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 10^th. 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 10^th 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 11^th, 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 18^th 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 18^th 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.

Qualification for The Open is clearly on the minds of the players in the field this week for the International Series Macau presented by Wynn, with three spots up for grabs.

Major champions Sergio Garcia from Spain and American Patrick Reed are two of the standout players here at Macau Golf and Country Club, and both are eager to take the opportunity offered by the event being part of the Open Qualifying Series.

Garcia, the 2017 Masters winner, said: “This is an important week. It’s a great tournament, it’s a very good field, and also with those three spots up for grabs for The Open Championship, it’s important. It’s my favourite major, so I would love to be back in it, with not playing the last couple of years. So I’m going to give it my best shot this week.

“Obviously we all love to play in the majors and be a part of them and give ourselves a shot at it. So to have the opportunity of qualifying here with these three top spots it’s huge and it just shows the growth of the Asian Tour and how important it is with the quality of players that we have here. So it should be a great week.”

Garcia was recently in the winner’s circle at LIV Golf Hong Kong at Hong Kong Golf Club, a course that Reed also found success on having won the Link Hong Kong Open in 2024. The Spaniard won the individual trophy at Fanling, and also celebrated his Fireballs GC’s team victory – the second of three victories on the bounce.

Garcia finished T21 in last year’s Macau showpiece with Reed finishing in fourth position, just three shots behind eventual champion John Catlin and David Puig, with his American compatriot coming out on top in a nail-biting play-off.

The 2018 Masters winner Reed, a regular on The International Series, echoed Garcia’s thoughts on the extra motivation he has coming into the event this week.

Reed said: “I feel like any time you have an opportunity to qualify for a major it just gives you extra motivation to go out and have a little bit more drive to go out and try make those putts and play your best game, because at the end of the day, they’re the four events that we’re trying to always play.

“Last year was the first time I didn’t play a major since my first one – which was 42 straight and you know, to only be able to play two of the majors last year, it will mean a lot to get back on that run. Hopefully we can have some more fireworks this week to get there.”

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 19^th 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.

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.