8 Notable Names Playing In The SJM Macao Open

We’re at a stage in the Asian Tour calendar where much of the attention turns to its elevated events in the International Series.

There’s are some good reasons for that, including the lure of a LIV Golf contract for the player who finishes top of the season-long standings, increased prize money and some high-profile competitors.

October began with the season’s fifth International Series tournament, the Jakarta International Championship, while the sixth, the International Series Philippines, also takes place before the month is out, with another of the big events, the Link Hong Kong Open, beginning on October 30^th.

However, sandwiched between those is a regular Asian Tour event, the SJM Macao Open, which gets underway on October 16^th at Macau Golf and Country Club.

As a result, it doesn’t have quite the prestige of the big events that surround it, while the overall purse is half of a typical International Series event, at $1m.

What the 2025 edition may lack in glamor, it makes up for in some of those taking part. Here are some of the most notable names teeing it up at the SJM Macao Open.

Lee Westwood

Lee Westwood may have found most of his success on the DP World Tour, amassing 25 wins, but he’s no stranger to the Asian Tour either.

The former World No.1 has eight wins on the circuit, and his very first came at the Macao Open, when he beat Andrew Pitts in a playoff back in 1999.

The next seven all came between 2011 and 2015, and the LIV Golfer will be hoping to end that drought back at the tournament where it all started.

The Majesticks GC co-captain has struggled at times during his LIV Golf career, but there were flashes of his best towards the end of the 2025 season, including T17 in Indianapolis after he had been in contention to win heading into the final round.

He also placed T34 at The Open at Royal Portrush, including tying the lowest back nine in the Major’s history in a third round of 69.

Could the Macao Open mark his first victory worldwide since the 2020 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship?

Sam Westwood

Lee’s son, Sam, is also competing at the event. Sam Westwood made his pro debut three years ago at the Indonesian Masters, where Lee also played. However, while his famous dad placed ninth, Sam missed the cut after rounds of 81 and 76.

The following year, the two competed in the International Series England.

Ahead of the event, Lee said: “He started playing the game very late. He only took up the game seriously at age 16 and he is 21 now. I don’t really have any expectations for him this week. I just want him to enjoy himself.”

Once again, Sam missed the cut after rounds of 76 and 79. Since then, he has played on developmental circuits, the Clutch Pro Tour and the Tartan Pro Tour, but he gets another opportunity in the spotlight here.

Sungjae Im

South Korean Im has an enviable professional record. As well as being named the PGA Tour’s Rookie of the Year for the 2018-19 season, he has two wins on the circuit among seven professional victories.

Im’s resume also includes four top-10 placings in Majors and three Presidents Cup appearances, but one thing lacking is a victory on the Asian Tour.

He gets the chance to put that right a week after finishing T20 at the PGA Tour’s latest FedEx Cup Fall event, the Baycurrent Classic in Japan.

The tournament marks Im’s first start on the Asian Tour for eight years.

Haotong Li

Like Im, Chinese star Haotong Li is also looking for his first Asian Tour title, but he surely arrives at the tournament convinced it’s as good a time as any to get it.

Li already has one victory in 2025, which came at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters to give him his fourth DP World Tour title. Five months later, he showed what he could do on one of the biggest stages of all, finishing T4 in July’s Open for his second top five at the Major.

Li has only made sporadic appearances on the Asian Tour in recent years, one of which was a missed cut at the Macao Open two years ago, and he’ll be looking to avenge that disappointment here.

John Catlin

After impressing as a LIV Golf reserve in 2024, American Catlin was close to earning a full-time LIV Golf contract via the International Series, leading the way with just two tournaments to play before slipping to fourth.

He remained a reserve in the 2025 season, but played just three times with a best placing of T39 in Korea.

Catlin has also played on the DP World Tour and Asian Tour this season. His best finish on the former came with a T8 at the Austrian Alpine Open, while he achieved seventh at the co-sanctioned Asian Tour-PGA Tour of Australasia event the New Zealand Open.

Overall, Catlin has eight Asian Tour wins, with his most recent coming at the 2024 Saudi Open, and he’ll be hoping to make that nine here.

Wenyi Ding

Chinese star Wenyi Ding turned pro a year ago after a glittering amateur career, earning an exemption to the 2025 DP World Tour via the Global Amateur Pathway Ranking.

Highlights of his first season as a professional include a T8 at the Volvo China Open.

Despite missing the cut in his most recent appearance, the Open de Espana, Ding is still in position to make it to the first of the DP World Tour Playoffs, the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, sitting 65^th in the Race to Dubai rankings.

Attention turns to the Asian Tour this week, where Ding will play for the first time since a creditable T13 at the 2024 Indonesian Masters.

Chase Koepka

Brooks Koepka’s brother Chase played for LIV Golf from its inception in 2022 to his relegation in 2023.

While he never matched the heights of his famous sibling on the circuit, who has five LIV Golf wins, highlights included ninth in Chicago in 2022 and making a hole-in-one at LIV Golf Adelaide in 2023.

After his LIV Golf career ended, Koepka had a spell away from the game before returning in 2025 on the Asian Tour, while he also played at the Korn Ferry’s Tour’s Pinnacle Bank Championship after making it through Monday qualifying.

He missed the cut that week, but the highlight of his season so far came earlier in the year with a T8 at the International Series India.

Sihwan Kim

Like Koepka, American Kim played for LIV Golf in its opening two seasons. However, after finishing in the top 24 in its inaugural season, a slump in form led to his relegation a year later.

That meant a return to the Asian Tour, where Kim had already won twice, at the 2022 International Series Thailand and the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Stableford Challenge.

Those remain the only two professional wins of his career so far, and he’ll be looking to end that drought this week.