Peter Uihlein proved simply too strong at the US$2.5 million International Series Qatar today, marching to a five-shot victory at Doha Golf Club.

The American, the leader since day two, shot a final round three-under-par 69 to finish on 16-under, for his second victory on The International Series this year. The result also saw him move to number one on The International Series Rankings.

South African Charl Schwartzel came home in second place after a 68, while his close friend and compatriot Louis Oosthuizen tied for third two shots back with Filipino Miguel Tabuena.

Oosthuizen fired a 71 and Tabuena a 70 – in the penultimate event of the season on the Asian Tour and The International Series.

American John Catlin tied for 19th after a 71 to wrap up the Asian Tour Order of Merit title with one event remaining, next week’s US$5million PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Advisers. He is now second on The International Series Rankings having led for most of the year.

Peter Uihlein. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

Uihlein’s one-stroke lead at the start of the day became four at the turn. He was coasting before Schwartzel, playing three groups ahead, made a late charge with birdies on 16 and 17.  Uihlein holed a clutch putt for par from 12-feet on 15 to leave the gap at three, and then birdied on 16 and 18 to put the icing on the cake.

It was an impressive finish considering the wind was up again and the greens were hard and fast.

He said: “Yeah, it was a good day and yesterday was good as well, it was a very solid weekend. I think I only missed a total of five greens for the weekend around here. When the wind is blowing, that’s pretty good. Felt pretty solid, felt in control.

“The putt on 15 was nice, to get up and down there, and I got a nice break in the rough. It was funny, I tried to do a little different mindset for me this week, at least on the back nine. I kind of saw the board, and that I had like a four-shot lead, and I was basically just trying to play match play against the golf course and par was a good score. I felt like if I could beat the back nine, I was going to be in good position, so making those birdies at the end was kind of nice for my little mini goal.”

Uihlein claimed International Series England in August by the sizeable margin of seven shots for his maiden title on the Asian Tour and The International Series.

Charl Schwartzel. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

It looked like he was also going to win the International Series Thailand two months later, but he bogeyed the final hole to hand victory to Lee Chieh-po from Chinese-Taipei.

Today’s victory is redemption for that near miss and gives the Range Goats GC player a chance of winning the rankings next week, although with a wealth of points on offer the race is wide open.

“I feel like my game is trending, it’s just getting better,” he added.

“Like stuff I’ve been working on even before, all that stuff feels like it’s kind of getting easier under the gun, which was nice. But yeah, it’s 1,000 points to the winner next week so it’s obviously all still up in the air.”

Schwartzel’s round, which started with an eagle on the par-five first, was the lowest of the day.

“It was a fantastic putting round today, I made so many feet of putts,” said the 2011 Masters champion.

“It was tough again you know; the wind hasn’t stopped blowing for the last three days. And you know, the golf course has been quite penalising when you miss the fairways and it’s hard to hit the fairways with the crosswinds and stuff. So, it was always going to be a grind, and I needed a good putting round. I putted well and yeah, I was happy with my round.”

Miguel Tabuena. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

South African Dean Burmester (69), India’s Anirban Lahiri (70), Eugenio Chacarra (71) from Spain, and Thai Suteepat Prateeptienchai (72) were next best placed on eight under.

In the battle to retain playing rights for next year and finish in the top 65 on the Merit list Australian Jed Morgan was the big mover. He carded a 71 to finish joint 37th and move from 66th to 64th to ensure he is safe for the new season.

Peter Uihlein will have another crack at winning his second International Series title tomorrow after he took the third-round lead in the US$2.5 million International Series Qatar today.

The American birdied the final two holes at Doha Golf Club to make up for a fairly lacklustre day by his high standards to record a one-under-par 71 for a one-shot lead over countryman Zach Bauchou.

Bauchou returned a 70 and is three ahead of Italian Stefano Mazzoli, who aced the par-three 17^th, for a 69 and Gaganjeet Bhullar from India, also in with a 69.

Just over a month ago Uihlein was on the brink of winning the International Series Thailand but surprisingly surrendered a two-shot lead on the last to finish second behind Chinese-Taipei’s Lee Chieh-po. That occurred not long after he won the International Series England – his first on both the Asian Tour and The International Series.

Zach Bauchou. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

Uihlein began the day two ahead of Bauchou and that was the margin at the turn. Uihlein made birdie on the first but on another difficult windy day with firm and fast greens more birdies where hard to come by. He made bogeys on three and 14 before his fine finish.

He said: “Yeah, it was hard. I’m pleased, I mean, I hit 16 greens so my two bogeys were on the greens that I missed. So other than that it was pretty steady. I don’t feel like I was really ever out of position, and yeah it was a tough day, I mean, really tough.

“You know, it blew all day yesterday, blew all night and morning, so it was only going to get crispier. So, the greens definitely felt like they had a little bit more bite to them today, and it was tough to get close.”

He is also in the running to win The International Series Rankings with just one more event remaining, next week’s PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers. He is currently in fourth place and could overtake the leader John Catlin from the Unites States tomorrow with a win.

Bauchou also finished well with birdies on 13, 16 and 18.

“No doubt it was a tough day,” said the American, who has been playing on the Korn Ferry Tour.

“It was hard to get the ball close to the hole. There are only a couple of birdie-able holes out here with the par fives and 16 a driveable par-four but the rest of the course is hard to get it close.

Stefano Mazzoli. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

“Need to just try and grind and make pars on those holes and when you get on a par five you try and make a birdie. I will just try and play the best I can and try and play pretty aggressive tomorrow. I will hit driver on almost every hole out here.

Surprisingly, Mazzoli’s ace on 17 was the first of his career. He used a wedge and his ball went straight into the cup without touching the surface.

“It went straight in and we never saw it again,” said the Italian, who is in the running to win this year’s Asian Tour Rookie of the Year Award.

“Usually, you know it can bounce out and come back, but it was straight in and never moved out of the way. After a tough battle on the course today with the wind, I mean, I couldn’t ask for a better finish than this. I was already pleased with a birdie on 16 and, I mean, I never had a hole-in-one, so I wasn’t expecting that, for sure and then obviously I got a birdie also on 18.”

South African Louis Oosthuizen and Suteepat Prateeptienchai from Thailand are tied for fifth on eight under following rounds of 71 and 70 respectively.

Gaganjeet Bhullar. Picture By Ian Walton/Asian Tour.

Catlin shot a 70 and is three under and is gradually moving closer to winning the Asian Tour Order of Merit title with none of his nearest pursuers making a challenge.

Peter Uihlein unleashed all of his talent on an eight-under-par 64 to take the halfway lead in the US$2.5 million International Series Qatar today – embracing the windy conditions that replaced the calmness of yesterday.

He is 12-under for the event at Doha Golf Club and leads by two from American Zach Bauchou, who carded 68.

First-round leader Ian Snyman from South Africa is in third, a shot further back, following a 70.

South African Charl Schwartzel (65), Spain’s Luis Masaveu (69) and David Puig (70) plus Miguel Tabuena (68) from the Philippines are tied fourth, four behind the leader.

American Uihlein won the International Series England in August for his maiden victory on the Asian Tour and The International Series. He nearly followed that up with a win at the International Series Thailand but finished second after letting a two-shot lead slip on the last and therefore has unfinished business this week.

Peter Uihlein. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

“It was hard,” said the 35-year-old, about the conditions.

“I mean, it is when it gets windy. It’s fun though. I enjoy it. Kind of shapes the shots for you a little bit. I enjoy it. I definitely prefer when the wind picks up.”

An eagle on the short par-four 16^th, seven birdies, and a solitary bogey saw him charge through.

“You just kind of try and execute really, I mean, best you can,” he added. “You’re not really playing like plotting, I guess you’re kind of playing like you’re painting a picture when you’re out there, I enjoy that style of golf. I mean when the wind picks up I kind of enjoy it. I feel like it brings everybody into my game.”

Uihlein is one of a host of players who can win The International Series Rankings with just next week’s PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers remaining. He is currently in fourth place and within reach of the leader and fellow American John Catlin.

Snyman was unable to repeat his brilliant first-round 65 but was delighted with his round in much more difficult conditions that he felt played four shots harder.

Ian Snyman. Picture By Ian Walton/Asian Tour.

He said: “This is probably one of my best rounds I would say, on the Asian Tour. Hit it really good, hit lots of fairways, which is great in these conditions. Hit lots of greens, made some great putts. One bogey, I mean, I think that basically says it, it was a solid round of golf.

“Shot wise compared to yesterday, probably about four shots I would say, that would be my guess. It was just a guessing game out there, and yeah, I managed to guess most of them correctly. Even putting you had to take the wind into account.”

Earlier in the day best buddies Schwartzel and compatriot Louis Oosthuizen, paired together, moved into contention. Oosthuizen fired a 71 and is another stroke behind.

Schwartzel, whose most recent victory was the LIV Golf Invitational in 2022 – LIV Golf’s first ever event – began on the back nine, and made a brilliant start by birdieing the first, before holing out for an eagle on the par-four 11^th. He dropped his only shot of the day on 14 but coasted to the top with five more birdies.

“Yeah, that was quite a surprise,” said the 2011 Masters champion.

“Struggled with my driver a bit yesterday and with this wind I was a bit worried. I actually drove it well and got off to that fantastic start and played solid from there, all the way in.”

Charl Schwartzel. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

He has registered some strong performances on the LIV Golf League this season, tying for second in Jeddah and finishing equal third in Adelaide, and would no doubt dearly love to finish the year with a win.

He added: “With me it’s always rhythm, I get all quick, just tried to keep it smooth today and did a good job of it.”

The race to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit continues to gain momentum, although Catlin remains in pole position.

At one point he looked like missing the cut for the second week in a row, to make things slightly more interesting, but a 73 put him into the weekend on one under.

His nearest challenger Richard T. Lee from Canada is three under after a 72.

Lee or New Zealand’s Ben Campbell, in with a 70 and four under, need to win this week to have a chance of surpassing Catlin’s 3,030.06 points on the Merit list and finish solo second next week. That scenario also needs Catlin to finish at the bottom of the leaderboard both weeks, so the American remains on course to win the title for the first time.

Catlin also leads The International Series Rankings, but that battle is wide open.

South African Ian Snyman says spending two days in the company of one of his country’s finest golfers, David Frost, has helped play a big part in his fine run of form recently – which includes taking the lead on the opening day of the US$2.5 million International Series Qatar today.

Snyman nailed a confident seven-under-par 65 here at Doha Golf Club, to lead the way from compatriot Louis Oosthuizen, Spaniard David Puig and Zach Bauchou from the United States, who carded 66s.

Two other Spaniards, Luis Masaveu and Eugenio Chacarra, fired 67s, along with Sadom Kaewkanjana from Thailand and Japan’s Tomoyo Ikemura – in the penultimate event of the season on both the Asian Tour and The International Series.

After today’s opening salvo, consisting of an eagle, seven birdies, and one double, Snyman is on course to make his 12^th successive cut on the Asian Tour, as well as put himself in position to claim his first title on the circuit.

David Puig. Picture by Ian Walton/Asian Tour.

“My coach, Paul McKenzie, and I have been working on a few things and I also got some advice from David Frost – he is a former Asian Tour winner having won in Hong Kong,” said Snyman, about Frost – winner of the Hong Kong Open in 1994 and 29 titles around the world.

“About five months ago we spent two days with David. We were trying to find some consistency, that was my main concern. Looks like we are getting there. Just need to get some low ones like we did today, which is exciting.

“The big thing we worked on with David was the takeaway. I always take the club back outside and get laid off at the top. He kind of helped me feel a way to get it straighter.

“Another big thing was not to be so rigid. I would be very stickman like golf, my left arm would be very stiff and strong but he kind of got me to relax a bit more, you can actually bend that left arm.”

He was cruising at eight under with two to play but made double on the par- three 17^th.

He explained: “Bit of a brain fade there. I was over the ball, they [the officials] were trying to calm some people down behind the tee box, but instead of re-starting my routine I walked straight into my shot. I think I was mis-aligned and pushed it way right of the green.”

Luis Masaveu. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

He duffed his chip and three putted but bounced back on the par-five 18^th hitting his third to two feet.

Puig is making his first appearance on the Asian Tour since April – in that time he has played on the LIV Golf League, three Majors and the Olympics, where he played alongside Jon Rahm.

“Pretty solid, especially after a month off tournaments. Super, super proud of how I fought,” said Puig, winner of the season-opening Malaysian Open and runner-up in the International Series Macau presented by Wynn, where American John Catlin defeated him in a play-off.

“Didn’t hit it that good but somehow managed to post a pretty good score. Hit a lot of greens in regulation, which is something I have been working on.”

His countryman Masaveu, just one year younger at 21, was even happier as today marked his debut as a professional in a Tour event.

“First tournament as a professional, so very happy,” said the Spaniard, who birdied the last three holes and has his dad, Rafa, caddying for him.

Louis Oosthuizen. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

“To be honest, I didn’t really think about this being my first event as a pro. The good thing is my coach Gonzalo [Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano] is also playing. We did a good plan. I just tried to stay focused on my emotions.”

Masaveu finished third in this year’s US Amateur, having been beaten by compatriot and eventual winner Jose Luis Ballester 3&2 in the semis, and could be one to watch this week.

American John Catlin, leader of both the Asian Tour Order of Merit and The International Series Rankings with just two tournaments to go including this week, signed for a 70, while his countryman Patrick Reed, winner of last week’s Link Hong Kong Open, came in with a 71.

Catlin can put the Merit list title beyond the reach of others this week if results permit. His nearest challengers Richard T. Lee, in second, from Canada and third-placed Ben Campbell from New Zealand, shot rounds of 69 and 70 respectively and need to step on the gas to deny Catlin top spot.

Lee was well placed to finished higher but doubled the 18^th after a big hook off the tee found trouble.

The International Series Rankings, which will see the champion earn a place on next year’s LIV Golf League, will go down to the wire at next week’s US$5 million PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers.

Thailand’s Ratchanon ‘TK” Chantananuwat, the amateur star currently in his Freshman year at Stanford University, returned a 71 in what is his first appearance on the Asian Tour since April.