Beau Champ, Mauritius, November 14: American John Catlin will be chasing for more glory when he makes his debut appearance at the prestigious AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open in a fortnight.

Catlin, a former Asian Development Tour (ADT) standout, showed true grit on the Asian Tour when he became the first player to win three times on the region’s premier Tour this season. He is the 10th player to have achieved the remarkable feat in Tour history.

Placed seventh on the Habitat for Humanity Standings, Catlin will spearhead the Asian Tour cast alongside countryman David Lipsky, South African Justin Harding and Merit leader Shubhankar Sharma of India at the picturesque Four Seasons Golf Club Mauritius at Anahita.

Sweden’s Malcolm Kokocinski, Adilson Da Silva of Brazil, India’s Viraj Madappa and Khalin Joshi, who had all won for the first time on the Asian Tour this season, are also set to feature in the €1 million (approx. US$1.23 million) event which gets underway from November 28 to December 2.

After making a career breakthrough at the Asia-Pacific Classic in China in May, Catlin went on to win the Sarawak Championship in Malaysia two months later. He emerged victorious again at the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship in Chinese Taipei in October.

He is looking to build on his success and focusing on putting together another winning performance at the AfraAsia Bank Mauritius Open.

“I am a firm believer that once you have accomplished one goal, it is time to move on to the next one. My next goal is to win on the European Tour and this tournament in Mauritius will provide me with an opportunity to do just that,” explained Catlin.

John Catlin of the United States

The 27-year-old Catlin signalled his arrival in Asia when he made the mark in his first attempt at the Asian Tour Qualifying School in 2015. After failing to keep his card for two consecutive seasons, Catlin worked his way back through the region’s secondary circuit where he finished third on the 2017 ADT Order of Merit to secure his playing rights on the premier Tour this season.

“The tournament has always looked so beautiful. The venue looks very challenging but fair on television. I’m looking forward to seeing it for myself and constructing my game plan. I’m sure there will be challenges and I am confident that I can figure it out.

“I always go out and give it my all from the very beginning to the very end. Every tournament means a lot to me and it is my biggest objective every week,” enthused Catlin.

Catlin will be part of an elite 156-man field, including defending champion Dylan Frittelli of South Africa and 2016 winner Jeunghun Wang of Korea, vying for top honours at the world-famous holiday isle.

The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, which was inaugurated in 2015, is the first tournament in international golf to be tri-sanctioned by the Asian Tour, European Tour and the Sunshine Tour.