Asian Tour Book 2024

arguably the finest season of his career, and, of course, meant the Asian Tour was able to welcome home a player that meant somuch. Many thought he’d already won the Asian Tour Order of Merit before, back in 2018, but in fact he finished sixth that season. So, when he wrapped up the 2024 Merit list title in the penultimate event of the season, the International Series Qatar, after a top 20 finish, the American was simply overjoyed, and surprised as he didn’t actually realise he’d won it after finishing his round. He said: “I am kind of at a loss for words because I didn’t even know it was done. If I had a chance to think about it a bit more, I would have more words to say. “It’s a career accomplishment to be on that Asian Tour Order of Merit list with some of the great players of the game, it’s very special.” The following week at the season- ending PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers, he added another feather to his cap when the US$36,000 he earned for joint 34th place saw him finish the year with total earnings of US$1,456,800. It meant he surpassed Indian Jeev Milkha Singh’s 16-year-old single season earnings record. It took him past Singh’s US$1,452,701.69 from 2008 by US$4,098.31 – setting a new target for his peers to chase. Catlin played in a total of 14 Asian Tour events, winning two: the Saudi Open presented by PIF and the International Series Macau presented by Wynn, back- to-back. That brought his total number of wins on the Asian Tour to six. In the Saudi event he so nearly became the first player in Asian Tour history to complete a 72-hole tournament without a bogey. A missed seven-footer for par on the 14th on Sunday, his only dropped shot of the week, put paid to that but he had the consolation of winning by seven after putting on a putting masterclass. In Macau, however, he did etch his name into history by carding a mesmerising 59 on day three, which marked the first ever sub-60 on the Asian Tour. He went on to win the event after beating Spain’s David Puig in overtime. He could have so easily added more silverware to his cabinet, but he was defeated in two play-offs: at the International Series Morocco and the Black Mountain Championship, in Thailand. Both times he was in the driver’s seat, but New Zealand’s Ben Campbell eagled the 17th and birdied the last in Morocco to force a play-off before winning with a birdie on the first extra hole. And later in the year American MJ Maguire also stormed through at the end with a 24