Asian Tour Book 2024

A stress-free final-round of 66 completed his Riyadh romp. The numbers were just staggering, finishing seven shots clear of Australian Wade Ormsby, the runner-up, and no fewer than 15 strokes in front of those who shared 10th place. If there was one slight cause for regret for Catlin it was the fact that he came mighty close to becoming the first player in Asian Tour history to complete a 72-hole tournament without a solitary blemish. Such was his dominance of the Riyadh For Kiradech Aphibarnrat [left] and Wade Ormsby [right] the Saudi Open presented by PIF proved to be their best results of 2024. Golf Club course that he navigated the first 67 holes of the tournament without a bogey on his card. Along with the galleries, even his rivals were pulling for him to complete what is a rare feat. But it was not to be, a seven-foot par putt failing to disappear below ground on the 14th – his 68th hole of the week. It proved to be his only dropped shot. Not that it took any gloss off a supremely commanding performance, highlighted by a sublime week on and around the greens. As well as ranking second in Putts per Round with 26.5, or 1.47 per hole, he was third in Putts per Greens in Regulation with 1.625. Furthermore, he ranked first for the week in scrambling, managing to get the ball up and down 93.75% of the time when not hitting the green in regulation. Catlin also had a good week with his all-round game, ranking tied sixth in Greens in Regulation with 77.78% and seventh in Driving Accuracy with 60.71%. The combination of all these stats made him unbeatable. Yet, with such a large lead he also needed to guard against complacency and be strong mentally to stop his mind from wandering. He said: “I just kept telling myself to stay in the present. The brain always wants to think about what might happen, or what could happen, and you just keep hitting the shot in front of you. I just kept doing that, kept telling myself over and over again, just keep in the present, keep executing this golf shot. I was able to do it.” With the first-place cheque for US$180,000, Catlin overhauled Puig at the top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit (OOM). Puig closed with a 67 to finish in sole possession of fifth, 10 back from Catlin. With two early-season wins under his belt, the 2024 OOM crown was clearly on Catlin’s radar. “It will definitely be on my mind. It would be a nice feather to add to the cap. There have been a lot of great Order of Merit champions, and I would be honoured to be among them,” he added. Thai amateur Ratchanon ‘TK’ Chantananuwat, playing in his final Asian Tour event before heading off to start his first year at Stanford University, tied for 33rd. 54 SAUDI OPEN PR E SEN T ED BY P I F R I YA D H GO L F C L U B A P R I L 1 7 - 2 0 2 0 2 4 | P R I Z E MON E Y: U S $ 1 M I L L I ON