Catlin dreaming big after Dubai Duty Free Irish Open win
John Catlin raises the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open trophy at Galgorm Castle
American John Catlin produced a finish worthy of the immortal names carved on the Waterford Crystal trophy when he birdied three of his last four holes to claim a two-shot win in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Galgorm Castle.
Just three weeks after claiming his maiden European Tour win at storied Valderrama, the 29-year old Californian hit a career three-wood to the heart of the 18th before two-putting for a six-under 64 to set what proved to be an unassailable target at 10-under par.
It proved good enough to claim one of Europe’s most coveted titles and two shots too many for overnight leader Aaron Rai of England, who brilliantly birdied the 17th with a stunning approach to three feet but could not match Catlin’s towering, 268-yard draw to the 18th that set up a 45-foot eagle chance he deftly lagged up to tap-in distance.
Playing two matches behind, Rai’s three wood curved quickly left of the green, burrowing deep into the heavy rough from where he took two more slashes to find the green, moving the first effort just a few yards before pencilling in a bogey six for a round of level par 70.
“So many years of hard work that have gone into this moment,” said Catlin, who followed in the footsteps of Hubert Green (1977) and Ben Crenshaw (1976) by becoming just the third American to win the Irish Open.
“It was my goal to win again at the start of this week, so to have accomplished it is something truly, truly special.
"I had nothing to lose. I was going after every flag, I had good numbers and the greens were soft. So I started taking aim and hit a couple in their close. I made a long one on 15 and that three-wood on 18 was so satisfying. It was 268 yards to the hole, cold and damp. To just hit a big high draw in there like I know I can, under those conditions, really is hard to put into words.
"(Winning at Valderrama) was massive. You never know if you’re going to win or not, to get that monkey off my back at Valderrama really freed me up today to know I could do it. Be able to look myself in the mirror and tell myself that I’ve been here before and I can do it again.”
He was ranked 673rd in the world four years ago but after winning four times on the Asian Tour to end 2019 ranked 196th, he moved up 54 places to 84th today, and he has set no limits to his ambitions with a Rolex Series event, a Ryder Cup appearance or even a Major title all within his compass.
“I’m so happy,” he said. “I was talking to someone earlier about where I was at four years ago and to be here is so surreal and a testament to my coach [Noah Montgomery] and all the hard work we put in. It’s so awesome to just be here.
"I’ve always wanted to play in the Majors, that’s the only level of golf I haven’t played at. Hopefully one day I can win one of those as well. To have gotten inside that top 100 is a big leap forward."
Four strokes behind starting the day, Catlin timed his run to the line like a Derby winner, coming up in the rails with an extraordinary burst at the finish as the cold blustery weather of the first three days gave way to bright sunshine and a more favourable southerly breeze.
Rai led by a shot overnight from the unheralded Australian Maverick Antcliff and by two shots from South African Dean Burmester, Thailand’s Jazz Jannewattananond and the Swede Oscar Lengen — a leaderboard that would have done little to excite a crowd had the event not been played behind closed doors.
Early morning frost delayed the start and forced the European Tour to make a complete re-draw, sending the players out in three-balls from both tees.
However, a further fog delay further complicated matters and when play eventually got underway at 11:49 am, three hours and 20 minutes later than planned, it was evident that a Monday finish was a possibility should the championship go to a playoff.
Janewattananond (24), who became a Buddhist monk for two months in 2016, looked like a potential trophy engraver’s nightmare as he reached the turn in two-under to share the lead with Rai on eight-under-par,
However, they were soon joined by the metronomic Catlin who followed birdies the second, fourth and eighth with a two-putt birdie four at the 10th, leaving them two shots clear of the Swedes Joakim Lagergren and Oscar Lengden.
Janewattananond then birdied the 10th to lead on his own, but the Thai golfer would eventually fade to tied third with Antcliff on seven-under after a 69, his title challenge evaporating when he double-bogeyed the 14th by hitting his tee shot into the River Maine and following that disaster with a bogeyed at the 16th.
Catlin bogeyed the 13th to fall two shots off the pace, but as Rai bogeyed the 11th, the American birdied the 15th from 20 feet and hit a three-quarter wedge to three feet at the 16th to go one clear before hitting that career three-wood to the heart of the 18th.
“I was thinking about laying up, it would have to be a really-well hit three wood in these conditions, but I knew I had to hit it,” he said of his three-wood. “To be able to execute that, under that kind of pressure, my hands are still shaking a little bit, it was very nice.
“I knew Aaron was going to make a birdie on one of those last two holes. With the tournament in my hands, I took the three wood and hit a great shot.
“I have [hit a better one] but not under that kind of pressure. That was a very special shot to hit.”
Like Brooks Koepka, he has chosen to try the European Tour route to success and after following four wins in Asia with two in Europe in the space of three weeks, he’s aiming for the stars.
The Ryder Cup?
“Absolutely. It’s always been a dream of mine to represent the USA in an international competition, be it The Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup. I have a long way to go before I can really have a chance at that, but that is a goal of mine further on down the road,” he said, eyeing the great names on the trophy.
“It’s a who’s who in the names of golf. Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia, Colin (Montgomerie) is on there three times, Shane Lowry, so many incredible names. Definitely an honour to be listed among those.”
Swafford wins in Puntacana
On the PGA Tour, Hudson Swafford closed with a three-under 69 to end his near four-year wait for a second PGA Tour win in the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship in the Dominican Republic.
Two strokes behind Adam Long overnight, the Floridian (33) birdied the 17th before making a six-footer for par at the last to win by one stroke from Tyler McCumber, who shot 66, on 18-under par.
Canadian Mackenzie Hughes finished third on 16-under after a 70 as Long shot 75 to slip to fifth on 14-under.
It was Swafford's first win since he claimed the Career Builder Challenge in January 2017.
Swafford moves up 180 places to 165th in the world.
270 J Catlin (USA) 67 70 69 64 (€199,750),
272 A Rai (Eng) 65 70 67 70 (€129,250),
273 M Antcliff (Aus) 70 65 68 70, J Janewattananond (Tha) 68 70 66 69 (€66,387 each)
274 O Lengden (Swe) 67 71 66 70, J Lagergren (Swe) 70 66 71 67 (€45,472 each),
275 L Herbert (Aus) 71 67 67 70, J Smith (Eng) 65 71 70 69, F Zanotti (Par) 70 72 70 63 (€30,315 each),
276 A Meronk (Pol) 71 69 70 66 (€23,500 each),
277 J Harding (RSA) 68 69 69 71, S Hend (Aus) 68 69 70 70, J Luiten (Ned) 71 70 69 67 (€20,249 each),
278 T Tree (Eng) 66 70 69 73, E Ferguson (Sco) 70 67 70 71, R Karlberg (Swe) 67 75 65 71, L Canter (Eng) 73 67 68 70, D Huizing (Ned) 70 69 70 69, R Bland (Eng) 72 67 71 68, M Kawamura (Jpn) 74 71 66 67, B Stow (Eng) 70 75 67 66 (€15,642 each),
279 D Burmester (RSA) 65 71 68 75 (€13,277),
280 M Armitage (Eng) 69 71 71 69, A Arnaus (Esp) 73 69 73 65 (€12,748 each),
281 C Howie (Sco) 73 71 68 69, R Rock (Eng) 69 67 78 67, J Scrivener (Aus) 73 69 74 65,
282 J Senior (Eng) 70 73 66 73, A Rozner (Fra) 73 72 66 71, J Hansen (Den) 72 72 68 70, C Hill (Sco) 70 70 73 69, C Sordet (Fra) 70 70 74 68,
283 R Ramsay (Sco) 71 74 68 70, M Southgate (Eng) 74 70 73 66,
284 D Law (Sco) 69 69 76 70, A Cañizares (Esp) 71 72 71 70, L Van Meijel (Ned) 71 71 73 69, M Simonsen (Den) 68 75 74 67,
285 S Crocker (USA) 72 67 74 72, N Elvira (Esp) 69 71 74 71, D Coupland (Eng) 72 69 73 71, D Whitnell (Eng) 71 72 72 70, G Porteous (Eng) 73 71 71 70, O Farr (Wal) 70 70 76 69, S Brown (Eng) 71 74 71 69, R Sciot-siegrist (Fra) 73 72 71 69, J McLeod (Aus) 70 73 74 68,
286 J Guerrier (Fra) 68 70 74 74, W Nienaber (RSA) 70 72 72 72, G Coetzee (RSA) 71 73 71 71,
287 S Gallacher (Sco) 67 74 70 76, L Bjerregaard (Den) 68 74 70 75, M Fenasse (Fra) 72 72 73 70,
288 Jonathan Caldwell (Nir) 71 70 73 74, N Lemke (Swe) 68 74 75 71, W Besseling (Ned) 74 71 73 70, S Jamieson (Sco) 69 76 75 68,
289 A Cockerill (Can) 75 70 71 73, M Schmitt (Ger) 73 72 73 71,
290 J Morrison (Eng) 72 69 73 76, D Van Driel (Ned) 73 70 75 72, Mark Power (Am) (Irl) 74 71 73 72, R Wattel (Fra) 74 71 75 70,
291 Damien McGrane (Irl) 70 74 75 72, S Sharma (Ind) 72 72 76 71,
292 James Sugrue (Am) (Irl) 67 72 73 80,
293 R McGowan (Eng) 73 71 76 73,
295 J Stalter (Fra) 74 70 74 77,
296 R McEvoy (Eng) 72 72 73 79, C Moriarty (Irl) 75 69 73 79
