Classy Catlin makes the cut and refuses to be wounded by play-off results

The International Series Rankings leader John Catlin found himself in an unusual situation going into the weekend at International Series Thailand.

The in-form American had his back to the wall, and needed a four-under 66 on Friday just to secure his place in the field for the weekend on the cut line, after bouncing back from a level-par opening round of 70 which included two birdies and two bogeys.

Starting on 10, he picked up a shot immediately, but was back to level on 13. He was on the up again as he picked up another five birdies, including two on the bounce at five and six, only for a disappointing second bogey at the last as he finished on four under, nine behind clubhouse leader Maverick Antcliff.

It’s a rare Friday when Catlin is battling to make the cut. He has only missed one – at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open back in May after two consecutive victories at the International Series by Macau and the Saudi Open presented by PIF.

He was philosophical about his situation, now he knows he has the weekend in front of him. He said: “I played fine. I got nothing out of the round. Sometimes when you are playing well, and you're making the birdies, you can make one or two mistakes and it doesn't cost you.

“Yesterday, I got nothing out of the good shots, and the mistakes were costly. Okay two bogeys, and then I had two birdies. It is a golf situation, it happens. Sometimes you don't do that much wrong.”

The 33-year-old has been in sensational form on The International Series and the Asian Tour this season. Ever since a T3 in the season-opening IRS Prima Malaysian Open, a result that secured a place at the Open Championship, he has been the man to beat and is running away with the Order of Merit and Rankings races.

Catlin, who secured his card on Q School this season, has been in three sudden-death play-offs – all on The International Series - on his way to a haul of two wins, three second-place finishes, a T3 and a T4 this season.

In Macau, he beat David Puig for victory in sudden death, after carding an historic 59 on the Saturday. But he was on the wrong end of the play-offs twice since then, losing to Ben Campbell in Morocco and Michael Maguire last week at the Black Mountain Championship in Hua Hin.

Yet for the confident American, the past is in the past. All Catlin wants to do is simply look forward as he works on consolidating pole position for The International Series Rankings and that life-changing spot on the LIV Golf League.

A champion already on the Thai Country Club in the 2019 edition of the Thailand Open, Catlin said: “I played great last week and honestly, the thing with pro golf is it doesn't matter what you did last week. It matters what you're doing right now.”

Catlin, who has already impressed in a number of appearances on the LIV Golf League as an alternate this term, added: “I’m playing fine. Maybe struggling to adapt a little bit to the greens – they are a little different (to last week). The speed and grain has fooled me on a couple of putts, but it’s quite soft and a bit slower.”

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