Ortiz, Reed, Kokrak earn The Open spots at Int'l Series Macau

Macau, China – Torque GC's Carlos Ortiz held off 4Aces GC's Patrick Reed to claim the International Series Macau presented by Wynn after a closely fought battle between the LIV Golf stars at Macau Golf and Country Club.

Ortiz won the International Series Oman last year and made it win No. 2 on The International Series and Asian Tour after closing with a 6-under 64 to finish three ahead of Reed a 22 under for the week.

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Reed, looking to add this week’s title to his win at the Link Hong Kong Open last November, fired a 67, as did fellow LIV Golf star Jason Kokrak of Smash GC, who finished three back in third place.

All three booked their spots for The Open at Royal Portrush this summer. This week’s event was part of the Open Qualifying Series, with the top three, not already exempt, making it through to the final major of the year.

Fireballs GC Captain Sergio Garcia finished one stroke behind in fourth after a stellar 5-under 65. Garcia missed a 3-foot birdie attempt on the last which would have seen him tie Kokrak and secure the third qualifying spot in The Open based on his higher world ranking.

Ortiz started the day sharing the lead with playing partner Reed but moved in front with birdies on hole Nos. 1, 3 and 8. He was two ahead at the turn before playing the pivotal par-5 12th. Ortiz struck a brilliant fairway wood to 5 feet and made the eagle putt, jumping him two ahead of Reed and three ahead of Kokrak, who both birdied the 12th.

A clutch 8-footer for par on the par-3 14th also proved crucial for Ortiz. He then missed a 5-footer for birdie on the next hole which would have put him three ahead. But he was able to stay two ahead before a birdie on the 18th put more daylight between him and Reed.

“It was a good week,” Ortiz said. “I think I did a good job of putting the ball in play and that's important on this golf course. I think I drove it really well. I took advantage of the par 5s and some of the short par 4s. I think that's important on this golf course. ... I think most of the trouble is from the tee, so once you put the driver in play, it opens up from there. So, I think I did a good job from there. I didn't take full advantage of all those great drives, but I mean I took advantage enough. I am overjoyed to be heading to The Open.”

It's the 10th win of Ortiz’s career. He has also claimed one title apiece on the LIV Golf League and the PGA Tour. The 33-year-old moves to the top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit and The International Series rankings.

“I was trying to get it on the green and it looked good in the air," Ortiz said. "Getting it that close it’s obviously a little bit of luck, but I hit a great shot so it's nice to be able to capitalize on that.”

He has played in The Open once before in 2021 while it will be the 10th time for Reed and the fifth for Kokrak.

“A little frustrating," Reed said. "I didn’t make many putts. Had the case of lip outs for two days. So that's unfortunate. When you do something like that, it's just hard to win golf tournaments. Put myself in position. I hit the ball plenty well enough. I hit 16 greens today, had a decent amount of looks, just lipping out and burning edges.

“Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get the win. But anytime you can play bogey-free on Sundays, it's always positive. To go and finish solo second, get at spot in The Open, it means a lot.”

Canada’s Richard T. Lee closed with a 65 to take fifth outright, while Cleeks GC's Adrian Meronk and Taichi Kho from Hong Kong shared sixth place after rounds of 64 and 65, respectively.

Defending champion John Catlin, a LIV Golf reserve player, shot 68 to finish in a tie for 26th.

The Asian Tour heads to the GS Caltex Maekyung Open next at Namseoul Country Club in Seoul, Korea. The tournament will be played from May 1-4, and is followed the week after by the inaugural International Series Japan – being played at Caledonian Golf Club.

(Photos courtesy of Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour)