World No.861 Defeats John Catlin In Playoff To Secure First Asian Tour Title

World No.861 Michael 'MJ' Maguire claimed just the second professional title of his career on Sunday after defeating fellow American John Catlin in a playoff at the Asian Tour's Black Mountain Championship.

Maguire - whose best OWGR position is 521st - enjoyed an excellent final round in regulation at the International Series event, carding a seven-under 65 to force extra holes alongside Catlin on 23-under.

Victory could have been brought forward by half an hour or so if an action-packed final hole had played out differently. The St Petersburg, Florida-born player splashed a near-perfect bunker shot towards the flag on the par-5 18th which took a look at the hole but stopped a few inches past.

He tapped in for birdie and then was forced to peak through his fingers as Catlin stood over a mid-range birdie putt of his own. Yet, Catlin's effort somehow stayed above ground and it was over to a playoff in order to decide the champion.

The pair were unable to be separated after one run down the par-5 18th at Black Mountain Golf Club in Thailand, thanks to a gutsy putt off the green by Maguire, and it was the 2023 Q-School graduate who succeeded at the second attempt to spark wild scenes of celebration in the rain.

Although there was disappointment for Catlin after losing in an International Series event playoff for the second time this season, the 33-year-old still extended his advantage in both the Asian Tour's Order of Merit and the International Series Rankings thanks to another fantastic week.

Catlin - who won the International Series Macau but lost in a playoff at the International Series Morocco - now finds himself 1,659 points ahead of New Zealand's Ben Campbell in the Order of Merit and 284 points in front of the Kiwi in relation to the International Series Rankings ahead of the International Series Thailand next week.

Meanwhile, for Maguire, he has now rocketed himself up into contention for the season-long title in both. The 31-year-old is fourth in the Order of Merit and fifth in the International Series Rankings.

Elsewhere in the competition, golf influencer and content creator Luke Kwon endured a relatively disappointing end to his week at Black Mountain Golf Club.

The YouTube star performed admirably to make the cut by two strokes but was unable to sustain his level of play on Sunday, carding a two-over par 74 on his way to ending the event at six-under.

Kwon was one of two influencers in the field this week alongside Taewook Koh - a.k.a. Taco Golf - who finished T144th following rounds of 72 and 80. At next week's International Series Thailand, Canada's Mac Boucher will compete as one of 16 tournament invitations at Thai Country Club.