Brilliant Uihlein emphatically records first Asian Tour victory
Peter Uihlein triumphed in the International Series England today to register his maiden victory on the Asian Tour, and The International Series, after impressively pulling away from a packed leaderboard.
The American stole the show on Sunday on the Longcross course at Foxhills Club & Resort, carding a scorching bogey-free eight-under-par 63, for a four-round total of 20-under, and a seven-shot victory over England’s Andy Sullivan and Caleb Surratt.
Sullivan shot a 66 while American Surratt shot a 68.
China’s Sampson Zheng (66), Sadom Kaewkanjana (67) from Thailand, and Harold Varner III (70) from the United States, tied for fourth, one stroke further back.
Uihlein, aged 34, smashed the course record with a 61 to take the lead at the halfway mark and began today with a one-shot advantage over Varner.
By the turn Uihlein had a one-shot lead over Surratt, playing in the group ahead.
Uihlein then proceeded to eagle the par-four 10th to move three ahead, putting some daylight between him and the chasing pack.
A birdie on the 12th saw him maintain his three-shot lead after Surratt had birdied the same hole.
Uihlein then survived a couple of shaky holes, holing a crucial par putt from seven feet on the par-four 13th. On the ensuing hole, a par-five, he found the trees on the right with his tee shot but played a miraculous recovery shot. His ball found a bad lie, entangled in tree branches, but he was able to chip back into the fairway and hit his third to 12 feet, which he just missed for birdie.
On the treacherous par-three 16th, where a tough pin position on the right brought a greenside lake dangerously into play, he holed a 15-footer for birdie to virtually wrap up the title. The look of relief on his face was tangible as his ball would have rushed past the cup if it had not dropped.
It meant he had a four-shot lead from Surratt, which became five when Surratt made bogey on 17. It was then six when Uihlein holed a 12-footer for birdie on 17, and a magnificent seven when he birdied the par-five 18th.
“Bit of a dream, really,” said Uihlein, who plays for RangeGoats GC on LIV Golf.
“I mean, I was two over par through eight holes on the first day. I tripled 17, and it was a bit of a grind that day, and then the next day I just kind of blitzed it, and yesterday kind of survived. And today I kind of had some things going my way, no doubt about it. So just kind of one of those days where things were going my way, and I took advantage of it. So, I’m happy to be here.”
Andy Sullivan. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Surprisingly this is only Uihlein’s fourth win since turning professional in 2013. He has won once before on the DP World Tour, and twice on the Korn Ferry Tour while on the LIV Golf League he has come close to winning on multiple occasions having finished second four times.
He earned a cheque for US$360,000 and moves into third on The International Series Rankings, which is still being led by American John Catlin.
The golf course, located in Surrey, played a big part in his success.
He added: “I loved it. You were allowed to try different things. You could play it different ways. I obviously was very aggressive and tried to kind of drive to a lot of greens, and, you know, it paid off. There are obviously other ways guys probably played it, but I liked the strategy we had. I like the game plan we were doing, and I had fun doing it. So that’s part of this, part of the equation.”
Both Sullivan and Surratt, playing together, missed makeable birdie putts on the last to snatch second place outright.
Said Sullivan, a four-time winner on the DP World Tour: “I loved it, it was great. I really enjoyed myself, I’m not gonna lie. Being competitive at golf and obviously seeing a load of lads that I haven’t seen for a while, obviously, because we don’t play with the Asian Tour as much anymore, and the LIV guys as well. So, it’s good to see friends that I haven’t seen for a while and catch up with them, and obviously to play good golf, it’s great.”
Surratt was equally as happy with the week but disappointed not to have secured his first win since turning professional in January.
Caleb Surratt. Picture By Ian Walton/Asian Tour.
“It’s tough because I felt like I was in contention all day, but Peter ran away with it and that’s hard to beat,” said the 20-year-old, also a LIV Golf player.
“This is a great learning experience for me, and I am looking to improve my game. It’s a really good week to be build off.
“I have been working really hard on a lot of things and it’s nice to have things pay off. It’s been a year when I have kind of been waiting on a breakthrough. I have had a couple of close calls, but I know that week is coming eventually.”
Earlier in the day Indonesian Jonathan Wijono stormed through with a 64 and eventually ended in ninth place, 11 behind the champion.
This week’s US$2million tournament is the ninth event of the year on the Asian Tour and the fourth stop on The International Series.
The Asian Tour has a two-week break now before the Mandiri Indonesia Open.
The US$500,000 event will be played at Damai Indah Golf (PIK Course) from August 29th – September 1st. Thailand’s Nitithorn Thippong, who put in a strong performance this week finishing in a tie for 13th, is the defending champion.
American Peter Uihlein has put himself in position to win for the first time on the Asian Tour, and The International Series, after holding onto the lead after the third-round of the US$2 million International Series England today.
The leader at the start of the day chipped in for a birdie on the par-five 18th on the Longcross course at Foxhills Club & Resort, in Surrey, for a two-under-par 69, to finish on 12-under and a one-shot lead over countryman Harold Varner III.
Varner fired a 65 and is a stroke ahead of Englishman Richard Bland, in with a 68, and American Caleb Surratt, who returned a 69.
“It was a bit up and down today,” said Uihlein, four times a runner-up individually on the LIV Golf League but twice on a winning team.
Harold Varner III. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“I feel like I hit a lot of greens until the end. I missed one green early and made double, and then feel like I hit pretty much every green until 15, so I sort of had a run going.
“And then I missed technically four [greens] straight coming in, so that was fun. But was able to salvage a little bit which was nice. So yeah, it was a bit of an up and down, made some nice putts at the end, missed some putts kind of in middle of the round, so it kind of offset each other.”
In his 13-year career as a professional he has won on three occasions, once on the DP World Tour and twice on the Korn Ferry Tour, so a first victory on the Asian Tour tomorrow would be a significant milestone.
He added: “Yeah, a win would be nice. You know, it’s not been my best year since joining LIV, so it’s nice to kind of build some momentum with our final events coming up. And then I’m going to play a few more on The International Series after that, so it will put me in a good position which is nice.”
He made five birdies, including three in a row from the eighth, a double and one bogey.
Richard Bland. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Varner, already a winner on the Asian Tour having claimed the Saudi International at the beginning of 2022, went bogey free today enroute to shooting the lowest round of the day.
He said: “I shot six under par, so it was good. There’s another day so just need to keep doing what I’m doing. I feel like I’m playing well. Just control that part of it.
“No bogeys today and only three total for the week. I think I am driving it pretty well, getting up and down in a few places and just, you know, giving myself a lot of looks. Pretty stress-free right now, but it won’t be tomorrow.”
Bland, in the spotlight this year having claimed two senior majors on the Champions Tour – the Senior PGA Championship and the US Senior Open – made birdie on four of the last five to storm through at the end.
“If I am being completely honest, I am struggling with my golf swing,” said the 51-year-old, who lives just 10 minutes away.
“I need to find it. I find it on the range, but I am not taking it onto the golf course, certainly with the driver. The last four or five holes, I won’t say what I said to myself, which was basically just get up and hit it. Stop thinking about it. Hit it hard and it seemed to go in the right direction so I will use that philosophy tomorrow.”
After a poor tee shot on the 10th he lost his cool and snapped the shaft of his three wood.
He added: “I do need to find a new three wood. Just for four or five holes I was struggling. I have been trying to find a golf swing with a driver for about a month now. I can’t remember when I last broke a club through temper. I was frustrated and I bent the shaft, don’t know my own strength. I wasn’t trying to break it. I apologise to the fans for that.”
Caleb Surratt. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Surratt, who like Bland also plays on the LIV Golf League, led for much of the day but made double bogey on both the 15th, where he found water, and 16, after a hooked tee shot.
Canadian Richard T. Lee (66) is in solo fifth, three behind the frontrunner, with England’s Andy Sullivan (67), Sadom Kaewkanjana (68) from Thailand and England’s Richard Dinwiddie (72) another stroke back.
At 52 years and eight months, Jeev Milkha Singh is the oldest player in the US$2 million International Series England this week. And one of the most decorated Indian stars is showing once again that age is just a number. Story by Joy Chakravarty at International Series England.
With rounds of 69, 68 and 71, Singh is five-under for the event, in a tie for 16th, and is putting together one of his finest performances on the Asian Tour in recent times.
However, the super competitive star, who is a six-time winner on the Asian Tour, feels he could be doing even better.
“I am very annoyed with my putting, because I have given myself enough birdie chances to be threatening for the lead,” said Singh, who now plays mostly on the Seniors Tour in Europe and Japan.
“I had two three-putts on Friday, and on the first day. I had birdie putts on every hole from 14 to 18 yesterday. Putting has always been the strongest part of my game and it is frustrating when the putter starts misbehaving. I am going to be working on it to make sure that’s not the case on Sunday.”
Jeev Milkha Singh. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
When pointed out that it still was a great start for the oldest man in the championship, Singh said: “I now use my age as a motivation.
“I know I cannot hit the ball as far as some of these younger boys on the Tour, but I use that to push myself. I love playing my practice round with the Indian boys on the Asian Tour, and it is a learning experience for me. They do ask me various questions, but I honestly think I get to know a lot more just by playing with them.
“These guys keep themselves abreast with the latest in technology, and nutrition and fitness. They say you can’t teach an old dog a new trick, but I am all for it to imbibe anything new.
“And it also keeps me mentally sharp. I want to beat them and feel good about it.”
With the International Series England being played simultaneously with the Olympics in Paris, this is a special time for the son of India’s legendary Olympian, Milkha Singh. It has disrupted his usual schedule of watching Netflix after the round or practice, but one that Singh welcomes.
“Obviously, very special. I don’t watch much TV, but that’s not the case this week. I was cheering hard for India in their hockey semi-final against Germany. They lost, but they played really well and I am happy they were rewarded with the bronze medal,” said Singh, a two-time Asian Tour Order of Merit champion.
“I also made it a point to watch the 400-metre final. That used to be dad’s favourite distance to run. And that turned out to be something. Watching (Quincy) Hall make that final push was brilliant. It kept reminding me of dad and was an extra dose of motivation this week.”
American Peter Uihlein shot one of the rounds of his life today, a course record 10-under-par 61, to surge into the lead at the halfway stage of International Series England – being played at Foxhills Club & Resort, in Surrey.
His round, made up of an eagle, nine birdies and one bogey, was remarkably 10 shots better than his first round and saw him move to 10-under for the US$2million event.
The LIV Golf star leads by one from Belgium’s Thomas Pieters – his RangeGoats GC team-mate on the LIV Golf League and joint-first round leader – and surprise-package Robert Dinwiddie from England.
Pieters returned a 69, and Dinwiddie – one of six players who made it through the 18-hole qualifier for this event – carded a 66 on the Longcross course.
Peter Uihlein. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
American Caleb Surratt is one shot back after also carding a 66, with England’s Richard Bland a stroke further behind, following a 69, along with Karandeep Kochhar from India, who shot a 67.
Uihlein finished joint third in this year’s Saudi Open presented by PIF to record his best finish on the Asian Tour, where he first started playing in 2012, and will have a chance to better that this weekend.
He’ll be hoping to replicate shots like his approach on the par-four 13th which he holed for an eagle.
“Just kind of drove it up to a lot of holes, had a lot of chips for eagle and just had comfortable up and downs,” said Uihlein.
“I drove it nice in some key areas on the par fives, and the drivable holes, and kept it in-between the trees, which is all you need to do.
“I putted unbelievable. I putted really, really well. Made a lot of pars around six, seven, eight, big par putts to kind of keep the round going when I was a couple under early, so that was nice.”
Thomas Pieters. Picture By Ian Walton/Asian Tour.
He beat the previous record by two shots, with a birdie on the 18th allowing him to grab the lead at the end of the day.
Said Pieters: “Played similar to yesterday, just didn’t make enough putts. I struggled on the greens. I am still pretty happy. I thought it was pretty tough this morning. I am in a good position.”
Pieters’ most recent victory was at the 2022 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship while he came close to a seventh DP World Tour victory earlier this season when he tied for second at the Soudal Open.
“I am playing aggressively, hitting a lot of drivers,” added the 32-year-old.
“I am kind of like chipping them down the fairway with my driver. Hopefully I can keep doing the same. I didn’t play golf last week; I took the week off. Sometimes it is good to refresh the mind; swing thoughts are gone. Just kind of get up there and hit it.”
He carded four birdies and two bogeys.
Englishman Dinwiddie’s performance is even more impressive considering he was one of three players who made it through an eight-man play-off in the qualifier.
The spirit he showed that day was evident once more today as he made seven birdies and two bogeys.
Robert Dinwiddie. Picture By Ian Walton/Asian Tour.
“Well, look, I’m really happy to be nine under, that’s for sure,” said the 41-year-old.
“Putted amazingly well yesterday, didn’t hit the ball great. I hit the ball a bit better today and continued to putt pretty well from 10-15 feet. But you know, still, I haven’t really hit the ball that well, amazingly, the last couple of days.
“But maybe I haven’t got myself in crazy trouble, and then I have putted reasonably well which has kind of made up for it. So, I’m really happy. I’m hopeful that I can maybe hit the ball a little bit better over the next couple of days and see what happens.”
The Englishman turned professional in 2006 and is a three-time winner on the Challenge Tour, twice in 2007 and once in 2010.
South African Branden Grace fired a 65 and is four behind the leader, along with Korean Seungtaek Lee, in with a 70.
India’s Jeev Milkha Singh, the oldest player in the field at 53, rolled back the years by carding a 68 and is an additional shot back.
Canadian Richard T. Lee, who started the day joint leader with Pieters, slipped back with a 74 and is four-under.
American John Catlin, currently leading both the Asian Tour merit list and International Series Rankings, returned a 72 and is two under for the tournament.
LIV Golf star Thomas Pieters continues to set the pace in the International Series England but has been joined at the top of the leaderboard by surprise-package Robert Dinwiddie.
Belgium’s Pieters, the joint-first round leader after a seven-under-par 64, returned a 69 today to share the clubhouse lead mid-way through day two on nine-under at Foxhills Club & Resort, in Surrey.
Dinwiddie, who was one of six players who made it through the 18-hole qualifier for this event, carded a 66 on Foxhills’ Longcross course.
American Caleb Surratt is one shot back after also carding a 66, with England’s Richard Bland, a stroke further behind, following a 69.
Said Pieters: “Played similar to yesterday, just didn’t make enough putts. I struggled on the greens. I am still pretty happy. I thought it was pretty tough this morning. I am in a good position.”
Robert Dinwiddie. Picture By Ian Walton/Asian Tour.
Pieters most recent victory came at the 2022 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship while he came close to a seventh DP World Tour victory earlier this season when he tied for second at the Soudal Open.
“I am playing aggressively, hitting a lot of drivers,” added the 32-year-old, who plays for RangeGoats GC on the LIV Golf League.
“I am kind of like chipping them down the fairway with my driver. Hopefully I can keep doing the same. I didn’t play golf last week; I took the week off. Sometimes it is good to refresh the mind; swing thoughts are gone. Just kind of get up there and hit it.
“I am working on a few swing things and as always working on my putting, which has been the main problem.”
He carded four birdies and two bogeys.
Englishman Dinwiddie leading the tournament is even more impressive considering he was one of three players who made it through an eight-man play-off in the qualifier.
The spirit he showed that day was evident once more today as he made seven birdies and two bogeys.
“Well, look, I’m really happy to be nine under and tied for the lead, that’s for sure,” said 41-year-old Dinwiddie.
“Putted amazingly well yesterday, didn’t hit the ball great. I hit the ball a bit better today and continued to putt pretty well from 10-15 feet. But you know, still, I haven’t really hit the ball that well, amazingly, the last couple of days.
Caleb Surratt. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“But maybe I haven’t got myself in crazy trouble, and then I have putted reasonably well which has kind of made up for it. So, I’m really happy. I’m hopeful that I can maybe hit the ball a little bit better over the next couple of days and see what happens.”
The Englishman turned professional in 2006 and is a three-time winner on the Challenge Tour, twice in 2007 and once in 2010.
He added: “What have I been up to? I’ve still been playing; I’ve still been working on my game. Not as much this year. I’ve been studying golf course design, I’ve been teaching a lot, that’s kept me pretty busy. I’ve done a little bit of work for radio and TV, work which I’ve really enjoyed.”
South African Branden Grace fired a 65 and is three behind the leaders.
India’s Jeev Milkha Singh, the oldest player in the field at 53, rolled back the years by carding a 68 and an additional shot back.
Anirban Lahiri, a seven-time winner on the Asian Tour, feels The International Series is an opportunity that players from the region must grab with both hands and use as a springboard to become better golfers and grow their profile globally. Story by Joy Chakravarty at International Series England.
The Indian ace, who is the only contracted Asian player on LIV Golf, lamented the fact that he did not have such a platform in his early years as a professional.
Asked about the presence of 14 Indian players in the field this week at the US$2 million International Series England, Lahiri said: “All the Indians, and other Asian players, have a great opportunity. The young guys on the Tour can test themselves against a great field, and more importantly, in conditions that are outside our comfort zones.
“There’s a lot of learning, a lot of adapting that has to happen on the fly really quickly. You need to know how much shorter the ball goes when it rains, or, when the cloud rolls in, and when the sun comes out. Like this week in the UK, the weather literally changes every 10 minutes, and the conditions would change as well.
Anirban Lahiri pictured at LIV Golf Andalucia. Picture by Angel Martinez/Getty Images.
“There’s a lot to add to your repertoire, and to your experience. That’s what is going to make you a better golfer. That’s what I benefited from in my early years, playing all over the world. So, these events are fantastic. They give you that fertile soil to really grow.”
Lahiri remembers one particular round back in 2013 which proved transformational in his career – on the Sunday of the 2013 Thai Golf Championship at Amata Springs.
“I played well that week and was paired with Sergio Garcia and Henrik Stenson in the final round. It was probably the first time I was playing with two of the greatest ball-strikers of our time. And it was a masterclass for me,” reminisces Lahiri.
“Just standing five feet away from these players, I could hear sounds of their golf shots, which were as different from others as their ball flights. It was a massive learning experience for me. It showed me that there were so many different shots that I needed to add to my skills.
“The Thai Golf Championship, and a few other co-sanctioned events on the European Tour were the only opportunities we’d get to play with world-class players, but they would still be in our home conditions.
“That round at Amata Springs gave me another standard to which I needed to hold myself to. It was critical for me to start moving to the next level. It was a priceless experience and a rare one for us to get. That’s something that the young Asian Tour players are now getting through The International Series. It’s fantastic they get to compete with some of the top LIV Golf players, and they are getting to play in different conditions.”
Anirban Lahiri. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Lahiri said the first couple of years outside Asia were going to be tough for the players, but they need to keep learning and taking notes.
“Golf is a game where the slightest change in conditions asks you to hit different shots,” said the 2015 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion.
“In UK, you get fescue grass, which you do not in Asia. You don’t get winds of 20-30mph and you don’t get bone-chilling cold weather back home. Poa annua is a very different grass that we don’t get much in Asia. The desert course in Morocco is again something new for us. How you use the bounce of your wedges differs from golf course to golf course.
“We need to know our limitations, and we need to challenge those limitations. You need to make a list of shots that you don’t know. Like, I can’t hit the high draw, or the super low bullet 2-iron, or the low-spin driver, what chip to hit on what grass.
“You then need to learn those shots. That’s how you become more rounded as a professional. You’re not going to be a one-dimensional player, and that’s going to make you a better player globally.
“And you have to embrace these global opportunities. That’s the reason I have the highest regard for Hideki (Matsuyama). He could have stayed in his comfort zone playing JGTO events, which is a great Tour. But he took himself out of there, went through the hardships, kept learning and getting better and has become a global superstar of our sport.”
Belgium’s Thomas Pieters and Richard T. Lee from Canada had low expectations at the start of this week’s International Series England but that all changed today when they both shot standout seven-under-par 64s to take the first-round lead.
They are ahead of England’s Richard Bland, Chinese Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang, Korea’ s Seungtaek Lee, and Atiruj Winaicharoenchai from Thailand, who fired 66s here on the Longcross Course at Foxhills Club & Resort, in Surrey.
Pieters, who plays for RangeGoats GC on the LIV Golf League, is still searching for the kind of form that saw him triumph on six occasions on the DP World Tour, but it looks like he is not far away after setting the pace with a round made up of an eagle and five birdies, the same as Lee.
“Drove it well and putted really nicely,” said Pieters, whose best finish this year on LIV was joint fifth in Singapore.
Richard T. Lee. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“The course kind of suits me; it’s similar to the Belgium Open course where I practice. It’s tight and narrow but if you do hit a lot of drivers you can get close to loads of par fours. You make this course easy when you hit it straight.”
He was four under through five, after he made birdie on the first two holes and eagled the par-five fifth. Three birdies in the last five, including on 18, saw him catch Lee who played in the morning.
He added: “I feel good over the golf ball. I am putting nicely, but I had no expectations this week. I know the area, I am a member across the road at Queenwood, I play a lot of golf around here. So, yes I feel comfortable here.”
Lee fell down the stairs three weeks ago in Korea and has been nursing a sore shoulder since, but he shrugged that off today.
The Canadian had to pull out of International Series Morocco last month because of the injury.
“It’s the right shoulder that hurts,” said Lee, a two-time winner on the Asian Tour, with the most recent coming at the Shinhan Donghae Open in Korea in 2017.
“I have had some good treatment; been working out a little bit; been working on my game. It seems like it is trending in the right way.”
Richard Bland. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
The 33-year-old, who started his round on 10, made an eagle on the par-five 14th, where he attacked the pin with a six-iron second shot and holed a six-footer.
However, it was a par save on the seventh, a par four, that made his day.
He said: “I made a great up and down for par, holing from eight feet. That really summed up my bogey-free round today.
“It is a very tough course. You must place your shot in the perfect position with your tee shots and if you do that you can make a score. If you don’t, it is going to penalise you.
“It’s a tight course but I hit a lot of drivers to be honest. I like to hit those low cut controlled drives and it’s working pretty well. Hopefully it works out tomorrow as well.”
Bland, who has sensationally claimed two Senior Majors on the Champions Tour this season – the Senior PGA Championship and the US Senior Open – looked like he would also finish the day in the lead but made bogey on 15 and 17.
“When the wind gets up it can be difficult, which is what happened,” said the 51-year-old.
“I am happy with the way I played, it’s a good start.”
His compatriot Andy Sullivan from England is next best placed after a 67, along with Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana, Gunn Charoenkul, Nitithorn Thippong, and Pavit Tangkamolprasert, and Sweden’s Kristoffer Broberg, Robert Dinwiddie from England, and China’s Sampson Zheng.
Chan Shih-chang. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Four-time DP World Tour winner Sullivan is coming off a two-week break and was delighted to start well.
He said: “Scored well, wouldn’t say I played great. It definitely shows I have not done a lot in two weeks. I took the kids on holiday, just been pre-occupied with the kids. Been out with my mates a bit having a good time. Haven’t played much golf so today was about seeing where we are. It has definitely highlighted I am still struggling off the tee.”
American John Catlin, leader of both the Asian Tour Order of Merit and The International Series Rankings, returned a 68, while New Zealand’s Ben Campbell, winner of International Series Morocco, came in with a 69.
This week’s US$2million tournament is the ninth event of the year on the Asian Tour and the fourth stop on The International Series.
Ben Campbell is confident he can bring his sensational form into International Series England and believes the Foxhills Club & Resort’s Longcross course will ‘suit his game’ as he looks to follow up on his sudden-death play-off victory last time out in Morocco.
It is less than a month since the New Zealander’s incredible eagle-birdie finish in regulation on the Royal Golf Dar Es Salam’s Red Course in Rabat to set up a play-off with John Catlin from the United States – which he then won with a 20-foot birdie putt.
The 32-year-old will get his campaign underway at 7:00am today from the 10th in a marquee grouping with LIV Golf League’s Harold Varner III of 4Aces GC, and South Africa’s Jaco Ahlers.
Campbell said: “I have been really solid this year, and I feel like I have got to a position where I can compete week in, week out. I took a lot away from Morocco and that is important for this week, especially with it being a good golf course that I feel suits my game.
“There are plenty of options off the tee. I will have to get that putter rolling really hot this week, and also get the wedges really dialled in. I am really looking forward to it this week.”
Ben Campbell after winning the International Series Morocco. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Campbell has been on the road for 11 weeks in a row now, dividing his time between the Asian Tour and the LIV Golf League where he is gaining invaluable experience as an alternate in case of injury to any of the superstars on the roster.
Campbell got the call at the start of the season thanks to some great form on The International Series last season which included another lasts-gasp the Hong Kong Open title in November, and he admits it has reaffirmed his intent to win the rankings title that secures a card on the LIC Golf league roster for the 2025 season.
With a season end that includes six events in an eight-week stretch, starting with a double-header in Thailand in September, Campbell has a big run in planned. He said: “It has been the 11th week in a row away from home – it was good to get some practice in, and a bit of time off as well. It has been great spending time out at LIV. I have definitely learned some really valuable things and just being around the guys has been really good.
“It is amazing out there, so I definitely want to win that rankings title and have a full card out there. At the start of the year, I sat down and really targeted those events on The International Series, and with the final schedule coming out it has been good to cement a few plans in place so I can plan the timing and make the most of the opportunity.”
Gaganjeet Bhullar, the most successful Indian golfer on the Asian Tour with 11 titles, goes in search of his first victory of the season this week at the International Series England still on a high after his debut appearance in the Olympics last week.
The Indian did not challenge for a medal – he finished in a tie for 45th – but fulfilled a life-long dream to compete in the tournament, which meant so much for his family.
“It gives me the tag of Olympian for the rest of my life,” he said. “I think that is the most incredible thing.”
“I am from a family of sports people. My father was an international athlete, my mother was a hockey player, and my uncle also represented India in two Olympics and three Asian Games, with a gold medal, so this was something that I was really looking forward to. I just missed out on the last two Olympics, finishing third on the Indian rankings.
Gaganjeet Bhullar pictured playing in the Olympics last week. Picture by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images.
“So, playing in the Olympics was something very close to my heart. And a very special moment, a very emotional moment. My parents, my family were with me last week.”
He shot rounds of 75 69 71 70 for finish one over, which was 20 shots behind American Scottie Scheffler, who won the gold medal.
He added: “It was a great event, and I have never seen so many people at a golf event cheering for all 60 guys with 50 to 55,000 people every day. That was something special, even the organisers said they never expected so many people on the golf course.
“I wish I could have played a little better. I struggled on Thursday but other than that I thought I played well.”
The 36-year-old last won on the Asian Tour at the end of last year at the BNI Indonesian Masters presented by TNE, an International Series event, while he also claimed the Chandigarh Open in April on India’s domestic tour – where he has tasted victory 14 times.
This year he has yet to hit top gear but feels he is not far away from playing his best.
“I am playing pretty good,” he explained. “I thought I played well the first part of the year, but the scores didn’t show that. Overall, I am riding high on confidence. It’s just a matter of a few things clicking here and there. One or two rounds needed, just to get the confidence going but I am already confident.”
This will be the first time he has played Foxhills, the venue for this week’s event.
Bhullar is looking for his first Asian Tour win of the season. Pictured by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He added: “I have played a few courses in the area. It is a beautiful course, and an old school course. It makes you think off the tee; you can’t hit too many drivers. I think four or five drivers for me off the tee. I’ll use two iron, four iron off the tee, mix and match. And your short game has to be spot on. It’s nice to play this kind of course. I wished we played more often.”
The Indian star, who played on the Asian Tour for nearly tow decades, has been paired in the opening two rounds with Australian Travis Smyth and Thailand’s David Boriboonsub for the first two days.
John Catlin says the lows he experienced in 2022 and 2023, when he endured two of the worst seasons of his career, have played a huge part in the highs he is currently enjoying on the Asian Tour and The International Series.
He has been the dominant player this year, leading both the Asian Tour Order of Merit and The International Series Rankings, and starts as hot favourite at this week’s International Series England at Foxhills, in Surrey.
In five starts this season he has triumphed twice, one of those being an International Series event in Macau; lost a play-off in Morocco, another International Series event; registered a third-place finish; and missed just one cut – an aberration considering his electric form.
It’s all a far cry from two troubled seasons in Europe when – after an incredible run when he triumphed twice in 2020 before winning again the following year – his game deserted him, and he opted to return to play in Asia, where he first made his name.
John Catlin. Pictured by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He said: “I would say this season is the most consistent I have played in my career. I have been up there a lot. The ones I have not won I have been right up there. It is the most consistent, solid play in my career.
“I had to go through what I went through in 2022 and 2023 to become mentally strong enough to be able to go through what I am going through now to enjoy it. It is all part of the process.
“You get down on yourself a little bit but then you realise that is not going to help you and you just move forward. You learn what there is to be learned. You process through what you are not doing well, and you put in the hours on those parts of your game, and you know it’s just going to take time.”
The 33-year-old, now a six-time winner on the Asian Tour, also arrived here fresh off a brilliant performance in The Open, where he made the cut for the first time in a Major and tied for 16th.
“It was nice to make my first cut in a Major,” he said.
“It was just gravy to play really good over the weekend. I would have liked to have finished under par on Sunday but was a lit bit unlucky there. I was a little bit unlucky on 18. I drove it right in the middle of the fairway in a divot again – the second time that week.
“It was awesome event, it’s so amazing. You really had to strike it, you really had to be hitting it good because the wind was so strong. If you mis-hit it a little bit you had no chance.”
The Californian has a healthy lead on both rankings – Spaniard David Puig is in second place on the Asian Tour merit list and Ben Campbell from New Zealand is one place back on The International Rankings. With the second half of the season to go, he’s targeted a top-placed finish on both, a feat which American Andy Ogletree achieved last year.
“I feel good. I feel fresh. Nice having a week off last week,” he added.
John Catlin. Pictured by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“I have recharged the batteries a bit. I have been on pretty long stretch there. Four events in a row, five of six weeks, and the four I did were not the easiest of courses.
“Morocco was difficult and Valderrama is always a challenge. The Open especially with the weather, you have got to be ready to give it your all there. JCB was tricky, you really had to place your shots.”
Difficult golf courses have done little to halt the charge for a player who looks like he is just getting going rather than ready for a breather.
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