American John Catlin [main picture] produced exhibition golf of the highest calibre today to win the Link Hong Kong Open by the emphatic margin of five shots – on the timeless Composite Course at the Hong Kong Golf Club.

He fired a six-under-par 64 for a tournament total of 20-under, to finish ahead of second placed Matthew Cheung from Hong Kong and Finland’s Kalle Samooja.

Cheung, bidding to become the first local player to win the tournament since it’s launch in 1959 and roared on by huge crowds, returned a 67, while Samooja carded the same score.

Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond (66) and Nick Voke (68) from New Zealand were equal fourth, another two shots back.

Hong Kong’s famous golf tournament never fails to disappoint, as it joined Catlin’s Asian Tour roadshow today. It is the seventh Asian Tour victory by a player who won the Order of Merit (OOM) in 2024.

John Catlin.

The result, which earned him a cheque for US$360,000 and 787.5 OOM points, moved him into fourth place on the Merit list to give him an outside chance to finish number one with one more event remaining: the Philippine Open presented by Philippine Sports Commission in two weeks.

Crucially, it also secured him a first invite to next year’s Masters Tournament and The Open – where he will make his fifth appearance.

The 35-year-old, who has a base in Hua Hin, Thailand, when playing in the region, started the day in a tie for the lead.

His only bogey of the day came on hole five before he pulled away from the field with birdies on six, 10, 11, 13, 14 and 17. On the par-four 18^th he reached the green in two but had a long downhill putt from the back. On the pacey green he could have rolled his first putt a long way past the cup, potentially finishing off the green, so he laid up with his first attempt to 12 feet. Showing just how much confidence he is playing with he made the putt and raised both arms in triumph.

“Hard to put it hard to put it into words,” said the Californian.

“Really, you know, it was an event that I felt like I could do well at that I hadn’t really done well in the previous years, and so you know, to come out and play some really, really solid golf and you know get the job done it’s very, very special and you know anytime you can be on a trophy with some of the greatest players to ever play the game, you know I just feel very humbled and very grateful.”

Remarkably it’s his sixth national open title, as he has also claimed the Austrian, English, Irish, Saudi and Thailand Opens.

He said: “You know, anytime you can win a national open, I think it just adds a little bit of extra prestige. You know, as you mentioned, you look at the guys that have won this tournament in years past. I think that also kind of speaks to it as well. I mean, anytime you can win a national open is incredible, it’s amazing for this to be my sixth. I mean, if you’d told me that 10 years ago, I probably would have laughed at you. So, it’s truly special.”

John Catlin.

Australian Peter Thomson, his countryman Greg Norman, Welshman Ian Woosnam, Germany’s Bernhard Langer and American Tom Watson have all won here.

Spain’s Jose-Maria Olazabal, Padraig Harrington from Ireland, Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie, Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, plus Englishmen Ian Poulter, Justin Rose, and Aaron Rai have also been successful.

While Catlin’s win is extremely popular, so was the performance of Cheung – who posted the best performance by a local player in the event.

Dominique Boulet, the Chairman of the Asian Tour, finished fourth in 1996 – the previous best result by a Hong Kong golfer.

Cheung led after the second round and carded a disappointing 72 yesterday but bounced back today with a round consisting of four birdies and one bogey.

Said the 31-year-old: “Soaking this all in. It’s fantastic to see so many people out here, and you know, people calling my name. I had a chill going down my spine, walking onto 18 green when they called my name. So that was really cool. Great day.

“Unfortunately, didn’t get the win, but you know, unbelievable overall. I mean, today I just told myself, you know, I just got to keep playing free. You know, that’s when I played my best golf in the first two rounds, and you know, I know I can do it. I played really good today. Unfortunately, John played really well as well. So, it is what it is. But I’m really happy overall.”

Matthew Cheung.

Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert came in with a 73 to tie for 73^rd to keep the OOM lead. He is in a strong position at the top with Australian Travis Smyth second and Ian Snyman from South Africa third but with plenty of points on offer at the US$1million Philippine Open the race is far from over.

Pictures by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.

The final round of the Link Hong Kong Open is set for a titanic battle tomorrow after American John Catlin and Anirban Lahiri from India, both former Asian Tour number ones and multiple tournament winners, Belgium star Thomas Pieters and Caleb Surratt, the United States golfer who is one of the hottest young players in the game, took the third-round lead.

They lead the US$2milion event on 14 under, after Catlin and Pieters shot five-under-par 65s, Lahiri a 66 and Surratt a 67.

Tomorrow’s drama will be added to by the fact that Hong Kong’s Matthew Cheung is just two shots back in a tie for fifth, along with Kalle Samooja from Finland. Cheung, bidding to become the first player from the territory to win the tournament, started the day in the lead and shot a 72, while Samooja fired a 63 – the best round of the day.

Catlin, the 2024 Asian Tour Order of Merit (OOM) champion, made a brilliant sand save on the iconic par-four 18^th on the Composite course at the Hong Kong Golf Club for a par to stay in front. His third shot finished close to the back lip of the front greenside bunker but he splashed out to two feet.

He said: “You know me and my coach have put in a lot of work, just kind of tightening things up a little bit and it’s just nice seeing some of the fruits of that. I mean I’ve been hitting it better and better and just was kind of waiting for the putter to get a bit hot, and it’s been good. It’s been good so far, and you know we got one more day.”

Anirban Lahiri.

He made six birdies and dropped only one shot, on the 14^th, and is looking for this first win on the Asian Tour since triumphing in the Saudi Open in 2024.

“I think this is my fourth or fifth Hong Kong Open, and everyone I’ve been a part of has been pretty close. So yeah, I mean, it’s one of those courses where you gotta just battle it out, and you know it’s probably gonna come down to those last few holes,” said the 35-year-old, who has won six titles on the Asian Tour.

It has been quite a bit longer since Lahiri tasted victory on the Asian Tour. His most recent was the Hero Indian Open in 2015, the year he won the OOM – soon after which he focused on the PGA Tour.

He also dropped just one shot today and made five birdies.

Asked about the winning score tomorrow, he said: “It’s hard to say. You know, like going to bed last night, I would have thought I had to get closer to 18 or 19 today, if the course played the way it did the first two days. But today the course played completely different and tomorrow will probably be a tougher version of what we saw today. That’s what I expect.”

The Indian star was paired with Cheung today and was full of praise for what the Hong Kong player is doing this week.

“I mean, I’ve played with Matthew before, in fact the last time we played, they had just gotten pregnant at the time, right?” he said.

“So, water under the bridge. It’s obviously great to see the support he’s getting. He had a tough day today, and I can only imagine because, you know, I’ve been in his shoes trying to win Indian Opens and play in front of home crowd, and it’s tough. But I think he hung on pretty tough for not having his best today.”

Matthew Cheung.

Cheung salvaged his round with his only birdie of the day on 17, having made three bogeys earlier.

He said: “100%, you know if you asked me at the start of the week if I would be happy to be within two of the lead heading into Sunday I would be ecstatic. Not the best day out there but I grinded it out there.”

No local player has won the event in is 65-year history. Dominique Boulet, the Chairman of the Asian Tour and widely regarded as the voice of Asian golf thanks to his work with the Tour’s commentary team, finished fourth in 1996 – the best result by a Hong Kong golfer.

New Zealand’s Nick Voke came in with a 64 and is the next best placed player in seventh place, three behind the leaders.

Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert returned a 71 and is in a tie for 65^th place on two under. It’s not the week the Asian Tour Order of Merit leader was looking for but it will keep him in the points with one event remaining: the Philippine Open presented by Philippine Sports Commission in two weeks.

He leads the OOM on 1,359.52 points, 192.57 ahead of Australian Travis Smyth in second place. Ian Snyman from South Africa is third, 462.64 points back from Pavit. With Snyman carding a 66 to lie in equal 11^th position, five shots off the pace, he looks like being the player to make the biggest move at the moment. The winner this week will earn 787.5 points while the runner-up received 427.5.

As well as the honour of winning one of the jewels in the crown of Asian golf tomorrow, the champion will also earn invites to The Open and the Masters Tournament next year.

Pictures by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.

Matthew Cheung has set up a thrilling weekend of golf for Hong Kong’s golf fans after taking the halfway lead in the Link Hong Kong Open – as he attempts to become the first player from the territory to win the prestigious title in its 65 year history.

He carded an unblemished eight-under-par 62 today – helped by an eagle and six birdies – to open up a three-shot cushion, on 14-under.

American Caleb Surratt also shot a 62 and is second place on his own while Indian Anirban Lahiri, England’s Steve Lewton and Jazz Janewattananond from Thailand share third place another stroke back.

Lahiri, the leader at the start of the day following an opening 62, returned a 68, Lewton fired a 65 and Jazz a 67, here on the Composite Course at Hong Kong Golf Club.

This year Cheung has been enjoying one of his best seasons since turning professional in 2019 and that is showing this week at one of his most important tournaments of the year.

Caleb Surratt.

“I mean, it’s been fantastic,” said the 31-year-old.

“The crowds out there have been phenomenal. The support from friends, family, and people I don’t know honestly, has been great as well.

“And obviously I’m playing some really good golf, but we’re only halfway through the tournament, so hopefully another two good days, and we’ll see where we are.”

Great driving, distance control and putting – he switched to a long putter this year – were the hallmarks of his game today.

He said: “Yeah, I mean, a lot of what I’ve been able to do over the last couple months is thanks to my coach Jon Wallett, as well as my swing coach Mark Smith, and my wife [Kaitlin], honestly, and my kids, my kid, just one.

“But yeah, the switch to the long putter has really helped me as well. I always thought I struggled in the past with the putting, but ever since I switched to that, I feel really confident out there now, and I think it’s becoming one of my strengths.”

Cheung is currently in 35^th place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, and finished equal second in the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open in May – for his best finish on the Tour, which he will look to supersede this weekend.

Anirban Lahiri.

He was a member of the Hong Kong team that won the bronze medal in the Asian Games in 2023, along with Taichi Kho and Jason Hak.

He grew up living between Hong Kong and Brisbane and first started playing the game at the age of eight when his parents played at Mission Hills Golf Club in China. He played college golf at Oklahoma City University in the United States.

Dominique Boulet, the Chairman of the Asian Tour and widely regarded as the voice of Asian golf thanks to his work with the Tour’s commentary team, finished fourth in 1996 – the best result by a Hong Kong golfer.

Incredibly, Surratt made 11 birdies, which were offset by a double and a bogey. The highly regarded 22-year-old has made a big impact in just three years playing on the Asian Tour with three runner-up finishes and a third-place result.

Asked what the best part of his game was today, he said: “I think my mind, I was just in a good spot all day. You know, I actually haven’t felt like I’ve had the best control of the ball so far this week, but I’ve managed my misses really well. And you know, I have hit a lot of really good shots, but I’ve been managing my bad ones when I’ve had to face adversity, I’ve faced it very well.”

Jazz Janewattananond.

He was also helped by wearing some important apparel today: a Hong Kong Golf Club cap.

“I was wearing a Maridoe [golf club] hat yesterday,” he said, “and I lost my white hat on the bus, and I was like, man, there’s got to be something about wearing a Hong Kong Golf Club hat at Hong Kong Golf Club. So, I bought it before I walked to the tee this morning, and yeah, I guess there was something about it. So, I’ll wear it though on the weekend for sure.”

The Link Hong Kong Open is the penultimate event of the season on the Asian Tour.

Pictures by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.

India’s Anirban Lahiri and Kevin Yuan from Australia may have started on different nines today but they both finished with brilliant eight-under-par 62s to take the first-round lead in the Link Hong Kong Open.

The duo reeled off nine birdies and one bogey each here on the Composite Course at the Hong Kong Golf Club – in the penultimate event of the season on the Asian Tour.

Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond, looking for a good week to challenge for the Asian Tour Order of Merit (OOM) title, and Poosit Supupramai are tied second following 63s.

Building on Hong Kong’s winning performances in two of the region’s premier amateur team competitions recently, the Nomura and Putra Cups, Isaac Lam and Matthew Cheung are next best placed following 64s, along with Korean Minkyu Kim and Yosuke Asaji from Japan.

Lahiri is a former OOM champion, having triumphed in 2015, and also a seven-time winner on the Asian Tour but is looking for his first title since the 2015 Indian Open, which came a week after the won the Malaysian Open.

Kevin Yuan.

“Very happy, very happy,” said 39-year-old, who tied for 23^rd in last week’s DP World India Championship.

“I think, you know, playing last week at home, I had a good weekend where I started getting into a decent rhythm. Obviously, a lot of time off after my last event on LIV.

“I had some time to kind of take a break. Started working back on my game a few weeks ago. So, yeah, been hard at work, and yeah, I’m happy to kind of bring that same kind of momentum and rhythm into this week from last weekend.”

He started on the first, and played the front nine in two under, with his only dropped shot of the day coming on the fifth. The back nine was a picture of consistency with birdies on 10 and 11, 13 and 14, and 17 and 18.

“I think I did a good job of keeping it in play. Kept it mostly in the fairway, I think that’s key to control the ball. I mean, the golf course is quite firm, it’s probably going to get firmer through the week. So, if you can keep finding the short grass, you’ll give yourself a lot of looks. I made a few more putts today from outside of 10 feet, nothing crazy, but I gave myself a lot of looks. I mean, I know I made nine birdies, but there were at least another five or six inside 15 feet that didn’t go in. So, you know, that’s a really solid ball striking round overall.”

Yuan arrives here having made the cut in the past five events and is well placed in 33^rd position on the OOM, as he continues to go in search of his first victory on the Asian Tour.

Jazz Janewattananond.

“Definitely, things went my way,” he said having started on the back half.

“The swing felt a lot better today than it’s been in a long time, which I’m happy about, and hopefully I’ll keep this form. There are still things that I do need to just watch out for, because I have shown like this year has been up and down for me. I’ve had some good moments and some bad moments, so hopefully I’ll just keep the momentum from today.”

Considered to be one of the best ball strikers on the Asian Tour, he showed that on the long and difficult par-four ninth, where he made a birdie.

He said: “I hit some great shots today. Like on hole number nine, one of the hardest holes on the golf course. Hit two great shots, like great tee shot, had 204 to the pin, and hit probably the best four iron I’ve had all year. Gave myself a six-footer for birdie, and I made a great putt there to birdie it.”

Jazz outshone his illustrious playing partners England’s Lee Westwood and Kevin Na from the United States with back-to-back eagles on 13 and 14, a par five and par four respectively.

“I think I never done it before, so it’s the first one,” he said.

“Pretty simple, actually, on the par five just drove down the middle, hit six iron on the green, and made the putt from like 20 feet, I would say. So really, really good eagle, very standard.

Pavit Tangkamolprasert gets some ice treatment from his wife, Chorphaka Jaengji.

“And the next one, I just hit three wood off the tee, had 126 yards left, I think. I hit my pitching wedge and I thought it was long because it was quite gusty with the wind. And when I got up, it was two balls, one on the back, one on just short of the hole. So I went straight to the back of the back of the green, just to see if it’s my ball. But they were like, “No, no, no, your ball is back there”, so I had to walk back and pick up my ball.”

Sitting in ninth place on the OOM he has an outside chance of winning this year’s Merit title, which he claimed back in 2019.

He is 632.9 points behind the OOM leader, his compatriot Pavit Tangkamolprasert, and with 787.5 going to the winner this week he can close the gap with one event remaining, the Philippine Open presented by Philippines Sports Commission in two weeks.

That would depend on where Pavit finishes this week. He returned a 69, a fine effort considering he was hit by ball on the third. Australian Harrison Crowe’s tee shot from the first left a firm imprint in the top of Pavit’s left leg, fortunately causing no serious damage. The Thai star went on to make five birdies, one double and two bogeys. He is attempting to win the OOM for the first time and will need to make the cut this week to help fend of his closest challengers.

Pavit Tangkamolprasert [main picture] says he has no plans to change anything ahead of arguably the two biggest tournaments of his 19-year professional career: the Link Hong Kong Open, which starts tomorrow, and the Philippine Open presented by the Philippine Sports Commission, in two weeks.

The 37-year-old is enjoying the finest season of his career and leads the Asian Tour Order of Merit (OOM) with just those two events remaining.

The honour of finishing the year ranked number one and having his name inscribed on a trophy along with many of the legends of the game in the region – such as his famous compatriots Thongchai Jaidee, a three-time recipient, and Thaworn Wiratchant, who claimed it twice, as well as Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Jazz Janewattananond – is at stake.

There is the additional bonus of winning a DP World Tour card for next year and opportunities to play in the Majors.

“My game plan and mindset remain the same,” said a confident Pavit this week, despite feeling under the weather, with a slight fever.

Pavit Tangkamolprasert after winning the Yeangder TPC last month – for his third Asian Tour title.

“I’ve been playing with a sense of ease and relaxation this year, largely thanks to a strong start – finishing runner-up twice in my first three events –which has taken the pressure off having to worry about securing my Tour card.”

“Having played in this tournament several times, I’ve got a good grasp of the course layout and know exactly how to approach the tee shots on each hole.”

In fact, he has played in the event on eight occasions and made his first appearance in 2015. While the results have not been up to his usual high standards his best finish came last year when he tied for ninth – hopefully a sign his fortunes are turning on this course with this year more important than ever.

Pavit won the Yeangder TPC in Chinese-Taipei last month to move to the top of the OOM for the first time in his career and tied for seventh in the next two events to consolidate his lead.

He said: “If I can maintain my current form and get a bit of luck, a top-10 finish would be a great result. As for the race to finish as the Tour’s number one, I’m sticking to the same approach I’ve used all year. Just because I’m currently leading the standings doesn’t mean I need to change anything.

“With only two events left, we’ll see if I can reach my goal of finishing at the top. I believe that if I can keep my performance consistent – and if fate is on my side – I have a good chance of ending the season as the number one player.”

All of the top-10 from the OOM are competing this week with Australian Travis Smyth his closest pursuer in second and Ian Snyman from South Africa third.

Taichi Kho, bidding to become the first Hong Kong player to win the Hong Kong Open, sits in fourth place.

For the second successive year the winner this week will also earn invites to the Masters Tournament and The Open next year and Pavit is fully aware of the task that awaits him.

“This tournament is arguably the toughest one,” he said. “The winner earns spots in two Major championships, so it’s drawn a very strong field of top-tier players.”

He has been paired with Filipino Miguel Tabuena and Englishman Richard Bland in the first two rounds. They will tee-off tomorrow at mid-day local time.

Pictures by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.

The Link Hong Kong Open boasts a glittering list of past champions that is unprecedented in the region.

Some of the all-time greats of the game have raised the trophy, including multiple major champions Australian Peter Thomson (1960, 1965, 1967), his countryman Greg Norman (1979, 1982), Germany’s Bernhard Langer (1991), American Tom Watson (1992), and Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy (2011), to name but a few.

One of the reasons for this is that the storied tournament draws one of the strongest fields of the year in the region every season.

The line-up is always awash with household names from home and abroad, with this year is no exception.

All of the top-10 from the Asian Tour Order of Merit (OOM) are competing, eight winners from this year’s Asian Tour are in attendance, plus six former OOM champions.

The event’s reputation for attracting some of the biggest names in the game will also be upheld with over a dozen marquee players set to grace the fairways on the Composite Course, here at the Hong Kong Golf Club.

Louis Oosthuizen.

Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert arrives here leading the Merit list. He moved to the top when won the Yeangder TPC last month and having finished in the top-10 in the ensuing two events he is the Asian Tour’s in-form player.

As well as the prestige of winning the OOM, the champion will also earn a DP World Tour card for next so with just one event remaining after Hong Kong – the Philippine Open presented by the Philippine Sports Commission – this week will be crucial in determining the outcome at the end of the season.

Hong Kong’s number one Taichi Kho also has a chance to win the Merit list as he is in fourth place on the OOM – particularly if he becomes the first local player to win the Hong Kong Open.

Pavit and Kho are two of the eight winners from the Asian Tour this year, as is Wang Wei-hsuan. The Chinese-Taipei star claimed the SJM Macao Open last Sunday following a gripping sudden-death play-off against Korean Sungjae Im.

The six players here who have already enjoyed the privilege of being crowned the OOM champion are Japan’s Kazuki Higa (2025), John Catlin (2024) from the United States, his countrymen Andy Ogletree (2023) and Sihwan Kim (2022), Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond (2019), Malaysian Gavin Green (2017) and India’s Anirban Lahiri (2015).

Travis Smyth.

Also hoping to have their name inscribed on the trophy for the first are a host of global winners, that includes: Englishman Lee Westwood and Paul Casey, South Africans Louis Oosthuizen, Dean Burmester and Branden Grace, plus Americans Anthony Kim, Kevin Na and Harold Varner III. Korean Ben An, Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz and Thomas Pieters from Belgium are also here.

Others to look out for are Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent, Spaniard Josele Ballester, and Thailand’s Ratchanon ‘TK’ Chantananuwat, who turned professional last month following a much-documented brilliant amateur career.

The week will also act as a lap of honour for the Hong Kong amateur team, after their recent victories in the Nomura and Putra Cups.

Jeffrey Shen, the only player to compete in both and winner of the individual title in the Putra Cup, and Markus Lam, who claimed the individual event at the Nomura Cup, will lead the way.

Joon-ho Kim and William Tang, who were part of the Putra Cup team, and Ethan Tian, the other member of the Nomura Cup squad, are also in the starting line up.

England’s Kipp Propert, the game’s star disability golfer, will also tee-off on Thursday. It will be the second time he has competed in the tournament. He also played in 2024, impressively shooting a pair of 71s.

Pictures by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.