IRELAND/UAE. American John Catlin fired a final round of 64 to win the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Galgorm Castle Golf Club in Northern Ireland on Sunday. It was his second European Tour title of the season.
Despite the event being held behind without spectators at the course, it offered a strong showcase for Dubai Duty Free to an international TV audience from 24-27 September.
Dubai Duty Free Executive Vice Chairman and CEO Colm McLoughlin said: “Despite the fact that this tournament was played behind closed doors there was certainly no shortage of excitement on the golf course. It is great to see golf returning and we would like to thank the players, the European Tour and the team at Galgorm Castle Golf Club for their hard work.
“This has been a challenging year for everyone but we are happy to have retained our sponsorship support for the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open despite the challenges. This sponsorship promotes our brand to a huge TV audience and helps promote the fact that Dubai is very much ‘open for business’.”
Catlin started the day four strokes behind 54-hole leader Aaron Rai but quickly moved up the leaderboard as he made the turn in three under par. He pulled clear on the 16th hole and then signed for a ten under par total after a stunning three wood from 268 yards left him with a two putt for his seventh birdie of the day at the last.
Rai birdied the 17th to move to nine under, needing a birdie to force a play-off, but an errant second shot found trouble on the left hand side of the green and a dropped shot handed Catlin his second victory in four weeks – elevating him to 14th in the Race to Dubai presented by Rolex in the process.
Australian Maverick Antcliff and Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond shared third place on seven under par, while the Swedish duo of Joakim Lagergren and Oscar Lengden finished tied for fifth.
Catlin said: “It’s pretty hard to describe. So many years of hard work have gone into this moment. It was my goal to win again at the start of this week, 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.
“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.”
Aaron Rai said: “I’m feeling a little bit disappointed. I can’t hide that. But I played solid for most of the week and 18 was just one of those things. It’s golf, and it happens, but John played incredibly well today and deserves it.”
