“If I'm not winning it drives me nuts”

Elliott Heath meets American John Catlin, a man who’s come from seemingly nowhere to be a two-time champion on the European Tour...

- Elliott Heath

Let’s be honest, not many of us knew too much about John Catlin at the start of 2020. The Californian, who has lived in Thailand for the past four years, has seven wins out in the Far East, but his status on the European Tour was rather limited until recently – he was relying on invites after a finish of 155th in his debut Race to Dubai season in 2019. Fastforward a year and the 29-year-old is a two-time European Tour winner edging closer to his ultimate goal of reaching the world’s top 50.

He’s produced some stunning performances on the Asian Tour, with his biggest win coming at the 2019 Thailand Open after three victories and player-of-the-year honours in 2018. This all followed a successful college career at the University of New Mexico, where he competed against the likes of Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Xander Schauffele. However, 2020 will be known as the year when he made his big breakthrough.

Catlin edged out Martin Kaymer in tough conditions to win his maiden European Tour title at Valderrama and then produced a clutch birdie on the 72nd hole to triumph at the Irish Open just three weeks later. We recently caught up with the American to hear his journey so far and what lies ahead...

How would you sum up 2020?

It was a pretty crazy year to be honest. I went from not knowing my schedule to winning my first European Tour event, winning two in quick succession and playing in my first two Rolex Series events, so it’s been a pretty big rollercoaster year for sure.

How did you get in to golf?