John Catlin, the reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, wasn’t having the best of seasons this year after a fantastic 2024 but roared back into form on a golf course he loves. The American started the US$2 million International Series Morocco with a five-under par 68 and a tie for the lead in the opening round Thursday.
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Catlin, who was denied here at the par-73 Royal Golf of Dar Es Salam course last year by New Zealand’s Ben Campbell’s stunning eagle-birdie finish and lost in a playoff, was six-under through his opening nine – the back nine of the golf course. However, two bogeys and a birdie on his way back dropped him to a share of the lead with two-time International Series champion, Peter Uihlein.
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As the wind picked up slightly in the evening and the greens became trickier, the marker set by Catlin and Uihlein, who were in the third and fourth groups, respectively, to tee off from the 10th tee in the morning, held until the end of the day.
Australian Maverick Antcliff, only one of four bogey-free rounds during the day, threatened from the afternoon groups. With four birdies, he joined Korea’s Hongtaek Kim, winner of the GS Caltex Maekyung Open last year, and Thailand’s Sarit Suwannarut in a tie for third place on 69.
China’s Sampson Zheng, who reached Morocco only on Wednesday after successfully qualifying for the Open Championship on Tuesday, was another player who navigated the Robert Trent Jones Junior-designed course without dropping a shot. He was in a group of eight players tied in sixth place at 70.
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Catlin has just one top-10 finish this year, but he seems to have rediscovered the touch that helped him win in Macau and Saudi Arabia last year, apart from posting three runners-up finishes.
The 34-year-old from Sacramento started with a birdie on the 10th hole and added five more as he made the turn in six-under. On his back nine, Catlin made a three-putt bogey following a tricky first putt before dropping another shot on the par-five fifth hole. A birdie on the par-five eighth completed his score.
“Yeah, it was very solid. Wish I could have played the third hole a bit better. I had an 18-footer with a two-and-a-half-foot break and rolled it seven feet past. Not much you can do there from seven feet. Outside of that, I played pretty much flawless golf. Very happy with the start, but three more rounds to go. Let’s see,” said Catlin.
Asked if he had some unfinished business in the tournament after the heartbreak of last year, Catlin added: “No. It’s a new year.
“I love the golf course. I think that was part of my attitude last year. I think it really suits my game. You have to put in play off the tees. You have to be very precise with your irons. You’re going to miss some greens, so short game is going to be important. I feel like it really favours my game.”
Uihlein used his length to great advantage once again, and that was most evident coming in with birdies on the par-five fifth and eighth holes. Starting from the 10th, Uihlein overcame a string of disappointing early holes with four straight birdies from the 15th to the 18th holes and made the turn at three-under.
“It was a bit of a mixed bag with the start. It was really ugly, and I scrambled quite a bit, made some nice pars. And then I kind of got going, made a bunch of birdies in a row. And then, I was kind of cruising, had a lot of looks, but did not make any before finishing with a couple of birdies,” said Uihlein, winner of the International Series titles in Qatar and England last year.
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“The driver is really the big thing for me. Just with those trees, I’m trying to get as close to the greens and keep it between the trees. With the greens being as soft as they are, it’s pretty gettable.”
Antcliff, who is trying to win for the first time on the Asian Tour, made two birdies on either side of the golf course.
“It’s a great golf course. I came here for the first time last year. The wind got up a little bit towards the end and it was a little bit bouncier than in the practice round days, but that is expected once the tournament starts,” said the 32 year old from Brisbane.
“I just tried to stay patient out there. Hit some good shots and didn’t take advantage of them, and hit some good shots and took advantage of them. I got out of position a couple of times and made some nice up and down. There was a lot of good from all parts of my games. So, happy with the day.”
