Jon Catlin aims for victory ahead of final round of Saudi Open in Riyadh
RIYADH: John Catlin maintained his dominance at the 2024 Saudi Open at Riyadh Golf Club on Friday by shooting a men’s course record 62 to extend an eight-stroke lead at the top of the leaderboard.
The American started the third round with a one-stroke lead over Scott Hend and Haotong Li, and showed his intent early with two birdies in the first five holes.
On a special back nine, he pulled off six birdies, including two on the final two holes, and was awarded PIF Moment of the Day, helping lead him to his sixth win on the Asian Tour.
Popular Thai rider Kiradek Afibanrat will be the biggest mover in the chase group, setting off with Katrin in the final group on Saturday.
A round of 67 moved him into second place with Wade Ormsby, David Puig, Hendo and Lee.
Victory on Saturday would be Catlin’s first consecutive Asian Tour title since lifting the International Series Macau trophy in March, but the 33-year-old is taking nothing for granted ahead of the final round. I haven’t thought about it.
He said: “I feel like my game is in good shape. Today was just one of those days where the putter got hot and you can’t miss it. There’s a lot of good players here and I should get a lot of birdies tomorrow, so I I went on and tried to make as many birdies as possible. I knew I had to keep the pedal to the metal.
“Nothing will change tomorrow. The job is not done. David (Puig) has proven he can shoot very low numbers, and we have a lot of other players here who can do that.”
It was Katrin’s second visit to Saudi Arabia, but her first time in Riyadh, and after her record-breaking day, she admitted she would return to Saudi Arabia whenever she had the chance.
“I loved it here. The people were very friendly, the facilities were very good, and I loved the course. I come back whenever there’s a tournament here,” he said.
South Africa’s Jaco Ahlers had the second best round of the day, posting a 65 to move to 7 under par. Meanwhile, LIV Golf star Peter Uihlein made four birdies in four holes on the back nine, tied the score, and quickly rose to the top of the leaderboard. Uihlein is looking forward to an aggressive final round.
he said: “Tomorrow I have to shoot 10 under to win. I’m going to try.” Hopefully the caddy will probably hit driver on a hole that probably shouldn’t be hit.
“I played well up front, but the wind was different. With the wind, the back nine felt easier than the first few days, so I thought I might get a few birdies. 15th and 18th holes. I’m disappointed that I didn’t get a birdie on the hole.”
Osman Rouzi and Ayoub Lugilati, two Arab golfers invited from Morocco, managed to make it to the tournament, endured difficult days, and both made it to the final round with a score of par or better.
