SME-Written by Samir Boussad
American John Catlin topped the competitions of the first day of the Saudi Open Golf Championship presented by the Public Investment Fund, while Saudi player Khaled Al-Attiyah achieved the best local result that placed him at the forefront of Saudi players in the competitions that continue until Saturday, April 20, at the Riyadh Golf Club.
Catlin gave the best performance that put him at the forefront of the participants, as he finished with a score of 66, confirming his control and continuing to provide the technical levels he presented in the Macau International Championship last March.
Catlin is a five-time winner on the Asian Tour and is tied with Wade Ormsby, Justin Cuban, Tatsunori Shugenji and Scott Hynd, all after his performances on day one.
Catlin played in the Saudi International Championship presented by the Public Investment Fund at the Royal Green Golf Club in King Abdullah Economic City three years ago, but this visit is considered his first to the capital, Riyadh, where he praised the competitions held at the Riyadh Golf Club course.
Catlin said: “It is the second time I am in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and when I played in the Saudi International Championship it was a first-class event. Now everything is going well in terms of competitions and I am here to play to enjoy the atmosphere and participate with distinguished players in this strong tournament.” .
Regarding today’s competition, he said: “I played hard, but the wind was a difficult challenge for me, so I had to think carefully about how to play to control the ball. I faced some challenges, but I am looking forward to performing better on the second day.”
In a related context, the Saudi player Khal Al-Attiyah, who achieved a distinguished result in the Sultanate of Oman earlier this year when he became the first Saudi amateur in the international series, maintained his strong level in this tournament, as he expressed his happiness with continuing to progress, and his round of 72 was the best among Saudi golfers. Tournament participants.
Al-Attiyah said about his participation: “I feel happy as I played well, even though the wind made it difficult. But my performance was at good levels, and this level confirms that I am not far from competing with the best players on the Asian Tour.”
He added: “It is essential that Saudi players are given the opportunity to play in strong events like these, because we are all developing rapidly and I thank Saudi Golf and the Saudi Golf Federation for their support and the opportunity to play on the Asian Tour again.”
Last year’s runner-up, Henrik Stenson, finished in good standing with a score of two under par, while last year’s champion, Thailand’s Dinwent Poribunsop, comes after him by one stroke over par.
The shot of the championship was presented by the Public Investment Fund to the Thai player Itthipat Pornataniart, who started on the tenth hole and scored birdies on the third, fourth, fifth and sixth holes, and finished with five under par and tenth place.
