Asian Tour: Catlin holds off Puig in play-off to win International Series Macau title in dramatic fashion
- American John Catlin maintains perfect play-off record to win first tournament since 2021
- Catlin and David Puig finish tied on 23 under, with Spaniard producing stunning 10-under-par 60 on final day
John Catlin rode his luck and then birdied the second hole of a dramatic play-off against David Puig on Sunday to win the International Series Macau.
The American almost chipped in for eagle on the repeated par-5 18th, and after Puig missed a five-footer for birdie, secured his first win since 2021 with a simple tap in.
Victory capped an enthralling final day at Macau Golf & Country Club, where Puig shot a 10-under-par 60 in the fourth round to reel in Catlin, who followed his historic 59 on Saturday with a 65 and had opened up a five-shot lead at one stage.
After two years of struggling with his game, during which he lost his DP World Tour card, had to come through Q-school to play on the Asian Tour this season and needed a special invite to play this week, Catlin said at times he wondered if he would ever win again.
The 33-year-old had got used to winning too, with seven titles to his name across the Asian and European tours since 2016.
“Maybe I got a bit complacent, it’s been a really difficult last two years,” he said. “There’s times you start thinking about, you know, am I ever gonna win again, am I ever gonna get it back. You have to just keep putting your head down and keep working.
“I just kept telling myself, I don’t know when it’s gonna happen, but I’m gonna win again. And to have it happen in a span of about 2½ months from the start of the year is very special.”
There was an element of revenge fuelling the 33-year-old too, after Puig “took my Open [Championship] spot and my trophy” in the season-opener in Malaysia, which the Spaniard won after shooting 18 under over the weekend and beating Catlin by three shots.
This time the pair were tied at 23-under after Catlin missed a birdie chance on 18 to win in regulation, setting up a play-off on the closing hole.
Puig held the advantage at that stage, simply because of Catlin’s obvious disappointment, and the Spaniard appeared to have one hand on the trophy when his opponent sent his approach shot flying through the back of the green and dangerously close to out of bounds.
As it turned out, the ball had settled on a drain cover a yard from trouble, and with a hospitality stand blocking his shot, Catlin got a very favourable drop at the back of the green.
Even then Puig seemed destined for victory after his chip from a greenside bunker rattled the flag stick and stopped inches short of the hole. But Catlin got up and down and they went back to start again.
This time it was Puig who missed a makeable birdie, and Catlin tapped home the winning putt and celebrated his first Asian Tour victory since the Thailand Open in 2019.
“I just kept telling myself ‘you know what, I’m willing to do whatever it takes’,” Catlin said. “We got to play this hole six times for me to win the golf tournament, I’ll play it six times, but I want to win.
“I’ve never lost when I’ve held the lead going into the final round, and I wasn’t about to let it happen there. And I’ve never lost in a play-off, so I was going to do whatever I had to.”
Australian Lucas Herbert returned a 64 to finish third, two shots behind. Patrick Reed from the United Sates secured fourth, one stroke further back, following a 63.
Puig, meanwhile, is one of the hottest young golfers in the game, and his performance should move him into the top 100 when when the new rankings are published on Monday - enough to qualify him for the US PGA Championship in May.
