David Puig sinks in the third day in Macao

American golfer John Catlin has emerged as the new leader of the Macao International Series, part of the Asian Circuit, following an impressive performance on Saturday. Catlin carded a 59 (-11 under par), bringing his total accumulated score to 192 (-18) after the third round.

David Puig, results

During his round, Catlin had nine bogeys and an eagle, giving him a two-stroke lead over his compatriot Jason Kokrak heading into the final day. Kokrak, seeking his eighth worldwide victory and his first in the International Series, sits in second place.

Meanwhile, Spanish golfer David Puig, who co-led the tournament after the second round, dropped to 13th position after carding a 68 on Saturday. As for the other Spanish players, Sergio García signed for a 66 (-4) and Carlos Pigem for a 68 (-2).

Macao is one of the special administrative regions of China, alongside Hong Kong. Situated on the western side of the Pearl River Delta, it borders Hong Kong to the east, Guangdong Province to the north and west, and faces the South China Sea to the south.

The territory’s economy is heavily reliant on gambling and tourism but also includes manufacturing activities. As a former Portuguese colony, Macao remained under Portuguese rule from the mid-16th century until 1999, making it the last European colony in Asia.

Portuguese traders settled in Macao as early as 1550, and in 1557, Macao became part of Portugal as a trading port with the Chinese Empire. However, Portuguese administration of the city remained under Chinese authority and sovereignty until 1887, when Macao became a colony of the Portuguese Empire.

The Chinese state resumed sovereignty over Macao in December 1999. The Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration and the “Basic Law of Macao” nonetheless establish a high degree of autonomy for the region for at least fifty years after the sovereignty transfer, as also stipulated for Hong Kong.

Under the “one country, two systems” policy, the central people’s government of China is responsible for defense and foreign affairs, while Macao maintains its own legal system, police force, monetary system, customs policy, and immigration policy.

According to the World Factbook, Macao has the second-highest life expectancy among all countries in the world. Macao is also one of the regions in Asia with the highest human development index.