Surprise Ending Near Casablanca

“It's still the same old story

A fight for love and glory

A case of do-or-die

The world will always welcome lovers

As time goes by”

I don’t know why I tuned into the Asian Tour’s International Series Morocco this weekend. Maybe it’s because Morocco serves as a bridge between North Africa and Europe, and ever since I read Night Boat to Tangier – a dark comedy about aging Irish gangsters in a Spanish ferry terminal – I’ve wanted to visit. Maybe it was because Zimbabwean Scott Vincent waited at Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport for his clubs to arrive, had to borrow a set, was assessed a two-stroke penalty on his way to the tee, and still posted an opening-round 68. Maybe it was because there was a time when, if you were a writer, musician, artist, outlaw, or vagabond, Morocco was a required destination. Or maybe it’s the iconic images of Bogart at Rick’s Place, and the romance of the film Casablanca. Whatever it was, I watched the leaderboard intently as the tournament concluded Sunday.

New Zealand’s Ben Campbell, ranked 170th in the world, displayed extraordinary golf prowess over the closing holes at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam’s Red Course, eagling the 71st hole, birdieing the 72nd, and beating 33-year-old John Catlin on the first playoff hole. The two players finished regulation play at 15-under par, three ahead of rising LIV Golf stars Caleb Surrat and Eugenio Chacarra. 

Campbell, 32, has endured chronic back pain throughout his professional career and required surgery in 2019 and 2022. In 2023, Campbell returned to competition and later in the Asian Tour season, won his first event at the Hong Kong Open. He entered the final round in Morocco having not made a bogey in his last 108 competitive holes, but opened with back-to-back bogeys in the final round. Catlin was attempting to close out the seventh Asian Tour title of his career and his third of the season, which would practically lock up a promotion to LIV Golf next year.

You’d think that a golfer with three DP World Tour wins and six Asian Tour wins would be a more familiar name among golf fans, but for all his impressive play, Catlin never found a home on the PGA Tour. With only 13 PGA Tour starts, Catlin, ranked 158th in the world, spent most of his career traversing the globe, competing outside the mainstream professional golf spotlight. A win Sunday might have solidified his place at the top of the Asian Tour money list, and with two to play, he held a three stroke advantage.

The 287 yard par-4 17th hole offered an Audi to any pro making a hole-in-one. Catlin came close in the third round, but failed to convert a short eagle putt. Campbell drove the green in the final round and dramatically holed the 35-footer to get within striking distance. Catlin couldn’t take advantage of the short hole and made par. When Campbell poured a 10-footer in for birdie at the last, he had tied the score and applied the pressure. Catlin’s birdie putt for the win was slightly shorter, and when it missed, the two were headed to sudden death. 

Campbell and Catlin returned to the par-5 18th hole. After two shots, Campbell had a long greenside bunker shot and Catlin's third shot narrowly missed the green. An uninspiring bunker shot left Campbell a 20-footer for birdie, and Catlin’s birdie chip came up a foot short. The stage was set for Campbell’s hot putter. 

The ball rolled off Campbell’s putter on a perfect line, climbed a hill, barely reached the front lip, and fell in the center. Campbell delivered a triumphant fist pump to cap off a heroic conclusion. With the eagle-birdie-birdie finish, Campbell earned $360,000 and vaulted up to third on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit. While Catlin fell short, he extended his advantage at the top of the season-long points race.

At the end of Casablanca, Bogart’s Rick Blaine walks away into the night with loveable and crooked French police Captain Louis Renault. “Louie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” says Bogart.

The playoff may not be the beginning of a beautiful friendship, but the two Asian Tour competitors delivered an exciting finish – a captivating ending worthy of Morocco.

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