Chachoengsao, Thailand, November 10: American John Catlin secured his fourth Asian Tour victory in style after his spectacular approach on the first play-off hole yielded a birdie and saw him defeat India’s Shiv Kapur and local hotshot Pavit Tangkamolprasert at the Thailand Open on Sunday.

The 28-year-old Catlin, who claimed three victories over a span of five months in 2018, had missed a birdie chance by an inch on the 72^nd hole after chipping from off the green to settle for a closing four-under-par 67 at the Thai Country Club.

Catlin, who is based in Hua Hin, Thailand, had to go the distance with Kapur and Pavit, who returned with matching 65s, after they were all tied at the top on 11-under-par 273 total in regulation play at the US$300,000 full-field event.

The sudden death play-off, which was held on the par-four, 466-yard 18^th hole, saw Catlin finding the fairway on the left side with his tee shot while Kapur and Pavit hit into the left and right rough respectively.

Kapur sent his second shot through the trees and onto the green but left himself a long birdie putt from about 80 feet which he did not manage to convert. Pavit’s second shot found the left bunker, where he hit a 35-yard shot from there to about 12-feet.

Despite failing to pip Catlin to the title, Kapur and Pavit took pride with their runner-up finishes in the Kingdom’s National Open, which would mark their best results yet on the Asian Tour so far this season.  

American Trevor Simsby recorded a hole-in-one on the par-three 11^th hole after his seven-iron from 176 yards found the bottom of the cup. He would sign for an eventual 63 to match the course record set earlier by Kapur in the second round of the tournament.

Catlin takes home a winner’s prize purse of US$54,000 following his victory and propels to 31^st place on the latest Order of Merit.

He will also lead the 2019/20 Panasonic Swing, which is a ranking based on an aggregate point race that spans five events starting with the Thailand Open this week.

Did you know?

• John Catlin claimed three victories on the Asian Tour in 2018 to finish in a career-best sixth place on the final Order of Merit. He was the only player to achieve the feat last year.
• Catlin was also named the Players’ player of the year in 2018, thanks to his breakout season. Apart from the three wins on the Asian Tour, he has also won the Singha Chiang Mai Open on the All Thailand Golf Tour last September.
• The 28-year-old, who hails from Sacramento, California, is playing in his fourth Asian Tour event this season and first since May. Prior to this week, he has also had two top-10 finishes on the All Thailand Golf Tour.
• Catlin started playing in Asia in 2015. Prior to his Asian Tour breakthrough in China last year, Catlin has won twice on the Asian Development Tour (ADT).
• Catlin has based himself in Hua Hin, Thailand since 2017.
• Shiv Kapur has had success at Thai Country Club in the past, winning the 2005 Volvo Masters of Asia and finishing tied-second at the Thailand Open in 2017.
• Kapur soared with a birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie run from the 13 before returning with two straight pars on 17 and 18. He holed out for an eagle on the par-five 14 but three-putted on the 17.
• Kapur’s best year on the Asian Tour was 2005 when he finished fourth on the Order of Merit. He was also crowned the rookie of the year that season.
• The 2017 season was also one to remember for Kapur as he won three Asian Tour events: Yeangder Heritage, Panasonic Open India and the Royal Cup.
• Before this week, Kapur only one top-10 finish where he secured at the Bank BRI Indonesia Open with a tied-10^th result.
• Kapur won the first edition of the 2017/2018 Panasonic Swing thanks to his Panasonic Open India win and his tied-second place finish at the Thailand Open in 2017.
• Pavit Tangkamolprasert is a one-time winner on the Asian Tour and a six-time champion on the Asian Development Tour (ADT), where he was crowned the Order of Merit champion in 2014.
• He entered the week in 49th place on the 2019 Asian Tour Order of Merit, having secured a tied-sixth finish in Indonesia earlier. The 30-year-old would move up to 35th place following his joint runner-up finish this week.
• Enjoyed his career-best season yet on the Asian Tour in 2016 where he finished 12th on the Order of Merit.
• Pavit had claimed a tied-13th place finish at the Thailand Open last year.

Chachoengsao, Thailand, November 10: Read what players have to say following the final round of the Thailand Open on Sunday.

John Catlin (USA) – Final round 67 (-4), Total 273 (-11) – won on first play-off hole

This win means a lot to me. It means a lot to me winning in Thailand. I have lived here for three years. The people here has been so kind and this place is starting to feel like a second home to me. To win the National Open here means the world to me. It’s like a dream come true.

I kept telling myself these guys are so good out here. I am very proud of myself for keeping it going and getting the job done. That chip on 18^th in regulation play, I really thought it was going in. I was pretty nervous getting into the play-off but I am glad I still won it in the end.

It starts over again once you know you’re in the play-off. You got to go out there and play like your backs against the wall. I was able to hit a good tee shot down that left-hand side of the fairway on the play-off hole. Didn’t have the best of angles there but I had just a great yardage. I trusted my swing and it came off perfect, locked it in there and made the putt.

Those three birdies on the front nine in regulation play got my game going. They kind of kick started the good run. I knew I had a chance, but until you kind of get in that lead you never know when it’s going to happen so once I kind of got in the lead, I felt it was a familiar situation.

I was obviously nervous but to hit that second shot from 200 yards on the play-off hole was just incredible especially when it was tucked into the wind that was howling left to right. It just means the world to hit that shot. Winning three times last year definitely gave me a lot of confidence.

That experience helped. Playing against some of the best players in the world gave me the confidence I needed to. I think I have learnt to play smarter over the last one year or so. I know when I can take a shot on and when not. I think that just comes from experience.

Shiv Kapur (Ind) – Final round 65 (-6), Total 273 (-11)

It was a good round. No fireworks early on, just started pretty steady on the front. I actually made a pretty soft bogey on the ninth, that was little disappointing and I got to the 10th and said to my coach who’s on the bag this week, I said let’s just start firing at some flags.

And I went on to make birdie on 10 and 11 and then got stuck in a divot on 12 and made bogey there. But then after that I made a really good birdie out of the rough on 13. And on 14 I had a wedge in my hands and holed it, and you know not until I got to, when I holed that putt on 15 that I started thinking, oh now I have a chance to go for the title in this tournament.

At that point I was just trying to keep making birdies and go as low as I can. And then once I got to the 16th it looked like I had a good chance at it. A little disappointing to have three putted 17, but you know I hit two really good shots, had a great second shot to the back of the green. I didn’t think I had a bad putt but it was so quick coming down.

I was just trying to shoot as low as I can at that stage and I came close to making birdie on the 18^th as well. I gave it a good run. I had a fantastic back nine. This course has always been very kind to me. It’s just one of the courses that suits my eyes and it’s always good to come to a course where you had some success before.

Lots of positive vibes here. Like I mentioned earlier, I had a lacklustre season prior to this week so this result will give me a lot of confidence heading into the remainder of the season. It’s a great boost for sure.

Pavit Tangkamolprasert (Tha) – Final round 65 (-6), Total 273 (-11)

I am very happy with my result this week. I didn’t expect myself to play so good and give myself a chance to win the tournament for my country by getting into the play-off. I am pleased with the way I played even though I didn’t win.

I knew the last hole was pretty tough. I thought making par would be good enough. Hats off to John (Catlin) really. That second shot into 10 feet was just incredible. This result should boost my Order of Merit ranking quite a bit and take some pressure off my back now.

The wind was calmer than the last three days I thought. It’s slightly easier but the pin positions were tough. My putting was very good today. I managed to hole some putts and that helped me a lot.

I have played a lot on this course before. On the front nine, I was just aiming to hit the safe sides of the greens out there and give myself some easy putts. I wasn’t able to hit my irons close because the greens are pretty firm today. My caddy and I read the greens really well today.

Chachoengsao, Thailand, November 9: Indian stalwart S.S.P. Chawrasia made his return to the Thai Country Club after 12 years a memorable one by grabbing a share of the lead with Australia’s Andrew Martin following the penultimate round of the Thailand Open on Saturday.

The playing partners, who started the day trailing by one, posted matching three-under-par 68s to seize a one-shot advantage over local amateur Natthaphat Harnchokchaiskul with their three-day total of 10-under-par 203s at the Thai Country Club.

Despite slipping out of the lead for the first time this week, Natthaphat held his head high after registering a second straight 70 as he stays on track to become the first amateur winner on the Asian Tour since 2009 at the US$300,000 event.

The 41-year-old Chawrasia, playing in only his fifth start on Tour this season, is chasing for his seventh victory while Martin, 35, is eyeing a breakthrough on the region’s premier Tour. The last foreigner to win the Kingdom’s National Open is Korea’s K.T. Kim in 2015.

Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai and American John Catlin carded identical 69s to settle three shots off the pace in fourth place with young Thai Suradit Yongcharoenchai (70), who secured his maiden Asian Tour win in Chinese Taipei last month.

The Thailand Open marks the start of the Asian Tour’s 2019/20 Panasonic Swing, which is a ranking based on an aggregate point race that spans five events with the final top-three players chasing a share of a lucrative bonus pool.

Did you know?

• Andrew Martin is playing in his fifth start on Tour this season. His best result is a tied-20th place finish at the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth in February.
• The 35-year-old Australian came through the 2018 Qualifying School but failed to retain his card after finishing in 63rd place on the Order of Merit. He missed the cut-off mark by two rungs.
• Martin’s wife is on his bag this week. Martin needed only 26 putts in his round of 68 today. He is ranked third in the Greens in Regulations category with an average of 1.59 putts per GIR. He has also found 78.58% of fairways this week to sit in tied-eight position in that stats category.
• Prior to his Qualifying School attempt, Martin has enjoyed a tied-eighth place finish at the 2017 Indonesia Open for his first top-10 result on the Asian Tour. He claimed two other top-10 results in China and Fiji last year.
• Martin finished tied-seventh in his last event, the Victorian PGA Championship two weeks ago on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.
• He also had a sixth-place finish at the Tailor-made Building Services NT PGA Championship in August on the same tour.
• Martin enjoyed his best-career season in 2012 where he notched two tied-second finishes in his home country.
• S.S.P. Chawrasia is a six-time Asian Tour winner. He is playing in his fifth start on Tour this season. It is also the first time in 12 years that Chawrasia is playing at the Thai Country Club.
• The 41-year-old Indian, who sits in 64th place on the current Order of Merit, needs a good showing this week to try and break into top-60 at the end of the season to keep his card for 2020. It’s the final year of exemption for Chawrasia since he won twice on Tour in 2016 and another title in 2017.
• Chawrasia turned professional in 1997. He picked up the game at the age of 10. The self-taught golfer is nicknamed ‘Chipputtsia’ because of his superb short game.
• He had successfully defended his title at the 2017 Hero Indian Open for his sixth Asian Tour victory. He is only the third player in the tournament’s history to win back-to-back titles.
• Chawrasia has been plying his trade mainly on the European Tour for the past few years.
• Chawrasia has hit 75.92% of Greens in regulation this week and is ranked tied-fifth in that stats category. He found 80.95% of fairways to sit in tied-sixth place in that category.
• Natthaphat Harnchokchaiskul is a member of the Thai Golf Association. The 19-year-old is playing in his first Asian Tour event and his first Thailand Open this week.
• He used to be a member of the Thailand Junior Golf Federation where he had won several Class A events before graduating two years ago. Natthaphat picked up the game when he was nine years old.
• Natthaphat, who hails from Bangkok, was the last man in for the 2019 Thailand Open. He only received his entry confirmation from the Thai Golf Association on Sunday night.
• A win for Natthaphat tomorrow would see him become the first amateur to win a full-field Asian Tour event since Chinnarat Phadungsil won the Double A International Open in 2005, and the first in any event since Danny Lee won the 2009 Johnnie Walker Classic.
• Natthaphat used to watch Prom Meesawat play from outside the ropes when he was young. Today, they were paired in the same group for the first time ever.
• Natthaphat’s childhood swing teacher is on his bag for him this week. His father and his current coach also came out to watch him play today.
• Natthaphat is tied for lead in the Greens in regulation category this week with an average of 77.78%.

Chachoengsao, Thailand, November 9: Read what players have to say following the penultimate round of the Thailand Open on Saturday.

S.S.P. Chawrasia (Ind) – Third round 68 (-3), Total 203 (-10)

It’s been 12 long years since I last played here at the Thai Country Club. The course still feels similar to back then except that the trees have grown much taller. It was nice to be back here and be in a share of the lead heading into the final round.

I played good today. It was nice to shoot three birdies in the last five holes. I’m happy with it. I missed a couple of putts on the front nine but it got better on the back. I have been playing pretty consistently for the past three rounds.

The course is playing the same today. It’s still windy. But I am happy to put myself in a share of the lead now. I am looking forward to tomorrow. I’ll try my best and let’s see. It’s nice to back playing in Asia. It always feels like home and I am more comfortable.

This is my last year of winner’s exemption on the Asian Tour so a good result tomorrow will help a lot.

Andrew Martin (Aus) – Third round 68 (-3), Total 203 (-10)

It was a bit of a battle out there. I like to hit little cuts, and today I just seemed to have a few holes where it was on the left side and I had to try to do the opposite to what I like to see. I had a lot of into the grain shots on the fairways which make it hard to control. But on 18, everything was perfect for me. So overall, it was alright, just had to think a bit more over some shots out there.

It was a little bit of breeze, I have struggled to get the ones that are into, well I think they are out of the left but they are swinging back into, so then I just don’t trust it. Today wasn’t as good as the first two days but I still managed to shoot a good score.

The course kind of suits my game. I’m not a long hitter but I think you just got to be on the fairway because that rough can be quite brutal. Trying to judge it, and then with the wind, like you get one out of the rough downwind, it can go for miles.

The greens are perfect. You just got to give yourself opportunities out there. Putting is probably one of my strengths, so just give myself opportunities and hopefully hole some putts. I have been playing a lot lately and I think they help my game which has been trending the right way.

The first tee shot will be key for me tomorrow. I would love to be an Asian Tour winner. Especially in Thailand, I love coming back here. I love playing here at the Thai Country Club too. It was my first time here last year and I was excited to be back this year.

Natthaphat Harnchokchaiskul (a) (Tha) – Third round 70 (-1), Total 204 (-9)

I think I coped with my nerves better today. I was just sticking to my routines and I told myself not to think too much. I felt less stressful compared to the last two days.

It was nice playing with Prom Meesawat today. I used to watch him play when I was younger and I would just follow him outside the ropes. It was nice to play with him for the first time today.

He was really friendly. He praised me and encouraged me when I hit a good shot out there. I had lots of fun. My father and my coach came to watch me play today. I think my mum will come tomorrow. They gave me a lot of motivation out there.

I am very pleased with the way I have played so far. I hope it stays the same tomorrow and I can put up a good result. It was windy out there again today but the turning point for me came on the 12th where I chipped it in for birdie from about 15 yards.

Phachara Khongwatmai (Tha) – Third round 69 (-2), Total 206 (-7)

I worked very hard today. It was a very tough day. I only hit like four fairways with my driver. I didn’t putt well today but my chipping was good. I had a good comeback on the back nine too. I didn’t give myself birdie chances on the first nine holes but I played better on the back.

Whether you play well on this course or not really depends on the wind. If the wind continues to blow like this tomorrow, I will be happy if I can shoot an even-par round. It will be difficult if you’re not hitting good off the tees.

John Catlin (USA) – Third round 69 (-2), Total 206 (-7)

It was challenging out there. The wind was a lot stronger than it was last two days. The wind was up in the afternoon on Thursday, and then it was blowing Friday morning as well so all three rounds I played in the wind and I kind of got a little more comfortable with it.

I was just hitting a lot of good shots today. If I could get a little hotter, I could probably be on top of the leaderboard but we’ll see what happens. I love playing on the Asian tour. I am happy to be playing in the Thailand open too. I’ve lived here for three years and this place feels like home to me now.