Big Wynn for Ortiz in Macau after hard-fought battle with Reed
Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz held off Patrick Reed to claim the International Series Macau presented by Wynn today, after a closely fought battle between the LIV Golf stars at Macau Golf and Country Club.
Ortiz won the International Series Oman last year and made it win number two on The International Series and Asian Tour today after closing with a six-under-par 64 to finish three ahead of Reed on 22-under.
Reed, looking to add this week’s title to his win at the Link Hong Kong Open last November, fired a 67, as did fellow-American Jason Kokrak, three back in third.
All three were thrilled to book their berths for The Open at Royal Portrush this summer – as this week’s event is part of the Open Qualifying Series, with the top three, not already exempt, making it through to final Major of the year.
Carlos Ortiz of Mexico. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Sergio Garcia finished one stroke behind in fourth, following a 65. The Spaniard painfully missed a three-footer for birdie on the last which would have seen him tie with Kokrak and secure the third place in The Open through countback based on his higher world rankings.
Ortiz started the day sharing the lead with playing partner Reed but moved immediately in front with birdies on the first and third plus another on eight. He was two ahead at the turn before playing the pivotal par-five 12th. Ortiz struck a brilliant fairway wood to five feet and made the eagle putt, which meant he was two ahead of Reed and three from Kokrak, who both birdied the 12th.
A clutch eight-footer for par on the par-three 14th also proved crucial for Ortiz. He then missed a five-footer for birdie on the next which would have put him three ahead, but he was able to stay two ahead before a birdie on 18 put more daylight between him and Reed.
“It was a good week,” said Ortiz, who plays for Torque GC on LIV Golf.
“I think I did a good job of putting the ball in play, that’s important on this golf course. I think I drove it really well. I took advantage of the par fives and some of the short par fours, and I mean, I think that’s important on this golf course.
Patrick Reed, Carlos Ortiz and Jason Kokrak with The Open pin flags. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“I mean, I think most of the trouble is from the tee, so once you put the driver in play, it opens up from there. So, I think I did a good job from there. I didn’t take full advantage of all those great drives, but I mean I took advantage enough. I am overjoyed to be heading to The Open.”
It’s the 10th win of Ortiz’s career. He’s also claimed one title a piece on the LIV Golf League and the PGA Tour. The 33-year-old moves to the top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit and The International Series Rankings.
On his eagle on 12 he said: “I was trying to get it on the green and it looked good in the air, you know, getting it that close it’s obviously a little bit of luck, but I hit a great shot so it’s nice to be able to capitalize on that.”
He has played in The Open once before, in 2021, while it will be the 10th time Reed has played in game’s oldest Major, and the fifth for Kokrak.
Reed, who also led after the first and second rounds, said: “A little frustrating. I didn’t make many putts. Had the case of lip outs for two days. So that’s unfortunate. When you do something like that, it’s just hard to win golf tournaments.
Patrick Reed. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“Put myself in position, and yeah, I hit the ball plenty well enough. 16 greens today, had a decent amount of looks, just, you know, just lipping out and burning edges.
“So, you know, unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get the win. But, you know, anytime you can play bogey free on Sundays, always positive, you know, really. To go and finish solo second, get at spot in The Open, yeah, it means a lot.”
Canada’s Richard T. Lee closed with a 65 to take fifth outright, while Poland’s Adrian Meronk and Taichi Kho from Hong Kong, shared sixth after rounds of 64 and 65 respectively.
Defending champion John Catlin from the United States returned a 68 to finish in a tie for 26th.
The Asian Tour heads to the GS Caltex Maekyung Open next at Namseoul Country Club in Seoul, Korea. The tournament will be played from May 1-4, and is followed the week after by the inaugural International Series Japan – being played at Caledonian Golf Club.
Patrick Reed and Carlos Ortiz will start tomorrow’s final round of the International Series Macau presented by Wynn sharing the lead after the pair battled it out for top spot all day today.
Reed, who has led since day one, shot a three-under-par 67, while Ortiz returned a 66 here at Macau Golf and Country Club.
They lead on 16-under by three from Germany’s Dominic Foos and American Jason Kokrak, who both returned 65s.
Australia’s Lucas Herbert is two strokes further back, in an event that will see the top three secure places in The Open Championship, held this year at Royal Portrush.
Reed had a comfortable four-shot lead after six holes before a three-shot swing on the eighth, where the American dropped a shot while Ortiz chipped in for an eagle two. That remained the gap at the turn before Ortiz drew level for the first time after making birdie on 10.
Carlos Ortiz. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Reed regained the lead with a birdie on 13 before dropping a shot on the next, where he saw his first putt roll off the green, unable to stop due to the slick surface. Ortiz also made bogey there though, to stay one back. Reed later bogeyed the penultimate hole before they both made fours on the par-five 18th.
“It was kind of sloppy, I missed a lot of putts,” said Reed – the 2018 Masters champion.
“My three bogeys were two three-putts, and I putted a ball off the green on 14. Yeah, a couple of difficult pins out there I would say for sure, but everyone has to play them. And, you know, just gotta hit it closer, I guess, and hopefully make the putts.”
Reed, who plays for 4Aces GC on LIV Golf, appears to have worked out what it takes to play well in Asia, having won the Link Hong Kong Open last November for his maiden win on the Asian Tour and The International Series. He will be attempting to win his 11th title on Sunday since turning professional in 2011.
He added: “Just plan to do same thing tomorrow. Just go out there and continue hitting quality golf shots, putting a good roll on it and just trusting the process.”
Like Reed, Ortiz is also chasing his second victory on the Asian Tour, having won last year’s International Series Oman.
Dominic Foos. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
The Mexican, who is on the Torque GC team, said: “Good overall. It was a good round. I put it in play most of the day. I honestly felt like I did a good job. It was not yesterday (Ortiz shot a second-round 61) but it was a decent run. Definitely need to shoot as low as possible tomorrow.”
Foos stormed through at the end, making five birdies in the last seven holes.
“Yeah, I started off pretty slow, made a couple of bogeys in the beginning,” said the German, who is a graduate from this year’s Qualifying School.
“But yeah, I’ve been playing really well, and I knew it was only a matter of time until some putts dropped, and yeah, lucky that happened on the back nine.
“It’s playing very tricky. I think, like most of the putts, you just want to get it to the hole or around the hole, because so many times just past it, it’s like straight downhill.”
Spain’s Sergio Garcia and Zimbabwean Kieran Vincent both carded 69s and are tied for sixth, six behind the frontrunners.
Nick Voke of New Zealand is a shot further back in a nine-man group on nine under after shooting a 64, the lowest round of the day.
Defending champion John Catlin from the United States shot a 68 and is in joint 38th position on four under.
The US$2million event is the second stop on The International Series – 10 elevated events on the Asian Tour that provide a pathway on to the LIV Golf League.
The tournament is also part of the Open Qualifying Series.
ENDS
Patrick Reed from the United States impressed again today at the International Series Macau presented by Wynn, shooting a second-round six-under-par 64 to take the lead by one from Carlos Ortiz.
Mexico’s Ortiz was also in inspired form shooting a 61 – which matched the course record – while Australians Lucas Herbert and Travis Smyth are two strokes further back after they both returned 65s.
Zimbabwean Kieran Vincent (65), Spain’s Sergio Garcia (66), and Filipino Miguel Tabuena (67) are an additional shot behind, in the second event of the year on The International Series – the Asian Tour’s top-tier of million-dollar events.
Reed was the overnight leader following a 63 here at Macau Golf & Country Club yesterday and picked up where he left off, chalking up seven birdies and a solitary bogey to reach 13-under.
Carlos Ortiz. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He finished fourth here last year, while Herbert was third, so they both have unfinished business heading into the weekend.
“I think the biggest motivation is going out and getting in contention on Sundays,” said Reed – who won the Link Hong Kong Open last November.
“You know, I feel like the game has been pretty solid this year. I feel like I’ve been hitting the ball decently, feel like I’ve been hitting a lot of quality putts, just the results aren’t really speaking for it. The ball’s not going how I want it to, so to go out there these first two days and play the way I did, I feel like that’s just kind of how I’ve been playing.”
The 34-year-old also has one eye on qualifying for The Open this year, as this week’s event is part of the Open Qualifying Series. Three places are up for grabs at Royal Portrush this summer.
He added: “You know, to finally get the scores out is nice, and hopefully I just go ahead and do the same thing on the weekend. Not only will I try to earn one of the three spots in The Open, but you know, hoist the trophy.”
Lucas Herbert. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Ortiz’s spectacular round consisted of 10 birdies and one bogey, on the fifth. Remarkably, seven of those birdies came on the back nine, and featured four in a row from the 10th. He matched the 61 recorded by Thailand’s Rattanon Wannasrichan when he won last season. American John Catlin shot a 59 here last year but unlike today, it was on a day when preferred lies were played.
“It’s always good when you make a lot of birdies,” said Ortiz, who claimed the International Series Oman last year.
“I feel like I played solid. I left myself in good spots, I drove the ball pretty well, so it’s nice to take advantage of a good day.”
Herbert missed the play-off here last year – which saw Catlin beat Spain’s David Puig on the second extra-hole – by just two shots. It looks like he will go close once more in what is the second edition of the event.
“Just played reasonably solid,” he said. “I think I made a few pars where I needed to. Still feels like there were more shots out there, though, which is promising. Going into the weekend, you know, probably have to shoot another couple of low ones to try and catch Patrick.”
Like Reed he started on the 10th and managed to go bogey free.
Travis Smyth. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“So yeah, happy to be in the house at 10 under. I think it was kind of the goal for two rounds. So, yeah, lunch will taste nice on the back of that,” he added.
Garcia is also coming off a win in Hong Kong but more recently than Reed. He won LIV Golf Hong Kong two weeks ago – which like the Link Hong Kong Open was also played at Hong Kong Golf Club.
When asked what has led to his recent purple patch, which has also helped him steer his Fireballs GC team to three successive wins on the LIV Golf League, he explained: “A little bit of everything, I guess. Obviously, the long game has been good, the short game it’s improved, so it’s a good mix of things there. But, you know, there’s still a lot of things that I need to get better at.”
Macau’s Kelvin Si is enjoying the tournament of his life. He came in with a 67 and is seven under, in a tie for 11th, along with Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho, who returned a 66.
Said Si: “It’s my home course, so it’s definitely a big advantage. The conditions were really good today – sunny, with not much wind. I played this event last year, missed the cut, but it was a good experience. I can use that this week, and I feel much more comfortable than last year because that was my first time playing a professional tournament on this course.”
Catlin shot a 72 yesterday but bounced back with a 66 today to move to two under and make the cut by one.
Patrick Reed’s affinity for the Greater Bay Area was evident once more today after he shot a majestic seven-under-par 63 to take the first-round lead in the International Series Macau presented by Wynn.
Four months ago the American claimed the Link Hong Kong Open, helped by a spectacular 59 on the third day, and he was unstoppable again today, overcoming Macau Golf and Country Club with seven birdies and no bogeys.
He leads the US$2million event, which is part of The International Series on the Asian Tour, from Filipino Miguel Tabuena, Peter Uihlein from the United States, and Finland’s Kalle Samooja, who carded 64s.
Reed, who finished fourth here last year, birdied 16 and 18 to edge ahead later in the day. Uihlein had eagled the par-five 18th moments earlier while Tabuena led for most of the day having started at 7am.
“It was a steady day,” said Reed, a member of 4Aces GC on the LIV Golf League.
Miguel Tabuena. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“I wasn’t feeling that great when I first got up. Mainly my body was a little tight, but it loosened up nicely on the range.
“You know, got off to good a start. Was hitting my golf ball how I wanted to. Was hitting pretty solid. I was kind of getting it out in front of me where I wanted, where I was looking, and I was leaving myself in the right spot. So, I felt like that was the biggest thing today.”
He made a birdie on the fourth and then made three in a row from the sixth, before another came on 13. On the last his 20 footer for an eagle just finished short.
He added: “These greens got kind of really fast, and with some of those pin locations there on the back nine, you had to put the ball in the right spot, because it’s hard to putt from above the hole. And I was able to do a nice job on that. Hit a couple close and, you know, kind of had a stress free seven-under par today.”
Tabuena shook off the effects of a 3.45am wake-up call and an uncharacteristic missed one-foot putt on his first hole to set the bar early on.
The Filipino, who made eight birdies against two bogeys, said: “Woke up at 3.45, got in the gym at 4.10. Did some stretching; did some activation stuff, yeah, but it’s routine. The game feels really good except for my three putt on the first hole, which was number 10. Missed it from a foot. So that was pretty funny. I just laughed it out.”
Peter Uihlein. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He rallied and made the turn in two under, with four birdies and two bogeys, before finding his rhythm on the second half with birdies on three, four, seven and eight.
“My game’s in a good spot, but it’s still very early in the tournament. There’s three more days, and hopefully I can continue this form,” he said.
“It is about playing the par fives well here. If you score on the par fires, I think you’ll do well. And you must understand where the wind is blowing, because it’s really bouncing around the mountains here, especially in the morning. I took advantage because it was pretty calm this morning.”
He is looking for his first win on the Asian Tour since The DGC Open presented by Mastercard in 2023. He’s had seven top fives since then so a win may well be just around the corner.
Uihlein, who won twice on the Asian Tour last year at International Series events in England and Qatar, struck a six-iron from well over 200 yards on the 18th to a matter of inches from the cup. Samooja also made a three there.
“Played super well, despite coming off a slight strain on my hand since last week. It helped by resting it,” said the American.
“I am just very relaxed out here, trying to enjoy it and we’ll see where that takes us.”
Spain’s Sergio Garcia, winner of LIV Golf Hong Kong two weeks ago, fired a 65 and is in a group of six players next best placed.
Defending champion John Catlin from the United States, returned a disappointing 72 but did will to recover as he was four over after five.
American Ollie Schniederjans, who leads both the Asian Tour Order of Merit and The International Series Rankings, was forced to withdraw due to a muscle strain.
John Catlin returns this week to the scene of arguably his great achievement at the International Series Macau presented by Wynn.
He is the defending champion here at Macau Golf and Country Club – where he also carded an 11-under-par 59 in the third round, the Asian Tour’s first-ever sub-60.
It was an achievement that will long live in the memory and was the centre piece of a career defining season, that saw him win the Asian Tour Order of Merit title for the first time.
“I would love to repeat that this year, but we’ll see,” said the American.
“I was playing well last year; I knew I was playing well but that kind of round, a 59, is never planned. I remember on 18, when I holed for an eagle Patrick [Reed] said to me, ‘was that for a 59?’ I said, ‘oh yes’.”
Rounds of 67, 66, 59 and 65 saw him end in a tie with Spain’s David Puig before the American won with a birdie on the second extra hole.
John Catlin. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“I was up against it on both play-off holes. I just never gave up. I came back to Asia and the Asian Tour last year after struggling in Europe. I struggled for a season there but re-discovered myself in Asia. Shooting 59 showed that,” he added.
At a press conference today his compatriot Patrick Reed said: “It was an honour to be part of that. We also played with Andy Ogletree, and we were watching in disbelief.” Remarkably, Reed shot 59 later in the year enroute to winning the Link Hong Kong Open at Hong Kong Golf Club.
“Funnily enough we both had similar length, left to rights putts on the last for 59s,” said Catlin.
He received his Asian Tour Order of Merit trophy at the Asian Tour Gala Dinner last night at Wynn Palace.
He said: “I have so many people to thank for last year. It was the culmination of so much hard work. I absolutely love being here in Macau. I hope this week will be the catalyst for another great season.”
The 34-year-old has arrived here, having played in LIV Golf Singapore last week – where he won the multi-million dollar circuit’s first ever pre-qualifier for reserves. That came soon after a top-10 in the New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport.
He said: “The season has started well. Not quite as good as last year but it’s early days. There’s a lot to play for with so many opportunities ahead.”
When he departed for Europe in 2020 to try his hand on the DP World Tour, there was concern that the Asian Tour would rarely get to see one of its most successful players.
When he proceeded to win two events in September, in Spain and Ireland – in the midst of the global pandemic and strictly controlled tournament bubbles – and another the following year in Austria, the likelihood of return trips seemed even more slim. The goal of getting into the top 50 in the world and playing Majors meant opportunities to head East were limited.
Golf does throw curveballs though and that was the case in 2023 when he surprisingly failed to keep his playing privileges in Europe after an unusually inconsistent season. His exemptions from those three victories had also expired and he was left to work out where he would play in 2024.
It was a simple decision for him to head back to Asia although he faced the daunting task of needing to navigate the Final Stage of the Tour’s Qualifying School, as he also had no playing status in the region.
John Catlin and Patrick Reed pictured together during round three last year. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Helped by the fact that the school was staged in Hua Hin, which he calls his second home, Catlin comfortably made it through claiming the 19th card from the 35 on offer.
It was the start of what proved to be the finest season of his career, it meant the Asian Tour was able to welcome home a player that meant so much, and the prelude to a record-setting 59 that rocked the region.
Tournament Information
- Tournament: International Series Macau presented by Wynn
- Date: 20th – 23rd March 2025
- Venue: Macau Golf and Country Club, Macao, China
- Par/Yards: 70/6,750 yards
- Purse: US$2million (first place US$360,000)
- Defending Champion: John Catlin (USA)
- Asian Tour leg: Fourth
- The International Series leg: Second
- Edition of tournament: Second
- Total number of players: 150
- Format: 72-hole stroke play with a cut made after two rounds to the leading 65 pros plus ties
- Open Qualifying Series (OQS) – The leading three players, not already exempt, who make the cut at International Series Macau presented by Wynn will earn places in The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush from 13-20 July 2025
- Social media hashtags: #TimeToRise #InternationalSeries #ThisISEverything
Picture by Graham Uden/54.
Field Breakdown
- Order of Merit winners: John Catlin (2024), Andy Ogletree (2023), Sihwan Kim (2022), Jazz Janewattananond (2019), Scott Hend (2016), Anirban Lahiri (2015), Jeev Milkha Singh (2008, 2006), Liang Wenchong (2007)
- Nationalities: 30
- Top contenders: John Catlin (USA), Kazuki Higa (JPN), Lucas Herbert (AUS), David Puig (ESP), Sergio Garcia (ESP), Peter Uihlein (USA), Patrick Reed (USA), Ollie Schniederjans (USA)
- Highest ranked player on OWGR: David Puig #89
- Highest ranked player on 2025 Asian Tour Order of Merit: Ollie Schniederjans (USA) #1
- Highest ranked player in The International Series Rankings: Ollie Schniederjans (USA) #1
- Number of amateurs: 2
- Number of Macao players in the field: 3
The famous par-three 17th. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Tournament Notes
- Spain’s Sergio Garcia has won 38 tournaments as a professional, most notably the 2017 Masters Tournament and the 2008 Players Championship. The Fireballs GC captain’s most recent win came on the LIV Golf League in Hong Kong two weeks ago, and he also posted a win at last year’s Andalucia event. On the team side of LIV Golf his Fireballs won again in Singapore last week for the third consecutive title. In addition to his Masters win Garcia has recorded an impressive 22 other top 10s in Major championships, including two second place finishes and two T2s. He has represented Europe in the Ryder Cup 10 times, on the winning side on six occasions, and he holds the Ryder Cup record for Most Overall Matches Won with 25, Most Overall Points Won with 28.5 and Most Wins in Foursome Matches with 12. His highest ever rank on the OWGR was second, which he reached in late 2008.
- The winner of last year’s International Series Macau Presented by Wynn, American John Catlin, posted his first top 10 of the season at the recent New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport where he finished seventh. The 2024 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion had a spectacular season last year, posting wins in Macau and at the Saudi Open presented by PIF, three runners-up and eight top 10s in 15 events on the way to setting the all-time Money List record with US$1,456,800. He also recorded his best result in a Major, finishing T16 in the Open Championship at Royal Troon.
- Japan’s Kazuki Higa has started his Asian Tour season with three straight top 10s, including a T2 at the New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport, a T5 at International Series India presented by DLF and a T8 in the Smart Infinity Philippine Open. Higa won four tournaments in Japan in 2022, including the Asian Tour and Korean Tour tri-sanctioned Shinhan Donghae Open, and won the Japan Tour Money List that year.
- Lucas Herbert from Australia is part of Cameron Smith’s Ripper GC team on the LIV Golf league and is off to a good start to his 2025 LIV season finishing fourth in Hong Kong and T4 in Riyadh, his best individual finishes on LIV. He was also part of Ripper’s two team titles in 2024 when they finished third in the overall team standings. Prior to joining LIV he posted three DP World Tour and one PGA Tour win. Herbert finished solo third at International Series Macau presented by Wynn last year.
- David Puig of Spain was runner-up in the International Series Macau presented by Wynn last year, after coming up short in a play-off against eventual winner John Catlin. As a member of Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs GC team on the LIV Golf League he has this year posted two fourth place finishes and a T6 in Singapore, Adelaide and Riyadh respectively, and his team currently has three straight wins in Adelaide, Hong Kong and Singapore. The 23-year-old now has eight team victories on LIV, more than any other player, winning four times with the Fireballs GC in 2024-2025 and four with Torque GC in 2023. Puig has also played in two DP World Tour events this year and finished top five in both, a third in the Ras Al Khaimah Championship and a T4 in the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship. He has two Asian Tour victories on his resume, the 2023 International Series Singapore and the 2024 IRS Prima Malaysian Open.
- American Peter Uihlein won two International Series events last year, the International Series England and International Series Qatar, and was narrowly pipped in the International Series Rankings after Joaquin Niemann won the final event at the PIF Saudi International in December. Playing on Bubba Watson’s Range Goats GC side on the LIV Golf League, Uihlein has posted a T6 in Hong Kong as his best result this season.
- Patrick Reed of the U.S. won the Link Hong Kong Open, an International Series event, in late 2024 after famously shooting a third round 59. He had earlier in the season finished fourth in the International Series Macau presented by Wynn. The 2018 Masters Tournament champion is a nine-time winner on the PGA Tour and has appeared on three Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup squads each. In 2025 Reed has recorded two top 10s in three events on the DP World Tour, while in the LIV Golf League he has a T10 at the Hong Kong event as his best result.
- American Ollie Schniederjans leads both the Order of Merit and the International Series Rankings after winning the International Series India presented by DLF after beating Bryson DeChambeau by four strokes. Before turning pro in 2015 he was ranked number one in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, a position he had held for 41 straight weeks.
- There are three Major championship winners in the field this week: Patrick Reed (2018 Masters Tournament), Sergio Garcia (2017 Masters Tournament) and Graeme McDowell (2010 U.S. Open).
- A total of 18 current LIV Golf League regulars are in the field this week.
John Catlin’s career has been sprinkled with notable successes. But he’d never experienced anything quite like the week of the inaugural International Series Macau presented by Wynn last year. Indeed, only a handful of elite players can say they ever have. Story from the 2024 Asian Tour Yearbook.
At the Macau Golf and Country Club not only did the 33-year-old American record his fifth victory on the Asian Tour, and his first since the 2019 Thailand Open. It was also his maiden triumph on The International Series.
But it wasn’t just those statistics that made his dramatic sudden-death play-off defeat of Spaniard David Puig so memorable.
Some 24 hours before his victory was confirmed, Catlin ensured his name was etched into Asian Tour folklore after posting an 11-under-par 59 in round three. It was the first sub-60 return in the history of the Asian Tour.
“I’m pretty much speechless,” said Catlin, who holed an eight-footer for birdie at the 239-yard, par-three 17th and snared a left-to-right breaking 20-footer for eagle at the par-five 18th to seal the deal. Prior to that, he made six birdies on the front side and three on the back nine.
“Wow! It’s crazy. The emotions are hitting me. After everything I’ve been through over the last two years, to be here is pretty special,” said the Californian, who won on the Asian Development Tour 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 before a loss of form resulted in him forfeiting his card there. He opted to return to the Asian Tour Qualifying School in January, finishing 19th and regaining his playing privileges in the region.
In the wake of the euphoria that followed his 59 and gave him a two-stroke advantage at the top of the leaderboard, Catlin needed to re-focus ahead of the final round.
He did just that, covering the opening nine in four-under 30 and extending his lead to five shots after gaining another stroke at the 10th.
However, he dropped a shot on 11 before Puig, playing four groups ahead, emerged from the chasing pack with a birdie at 12 and an eagle at 13 to reduce the deficit to two.
Further birdies at 15 and 16 saw Puig draw level, before Catlin holed from eight feet for birdie on 14 to regain top spot. But Puig squared things up again when he got up-and-down for a birdie on 18, signing for a closing 60.
For Catlin, a considerable measure of good fortune was then needed at the first play-off hole when his fairway wood approach to the par-five 18th looked to be heading out of bounds.
To Catlin’s relief, his ball came to rest on the road behind the main hospitality marquee from there he was able to take a free drop. While he was sizing up his options, Puig hit the pin with a sensational 20-yard bunker shot that left him with a tap-in birdie.
With little green to work with, Catlin did well to chip to within six feet of the cup from where he holed to extend the play-off.
The next time round, Puig again appeared to hold the ascendancy when he reached the putting surface in two, while Catlin’s second shot again missed the green on the right, leaving another awkward chip.
After seeing Puig’s long range eagle attempt come up short, Catlin sensed an opportunity, taking out the pin and almost holing his third. When Puig missed his birdie putt, the stage was clear for Catlin to tap-in for an epic victory.
Reflecting on his latest win, Catlin said: “That was one heck of a battle. If you’d told me I’d finish at minus 23 and still have to be in a play-off, I’d be like: ‘You’re kidding’. I fought really hard. I was battling all week long. To come out on top is really special.”
Catlin reserved special praise for Noah Montgomery, his coach for the past 10 years. “Being a professional golfer, you sacrifice a lot. I don’t know where I’d be if I didn’t have Noah in my corner,” he said.
A fortnight after his success in the season-opening IRS Prima Malaysian Open, Puig was not too disheartened.
He said: “I played well. I had a good back nine and I’m happy that I got into the play-off and had a chance. I’m pretty tired, this being the seventh week in a row. I’m glad I finished on a good note and am ready for what’s next.”
LIV Golf League’s Fireballs GC will be out in full force at the International Series Macau presented by Wynn this week, and their captain Sergio Garcia emphasised the importance of the tournament for the quartet.
The LIV Golf Hong Kong winner, plus five-time champion on the Asian Tour, and his three teammates are coming into the event at Macau Golf and Country Club in fantastic form after LIV Golf Singapore at the weekend. Spain’s David Puig finished fourth, Abraham Ancer from Mexico was T10, youngster Luis Masaveu from Spain T14, and Garcia in T32 – resulting in a third successive Team Championship win.
Fireballs GC are the first team to win three times on the spin since the league expanded to a full 14-tournament schedule in 2023.
The team’s timing couldn’t be better, with three qualifying spots available this week for The Open at Royal Portrush in July, as the event is part of the Open Qualifying Series.
Spain’s Garcia said: “The next thing for us and for me is a little bit of rest the next couple of days, and then we play International Series in Macau. It is an important tournament for all four of us because if we play well, we have the possibility of not only winning on the International Series but also qualifying for The Open. It is another big week.
David Puig. Photo by Jason Butler/Getty Images.
Then a week’s rest and get back on the horse in Miami and just give it everything we have to perform as well as we are performing and give ourselves a shot at winning four in a row. Hopefully we will keep it going. To see the performance that my teammates put in to be able to get this win was pretty impressive.
“Obviously super proud to achieve something like that. It is not easy to do. Even though it looks like we made it look easy, it is definitely not. So many things have to go right with all of us playing well at the same time on tough conditions.”
John Catlin will return to Macau Golf and Country Club as the reigning champion having beat Puig in a thrilling play-off. It was a victory that kicked off his dominant 2024 season, culminating in the Asian Tour Order of Merit title.
Said the American: “I have loved playing there. I think the first Macau Open I did was 2015, I am very familiar with the golf course, it suits my game and has some good vibes, good memories, I think it is going to be a mega week again.
“Anytime you return to a place you enjoy it makes a big difference. Knowing the surroundings and having your favourite spots to eat always makes a big, big impact.”
This week’s 156-man field boasts a wealth of talent, including Major champions Patrick Reed from the United States, the 2018 Masters winner, and Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell – the 2010 US Open winner.
Other proven contenders include seven-time Asian Tour winner Anirban Lahiri from India, 11-time winner Gaganjeet Bhullar from India and Scott Hend, the Australian who is a 10-time champion.
Sergio Garcia. Picture by Thananuwat Srirasant/Getty Images.
All three have enjoyed success here in Macau, with Bhullar and Hend boasting two wins apiece and Lahiri one.
Eighteen LIV Golf players are also competing this week.
Graeme McDowell believes he has extra incentive to perform well at next week’s International Series Macau presented by Wynn – with three spots up for grabs at The Open on his home course at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland this summer.
The US$2million Macau event tees-off next Thursday at Macau Golf and Country Club and in-form McDowell, who plays for Smash GC on LIV Golf, is relishing the prospect of teeing it up.
Speaking on the sidelines of LIV Golf Singapore this week, the 2010 US Open winner said: “Obviously it is a great opportunity next week in Macau to have three Open Championship spots. Especially for me with it being Royal Portrush, my hometown, there is a little bit of extra motivation there.
Graeme McDowell. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“Obviously the focus is on this weekend. It is a very, very important weekend and then we will turn our attention to Macau next week. But for me, I feel like I am starting to feel more comfortable with what I am trying to do out here. I feel like the first couple of seasons I really did not have a purpose. I did not really know what my purpose was.
“I am really starting to kind of see the light again as pathways to these majors start to emerge. Small, but there is light at the end of the tunnel for sure.
“To me, I feel my purpose – the bigger picture, I guess. I feel like the first couple seasons you were so focused every week on just the ‘now’, when I felt like most of my career there was always something else out there that you were working towards, which helped nearly numb the present and get you cranking and pushing forward.
“I love being in a team like this (Smash GC) where I feel like there’s a bigger purpose, something bigger to play for, and obviously looking to try and get back into a couple of the majors would be amazing.”
The 45-year-old tied for 12th at LIV Golf Hong Hong last week.
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