As the competition at Black Mountain Golf Club heats up, Gaganjeet Bhullar and John Catlin are poised for what promises to be a nail-biting final round of the Black Mountain Championship.
Bhullar, who has been grappling with form this season, hit his stride today, shooting an impressive six-under-par 66 to take the lead.
His total stands at 19-under, with a two-shot edge over the player of the year so far, American John Catlin, who managed a 65 despite the challenging conditions.
Persistent grey skies and rain made the conditions at Hua Hin’s Black Mountain Golf Club tough, but didn’t dampen the competitive spirit of the players.
Bhullar’s Season Turns a Corner
Gaganjeet Bhullar, at 36, is a veteran with 11 Asian Tour wins under his belt—more than any other Indian. However, this season has been tough with a sore hip plaguing him, leading to a best finish of joint 33rd and missing three cuts recently, placing him 123rd on the Asian Tour Order of Merit.
“It was a good round of golf to be honest,” Bhullar shared, maintaining his initial optimism. “I think the best part was that it was a bogey-free round.
I probably hit about 17 greens in regulation, so that gave me a good opportunity to make lots and lots of birdies.
I putted quite well today, I would say as good as yesterday and drove the ball well, just missed two fairways today. But other than that, I think it was a solid round.”
He holds the course record here, a nine-under back in 2009, and his performance has only seen two dropped shots all week.
Despite today’s poor weather, which was mercifully just rain without lightning, he continues to dominate.
“Normally it’s a thunderstorm and we don’t play, but yeah, it was quite challenging.
Actually, in the last few holes I had to change my strategy off the tee, because I was just not comfortable hitting driver on all the holes. On number 16 I had to hit a three wood, and on the 17th I had to hit a four iron.”
Catlin’s Quest for a Hat-trick
John Catlin is looking to add a third title to his impressive season, having already won the International Series Macau and the Saudi Open.
Despite falling short in Morocco, stopped by New Zealand’s Campbell in a sudden-death playoff, Catlin has remained a consistent top finisher.
“It was a grind, you know, it’s hard to keep everything dry. It was on and off all day, it was rain and then it kind of stopped, and then it would come back.
And then it would get heavy, I felt like I was constantly having to adjust my numbers and what shots I was playing, so yeah, to come out with 65 is definitely nice,” Catlin explained.
Revelling in the familiarity of Hua Hin, which has been his second home for nearly a decade, Catlin’s local knowledge could be his edge.
“Yeah, it’s great being here, anytime I can play a tournament in Hua Hin it’s awesome. This has been kind of a second home, and I’ve basically had a place here for eight years.
I’ve played this golf course more times than I can count, so all of that is definitely helping me play well.”
Others in the Chase
Michael Maguire and Lee Chieh-po are also contenders, with Maguire commenting on the tricky conditions.
“Tricky conditions out there with the rain,” he noted, maintaining a hopeful outlook for improvement.
“I think we only had two holes where it wasn’t raining, so just trying to manage keeping everything dry, and trying to just figure out how far the ball is flying.
Because yesterday it was hot in the afternoon, the ball was going miles, and today, with the rain, it kind of cooled down a little bit. So, yeah, happy with the way I played.”
Suteepat and Italian Stefano Mazzoli are still within striking distance but will need strong final rounds to challenge the leaders.
Sunday’s final promises to be a spectacular display of talent and tenacity, with Bhullar looking to notch his 12th win and Catlin eyeing a season hat-trick.
As the drama unfolds, golf fans are guaranteed a gripping conclusion to the Black Mountain Golf Club International Series.
