With the PGA Tour now well into the fall season, some of their bigger names are getting involved in events elsewhere, with two stars from the Presidents Cup heading over to the Asian Tour to feature in the Macau Open.
It was little surprise to see Min Woo Lee in action in the event. The Australian won the Macau Open with a record score of 30 under par in 2023, and he was back to defend his title.
Of course, Lee endured a frustrating Presidents Cup debut. After featuring in the first session alongside Adam Scott, Lee was not used again by Mike Weir until the Sunday singles. He would end up earning half a point from his match with Wyndham Clark at Royal Montreal.
That was half a point more than Brian Harman won during the week. Like Lee, the 2023 Open champion was making his debut in the event last month. But he lost all three matches he played, including his singles clash with Christiaan Bezuidenhout.
Min Woo Lee and Brian Harman finish below LIV Golf reserve at Macau Open
But those who perhaps expected Lee or Harman to really contend in Macau would have been very much mistaken. Lee finished just inside the top 10 on 11 under par – nine shots back of eventual winner Rattanon Wannasrichan. Remarkably, the 26-year-old already found himself trailing by that margin heading into the weekend.
Meanwhile, Harman finished a further shot back of Lee on 10 under par. The highlight of his week came when he shot a 66 on Friday.
Of course, the Asian Tour now boasts strong ties with LIV Golf, with the winner of their Order of Merit earning a spot in the LIV league. And the man at the top of the Order of Merit currently is John Catlin.
While Catlin is yet to feature regularly on LIV, he is no stranger to fans of the tour as the American is frequently used as a reserve. It was Catlin who featured for Legion XIII in the Team Championship in Dallas when Jon Rahm was taken ill.
And Catlin had another good week on the Asian Tour, finishing tied for fourth on 14 under par.
John Catlin set to make step up next season
Despite only making five appearances during the regular season, Catlin earned enough points to finish 44th in the standings – ahead of the likes of Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson and above the relegation zone.
He looks set to be a regular fixture on LIV next season, so it will be interesting to see how he fares during a full year on that stage.
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