John Catlin Wins Hong Kong Open as Matthew Cheung Secures Historic Second Place

Five shots clear, with two major rewards

John Catlin won the Link Hong Kong Open on October 25, 2026, with a closing 64 and a total of 20 under par, securing US$360,000, his first Masters invitation and a place at the 155th Open at St Andrews in 2027. Behind him, Matthew Cheung achieved something no Hong Kong player had managed in the tournament's previous editions: a share of second place.

Catlin finished the four rounds at Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling in 260 strokes, five fewer than Cheung and Finland's Kalle Samooja. The American began Sunday sharing the lead with three other players, then made seven birdies against one bogey to turn a crowded contest into a decisive victory.

Cheung's closing 67 took him to 15 under par and past the previous best local finishes, Dominic Boulet's tie for fourth in 1996 and Taichi Kho's tie for sixth in 2024. Five Hong Kong players also reached the weekend rounds, a tournament record that gave the home contingent more to celebrate than one outstanding result.

The 65th edition, played from October 22 to 25, carried a US$2 million prize fund. Catlin's winner's cheque represented 18 percent of that total. For the 35-year-old Californian, however, the invitations to two of golf's four major championships carried a more personal reward: a return to The Open and a first chance to compete at Augusta National.

How Catlin broke away from four leaders

Catlin started the final round at 14 under par alongside India's Anirban Lahiri, Belgium's Thomas Pieters and fellow American Caleb Surratt. Cheung was two strokes behind, still close enough to challenge if the leaders faltered.

A bogey at the par three fifth hole was Catlin's only dropped shot. In golf, a birdie means completing a hole in one stroke fewer than its expected score, or par; a bogey means taking one stroke more. Seven birdies and that single bogey left Catlin six under par for the day.

Five of his birdies came over the final nine holes. On the 14th, after finding thick grass, he recovered with a shot from 120 yards to the centre of the green and stayed on course for another birdie. His rivals could not match that sustained scoring.

Catlin, the tournament champion, said he concentrated on each shot rather than tracking the other contenders:

I just tried to focus on what I can control. I didn't know what anyone else was doing, and I didn't look at the leaderboard until I came down the 18th,

His closing 64 contrasted sharply with Lahiri's 74, a difference of 10 strokes between players who had started Sunday level. Lahiri finished tied for 17th, while Pieters and Surratt shared sixth place at 12 under with mainland China's Sampson Zheng.

A Masters ambition finally fulfilled

Catlin's victory was his seventh Asian Tour title and his first on the circuit since the Saudi Open in April 2024. He had won the tour's Order of Merit in 2024, its season ranking, but arrived in Hong Kong ranked 447th in the world.

Four previous appearances at the Hong Kong Open had ended without a win. This time, the title brought direct entry to the 155th Open at St Andrews in July 2027 through the Open Qualifying Series, along with an invitation to the 2027 Masters. The reward is a place in The Open itself, rather than entry into another qualifying event. The tournament's qualification rules awarded that place to the leading player not already exempt who made the cut, and the official Open Qualifying Series schedule lists Catlin as qualified at the Hong Kong event on October 25.

Catlin, who was in his 13th year as a professional, described the Masters as an ambition dating back to when he started playing golf at three:

From the time I can remember, I started playing golf when I was three years old, and my goal was always to play in the Masters. This is my thirteenth year as a professional golfer, and I hadn't had the chance to do so. You just never really know if its going to happen.

His first appearance at Augusta will give that long pursuit a concrete destination. Hong Kong also added his name to a national open trophy, an achievement he described as carrying extra prestige.

Cheung sets a new Hong Kong benchmark

Cheung, 31, had shared the lead after the second round. A round of 72 on Saturday, including three bogeys, pushed him back to 12 under and left him chasing the four leaders on Sunday.

His response was a round of 67, three under par. That brought his total to 265 and secured a share of second when Samooja bogeyed the final hole. The Finn had been one stroke ahead of Cheung before the 18th.

Cheung, a bronze medallist in the men's team event at the 2022 Asian Games, said his approach was to recover the freedom with which he had played earlier in the week:

I just told myself that I had to keep playing freely. That's when I played my best golf in the first two rounds, and I know I can do it,

His finish moved the local record from Boulet's joint fourth to joint second. It also followed Kho's joint sixth just two years earlier, giving Hong Kong two of its strongest results in the tournament within three editions.

The four days that shaped the result

The tournament changed direction twice: first when Cheung lost his share of the lead on Saturday, then when Catlin pulled away from the other leaders on Sunday. The decisive stages were:

• October 22: The opening round began the tournament at Fanling, with a US$2 million prize fund.
• October 23: Cheung ended the second round sharing the lead. Hong Kong amateur Markus Lam shot 67, and a record five local players survived the cut.
• October 24: Cheung's 72 left him two strokes behind Catlin, Lahiri, Pieters and Surratt, who shared the lead at 14 under.
• October 25: Catlin shot 64 to reach 20 under. Cheung's 67 and Samooja's bogey at the last left them tied for second at 15 under.

The cut is the point, usually after two rounds, when players below a scoring threshold leave the competition. Reaching the weekend gave five Hong Kong golfers the chance to compete across all four rounds rather than ending their tournament on Friday.

Five local players reach the weekend

Issac Lam, winner of the recent Fanling Classic, was among the Hong Kong players who made the cut and finished tied for 36th. Markus Lam's round of 67 on Friday also helped an amateur progress alongside the professionals.

Bryant Lu, president of Hong Kong Golf Club, connected those performances with more than a decade of cooperation between the club and the Hong Kong Golf Association on junior development. He said the club had given the association's junior squad free access to Fanling for training and competition.

Lu viewed Cheung's result and the record number of local players reaching the weekend as benefits of that sustained investment. His explanation gives the local achievement a practical foundation: young golfers have had regular access to the course for both practice and competitive play.

Cheung supplied the highest finish, while the five players making the cut showed a wider local presence in the tournament. Lu expressed confidence that Hong Kong's male and female golfers would continue to improve and produce stronger results in future editions.

Thailand places 12 players through the cut

Thailand's Jazz Janewattananond and New Zealand's Nick Voke shared fourth place at 13 under par, 267, two strokes behind the runners-up, as confirmed by the Asian Tour's official final result. Jazz earned US$91,000.

Jazz closed with a 66 after six birdies and bogeys at the eighth and 18th holes. His result led a Thai contingent of 12 players who made the cut, with several others finishing near the top of the leaderboard.

Suteepat Prateeptienchai shot 66 and Gunn Charoenkul returned 68 to finish tied for ninth at 11 under, alongside England's Lee Westwood and American Peter Uihlein. Atiruj Winaicharoenchai closed with 67 to share 17th at nine under, a group that also included South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen.

Pavit Tangkamolprasert had a harder Sunday, shooting 73 and finishing tied for 73rd at one over par. He nevertheless retained the lead in the Asian Tour standings heading into the final event in the Philippines two weeks later, keeping the season title contest alive beyond Hong Kong.

Contrasting finishes for Malaysia's golfers

Malaysia's Ervin Chang finished tied for 17th at nine under par after rounds of 66, 70, 68 and 67. His final round received an early lift from an eagle on the par five third, completed in three strokes rather than the expected five.

Chang, a gold medallist at the 2022 Southeast Asian Games, explained how he made that eagle:

The eagle on the third hole was a very good boost for me and a good momentum builder. I hit a really good drive and left myself with only an eight-iron to the green. I hit a good chip, and it just went in from about 15 yards,

The 28-year-old had consulted a physiotherapist after an injury at the preceding SJM Macao Open. He said he felt tired entering the final round and was pleased to complete another week of competition with a finish inside the top 20.

Compatriot Gavin Green finished 77th at three over par after a closing 75 that included three double bogeys, each costing two strokes against par. Green also reported elbow pain. His recent results had included a tie for third at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters and a missed cut in Macao, illustrating the uneven run he brought into Hong Kong.

What Fanling delivered, and what comes next

Hong Kong's Major Sports Events Committee designated the tournament an M Mark event, recognising its place among the territory's major sporting fixtures. The competition combined an international field with a record level of local participation in the weekend rounds.

Catlin left with the trophy, the largest cheque and two major championship places. Cheung left with a new benchmark for Hong Kong golfers. For the home crowd, the result joined an individual milestone with evidence that more local players could stay in contention long enough to play all four days.

The next scheduled stop in the Asian Tour season was the Philippines two weeks later, where Pavit would defend his lead in the standings. Catlin's longer calendar now includes Augusta in 2027 and St Andrews the following July.

Fanling's final leaderboard recorded a comfortable winning margin, but the week carried several distinct achievements: Catlin ended a wait for another Asian Tour title, Cheung surpassed the local finishing record, and five Hong Kong players reached the weekend together for the first time.

Key Points

• John Catlin won with a final round of 64 and a total of 20 under par, 260, five strokes clear.
• The victory brought US$360,000, his seventh Asian Tour title, a first Masters invitation and entry to the 2027 Open at St Andrews.
• Matthew Cheung and Kalle Samooja tied for second at 15 under par, 265.
• Jazz Janewattananond and Nick Voke tied for fourth at 13 under par, 267.
• Cheung achieved the best finish by a Hong Kong player in the tournament's history.
• A record five Hong Kong golfers made the cut, including Issac Lam and amateur Markus Lam.
• Twelve Thai golfers reached the weekend, while Ervin Chang led Malaysia's finishers in joint 17th.