Hong Kong Open: still anyone’s race to win ticket to LIV Golf League ‘but Saudi leg key’

Eighth stop in International Series marks the start of a three-week sprint to the finish line, with the Qatar and Saudi Arabia legs to follow

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Defending champion Ben Campbell heads into a Hong Kong Open press conference with a Chinese opera singer. The Kiwi reckons the race will not be decided until the Saudi leg of the International Series. Photo: AFP

Published: 6:56pm, 19 Nov 2024

A year ago, Andy Ogletree arrived in Hong Kong with one foot in the LIV Golf League and one hand on the International Series Order of Merit trophy – he left with a ticket to 14 tournaments boasting the richest prize fund in the sport.

The battle to finish top of the rankings and earn a spot in the Saudi-backed circuit is a lot closer this time around, with American John Catlin’s healthy lead eroded over the past several weeks.

Catlin was comfortably ahead of Ben Campbell heading into two tournaments in Thailand, but victories for Michael Maquire in the Black Mountain Championship, Lee Chieh-po at the International Series Thailand, and Richard T Lee at the Indonesian Masters mean anyone in the top 10 and beyond will fancy their chances of finishing the year top of the pile.

The Asian Tour rolls into Hong Kong this week, for the 63rd edition of the city’s Open championship and, as the eighth stop in the series, marks the start of a three-week sprint to the finish line, with events in Qatar and Saudi Arabia to follow.

John Catlin, who won the Macau leg of the series, has seen his lead whittled down in recent weeks. Photo: Asian Tour

Campbell, who returns to Fanling as defending champion, is fourth in the order of merit – some 300 points behind Catlin – with Lee and Peter Uihlein second and third, respectively.