John Catlin battles to one-stroke cushion ahead of tense English Open finale
The American veteran survives a shaky third-round start at The Vale Golf Club to put himself in prime position for another global title.
Paju, Korea - American standout John Catlin carded a gritty three-under-par 69 to claim a narrow one-stroke lead heading into the final round of the English Open supported by HotelPlanner.
The 35-year-old shook off an opening bogey in Worcestershire, orchestrating a blistering mid-round surge with four consecutive birdies from the eighth hole to reach 13-under par overall and edge past a highly decorated chasing pack.
“I didn’t have the greatest of starts, but I got really hot around the turn and the putter was hot,” said Catlin, who is chasing his first victory in Europe since 2021. “It wasn’t my best, but I hung in there well and I’ve got the lead heading into tomorrow.”
A multi-time winner across both the DP World Tour and the Asian Tour, the experienced frontrunner will need every ounce of that competitive pedigree to hold off Norway’s Kristian Krogh Johannessen and Belgium’s Matthis Besard, who sit just one shot back after firing clinical closing rounds of 65 and 68 respectively.
With the formidable international field breathing down his neck, Catlin will rely heavily on his seasoned course management to execute the game plan when he tees off in Sunday’s highly anticipated final group.