Anirban Lahiri’s wait for a worldwide win continued after a costly weekend at the Hong Kong Open. The Indian golfer was penalized one stroke on Saturday for accidentally moving his ball before a chip on the 18th hole at Hong Kong Golf Club. The penalty left him one shot behind the leaders heading into the final round, with places at the Masters and The Open at stake. He then carded a 74 on Sunday to finish tied 17th. Meanwhile, LIV Golf’s John Catlin won by five shots to secure both major championship spots for 2027.

According to GolfMonthly, Golf writer Joy Chakravarty first reported the incident. Lahiri had carded a 66 to share the third-round lead with Catlin, Thomas Pieters and Caleb Surratt on 14 under. The penalty left him starting the final round one behind, on 13 under. The penalty hurt Lahiri, but a double bogey on the opening hole and a poor final round made his comeback even harder. He opened with a double-bogey six on the first hole, made one birdie at the par-three fifth, and then dropped three bogeys in four holes around the turn. He finished tied for 17th at nine under.

The stakes were personal. He was chasing his first worldwide win since 2015. After Saturday’s round, he said it looked like it would be a shootout. The penalty cost him one stroke. How much it cost him beyond that is impossible to say.

Catlin started the final round level with Lahiri but soon pulled away. Reuters reported that he made seven birdies to finish five shots ahead of his nearest challengers. According to AFP, his only bogey came on the par-three fifth. His final-round 64 took him to 20 under par.

Matthew Cheung and Kalle Samooja shared second place at 15 under. Cheung also made history with the best finish by a Hong Kong player in the tournament’s 65-year history.

Catlin admitted that he had struggled at this event in previous years. “It was an event that I felt like I could do well at that I hadn’t really done well in the previous years, so to come out and play some really, really solid golf and get the job done is very, very special,” he told the Asian Tour.

The trophy also holds special meaning for him. “Anytime you can be on a trophy with some of the greatest players to ever play the game, I just feel very humbled and very grateful,” he said.

The list of past winners includes some of golf’s biggest names. According to the Asian Tour, Peter Thomson, Greg Norman, Bernhard Langer, Tom Watson, Rory McIlroy, Ian Poulter and Justin Rose have all won the event.

This was Catlin’s seventh Asian Tour title and his sixth national open victory. He has also won the Austrian, English, Irish, Saudi and Thailand Opens. He explained why these titles mean so much to him. “Any time you can win a national open, I think it just adds a little bit of extra prestige,” he said.

The victory was Catlin’s first Asian Tour title since April 2024. The 35-year-old also won the 2024 Order of Merit. He is set to make his Masters debut in April 2027 and return for his fifth appearance at The Open. His best finish at the major is a tie for 16th. The Asian Tour says this latest win also gives him a chance to compete for this year’s Order of Merit title.

Both Catlin and Lahiri have links to LIV Golf, which is facing an uncertain future. Golf Digest lists Lahiri among the players whose LIV contracts were rejected or terminated during the league’s bankruptcy proceedings. Golf Monthly has described Catlin as a LIV reserve.

Catlin can now look forward to his Masters debut in April 2027, followed by another appearance at The Open. Lahiri, meanwhile, leaves Hong Kong still searching for his first worldwide victory since 2015.