Staff WriterPatrick Reed wasted no time reminding us why he’s such a force in the Greater Bay Area, opening the International Series Macau presented by Wynn with a resounding seven-under-par 63—yet another display of the kind of magic that won him the Link Hong Kong Open four months ago.
His affinity for these parts is undeniable, and once again he proved he can tame a course that leaves most pros scratching their heads.
The American rattled off seven birdies without a single blemish on his scorecard, continuing the sensational form that saw him fire a 59 during his Hong Kong triumph.
A confident birdie on the fourth hole set the tone, followed by three on the bounce from the sixth.
He picked up another shot on the 13th and came within a whisker of closing the day with an eagle, leaving his 20-foot attempt just shy of the cup.
After his sizzling first round, he said, “These greens got kind of really fast, and with some of those pin locations there on the back nine, you had to put the ball in the right spot, because it’s hard to putt from above the hole.
And I was able to do a nice job on that. Hit a couple close and, you know, kind of had a stress-free seven-under par today.”
Hot on his heels is Miguel Tabuena, who took an unorthodox route to his five-under 65—starting with a bleary-eyed 3.45 am wake-up call and an unexpected hiccup on the very first hole.
“Woke up at 3.45, got in the gym at 4.10. Did some stretching; did some activation stuff, yeah, but it’s routine.
The game feels really good except for my three-putt on the first hole, which was number 10. Missed it from a foot. So that was pretty funny. I just laughed it out.”
The Filipino regrouped in style, finding four birdies on the front nine (holes 10-18) to turn in two under, before heating up on the second loop with birdies on three, four, seven, and eight.
“My game’s in a good spot, but it’s still very early in the tournament. There’s three more days, and hopefully I can continue this form,” he said. “It is about playing the par fives well here.
If you score on the par fires, I think you’ll do well. And you must understand where the wind is blowing, because it’s really bouncing around the mountains here, especially in the morning. I took advantage because it was pretty calm this morning.”
Tabuena is chasing his first Asian Tour victory since The DGC Open presented by Mastercard in 2023.
He has threatened the top of the leaderboard several times lately—earning seven top-five finishes—so it wouldn’t be a stretch to see him hoisting the trophy soon.
Meanwhile, American Peter Uihlein returned to the scene looking as dangerous as ever.
The two-time International Series winner from last season (England and Qatar) put on a show at the last hole, ripping a six-iron from over 200 yards to within inches of the cup for a tap-in eagle, matched by Kalle Samooja.
“Played super well, despite coming off a slight strain on my hand since last week. It helped by resting it,” said Uihlein. “I am just very relaxed out here, trying to enjoy it and we’ll see where that takes us.”
Not too far behind, Spain’s Sergio Garcia, fresh from his LIV Golf Hong Kong victory, cruised to a 65, leaving him in a cluster of players all within striking distance.
Defending champion John Catlin scrambled his way back from an early mishap—he was four over through five—to card a 72, while Asian Tour Order of Merit leader Ollie Schniederjans was forced to withdraw because of a muscle strain.
The International Series Macau presented by Wynn runs from March 20-23 at the Macau Golf and Country Club.
Spectators can enjoy free entry on all four days, with ticket registration available at: www.tixr.com/groups/internationalseriesmacau/
For more information on The International Series, please visit:
www.internationalseries.com
