, however he has credited The International Series for ‘keeping him sharp’.
He said: “I think it is awesome. It gives great opportunities, but you have got to play well. A lot of LIV guys are coming over and it is good for me – it keeps me from being lazy! It keeps me sharp, I just have to do my thing and keep travelling – another country knocked off.”
Reflecting on his goals he added: “I have to do my thing and keep travelling, that’s another country knocked off! If I play like I did on the back nine, I can do really well. Play well and keep doing the good things, make a lot of money,” he laughed. “I finished dead last in my first tournament this season but I’m trending and I have got to keep going.”
Tournament champions were not the only winners in 2023 as once again players and venues were rewarded for their important contributions to the season through other accolades at last night’s Asian Tour Awards Night, held at the Wynn Palace in Macau.
Andy Ogletree’s dominant 2023 season saw him receive arguably the most-coveted award of them all, the stamp of approval by his peers, as he was handed the Kyi Hla Han Award for the Player of the Year on the Asian Tour.
The American (main picture) won both the Asian Tour Order of Merit (OOM) title, as well as The International Series OOM, in runaway fashion and was the overwhelming choice for the Kyi Hla Han Award – after a final count of a players’ poll was conducted.
It was the first year that the award had been named after Kyi Hla Han, the Asian Tour’s former OOM champion who later became the regional circuit’s Executive Chairman, making this all the more significant for Ogletree.
Saudi golfer Othman Almulla (left) receives the Tournament of the Year Award on behalf of the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers from Angelo Que. Picture by Chris Wong.
Said Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO, Asian Tour: “It was a wonderful year for Andy, fittingly coming during the season when we named the prestigious Player’s Player of the Year Award after one of the Asian Tour’s most-celebrated luminaries, Kyi Hla Han.”
The Asian Tour membership also cast their vote in favour of the star-studded season-opening PIF Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers as The Tournament of the Year.
“The Tournament of the Year Award is one of the Asian Tour’s most prestigious accolades – especially as it is an emphatic vote of confidence from our members,” added Cho.
“We first staged our season-opening event at the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers in 2022, when it received rave reviews from our players. It was the perfect start to the year, and this was very much the case in 2023.”
On The International Series – 10 elite level events that are integrated into the Asian Tour schedule and provide a pathway onto the LIV Golf League – it was the Hong Kong Open that got the nod as The International Series Tournament of the Year.
The winners of the statistics categories were also rewarded. Picture by Chris Wong.
And equally impressively it was that event’s venue, the Hong Kong Golf Club, that was the Players’ Choice Course of the Year, along with Al Mouj Golf – the popular club on the stunning Muscat coastline that hosts the International Series Oman.
With regard to the Asian Tour Rookie of the Year Award there was only ever one candidate, Taichi Kho.
Winning the World City Championship at Hong Kong Golf Club saw him become the first player from Hong Kong to win on the Asian Tour, while he also shone at the Volvo China Open, chipping in for an eagle on 18 to tie for second.
Those performances helped him end the year in ninth place on the Merit list to complete one of the finest ever rookie seasons. He also claimed the gold medal in the Asian Games, which was another first for Hong Kong,
Statistically speaking, the players who featured on the leaderboard across the season also dominated the numbers.
Spaniard David Puig had the best stoke average with 68.25; Ogletree, not surprisingly, topped Greens in Regulation on 77.02%; and Phachara Khongwatmai from Thailand had the measure of the greens with a medium of 27.85 putts per round.
A hot putter also helped Phachara make the most birdies. He recorded 293, although his compatriot Sadom Kaewkanjana matched him, to share the honours in that category.
Taichi Kho (right) is handed the Rookie of the Year Award by Dom Boulet. Picture by Chris Wong.
Korean Seungtaek Lee was the biggest hitter of the season with his average drive reaching 326.98 yards, Gaganjeet Bhullar from India hit it straightest off the tee finding 81.09% of the fairways, while it will surprise no one that the magical short game of Thailand’s Poom Saksansin allowed him to win the Scrambling section, getting up and down 67.24% of the time.
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