Irish Open: John Catlin celebrates his second win in three starts | Golf news

Catlin becomes the third two-time European Tour winner of the season, after Rasmus Hojgaard and Sam Horsfield.

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A look back at the best of the action from the final round of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Galgorm Castle.

John Catlin secured his second European Tour victory in three starts with a two-stroke victory at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open.

The American, who claimed his big win at the Andalucia Masters earlier this month, birdied three of his last four holes to close a six-under 64 and finish at the top of a congested standings at the Castillo de Galgorm.

Catlin finished the week ten under par and two ahead of overnight leader Aaron Rai, who had to settle for a second spot after a final bogey, with Jazz Janewattananond and Maverick Antcliff one hit further back in the third place tied.

Rai narrowly missed a cable-to-cable win in Northern Ireland

Starting day four off the beat, Catlin followed a tap-in birdie in the second by making a 12-foot hole to save par on the next, before rolling in a eight-foot birdie in the fourth and draining a birdie from 30 feet in the second. par four eighth.

Catlin briefly moved into a portion of the lead thanks to a two-putt gain on the 10th, only to launch his birdie attempt on the next and then post a three-putt bogey from the sideline at 13.

Catlin becomes the third American to win the Irish Open, after Ben Crenshaw and Hubert Green

The world No. 138 was two behind until he made a long-range birdie on 13 and converted from five feet on the next, before closing his round and setting the clubhouse goal with a two-putt birdie on the last par five.

Rai was two behind Catlin with three holes to play, having mixed two birdies with as many bogeys during his first part of the round, only to cut the deficit in half by firing his close-range approach at 17.

Rai posted rounds of 65, 70, 67 and 70 in the four days

Needing a birdie at last to force a tiebreaker, Rai approached from the middle of the fairway into thick rough and took two attempts to get out of the rough on his way to a final bogey.

Rai’s level 70 pair saw him finish the week in second place ahead of Janewattananond, who briefly led to posting a double bogey at 14 and dropped another shot at 16, and Antcliff, who birdied last to get there. also at seven under.

Swedish pair Joakim Lagergren and Osacar Lengden claimed a share of the fifth at six under par, with Paraguayan Fabrizio Zanotti jumping to tied for seventh after a 63-game matchday.

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