John Catlin is a hard man to track down. If there is a golfer who holds the title of the most air miles and passport stamps, this is the guy. Golf Digest Middle East sat down with the Sacramento native at the recent LIV Golf Andalucía event at Real Club Valderrama (home to one of his many conquests) to find out more on his Asian adventure that has him in his happiest place so far.
•••
John, for someone who turned professional just over ten years ago, would “exhilarating” be a good way to describe the journey you’ve been on?
I’ve had an adventurous career that’s for sure. In 2018, I was playing full-time on the Asian Tour, and then I made it over to Europe onto the DP World Tour. I was the last person to keep a card in 2019, and then Covid hit, so that was a really weird thing to have to navigate.
2020 Estrella Damn N.A. Andalucia Masters. Luke Walker/Getty Images
Amongst that, I won my first DP World Tour event here (Real Club Valderrama) in 2020 and ended up winning twice more and then I lost my card and went back to Asia again.
Now I’m playing on LIV! So yeah, I would say, it’s been all over the place!
•••
We will touch on how you came onto LIV later, but what a special venue it is to win here at Valderrama?
Oh man it’s awesome. I mean this is a special place. To have hoisted hardware around here is something I’ll always cherish.
•••
As mentioned, you gained two further DP World Tour wins in the space of just 13 starts. You were clearly in a positive place back then with golf?
I was for sure. I was hot to say the least. I was playing so well. I just rode the wave to those three wins. I know how to win that’s for sure I’ll tell you that. When I’m playing good, I can win anywhere.
•••
As we know golf can change in a blink. Obviously, you lost your status from the DP World Tour. How tough was that?
It was rough. I didn’t know what to do or where I was going to be playing. I didn’t have status in Asia anymore because I wasn’t allowed to go back to play the Asian Tour. So it was a tough time. But I just knuckled down and got my Asian Tour status back, and now I find myself back at Real Club Valderrama, so here we are.
•••
2024 seems to be the standout year from how you started the year, with essentially zero playing privileges, to how it has panned itself to now?
100%. I got a third place in Malaysia in February and that opened the floodgates. Two wins back-to-back and then losing in a playoff in Morocco, so I would say my game’s in good shape!
The first of those two wins, on the International Series, in Macau and I went and shot a 59! To be the first person on the Asian Tour to do that is something that I’ll always remember.
2024 International Series Macau. Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour
Then the very next event was in Saudi Arabia, again on the International Series, I won wire-to-wire. That one wasn’t really even that close after the third round. A one shot lead after round two and then an eight shot lead going into the final round. I just had one of those weeks where you just make every putt you look at. I almost went bogey free for the whole tournament and finished 24 under par. We are going back to Riyadh Golf Club at the end of the year for the Asian Tour’s season-ending PIF Saudi International, so I’ll have those great memories for the end of the year as well.
2024 Saudi Open. Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour
If you think about where the Asian Tour was when I played full time in 2018 and the prize funds we are playing for now, it’s not even the same ball park. From the way the events are run and the golf courses we get to play, it’s definitely taken a massive step forward.
•••
You’ve managed to squeeze playing LIV Golf into your busy schedule as well for the time being. How exciting is it to have found yourself on LIV and part of the Crushers team?
It’s awesome. I love being part of the Crushers. They’re hard-working guys, just like myself. They want to win and they want to play well, plus I’ve known Bryson (DeChembaeu) for a very long time so he’s welcomed me in.
Asian Tour number one John Catlin has made an immediate impact on the LIV Golf League. Picture by Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
•••
Did Bryson give you a direct call up for the spot?
No, so I heard from Max Williams in the LIV Golf player relations department. Brett Falkoff, who is Bryson’s manager, said to Max that once Chucky (Charles Howell III) ruled himself out, I was the first name immediately off Bryson’s lips. So to have somebody of that calibre say that about me was pretty special, and I obviously agreed to step in.
•••
John Caltin’s worldwide titles
You are currently leading the Asian Tour’s International Series Order of Merit, is that your goal for the remainder of the season to secure your LIV card via that route?
I want to win both. I want to win both the Asian Tour Rankings and the International Series Rankings and then end up back here. I know just the International Series one will get the job done, but it would be great to achieve both.
LIV has been second to none. It’s the best tour I’ve played on, from the way they look after us, the golf courses we get to play on, the team atmosphere, the music, the money! That’s my one goal now, to get on LIV for next season.
Main Image: Jason Butler
