John Catlin held off David Puig to win the International Series Macau with a birdie at the end of a tense playoff on Sunday and seal his comeback from "a rough last two years".

On a day of low scoring, American Catlin missed a five-foot birdie putt at the 18th hole in regulation that would have given him a six-under par round of 64 and the title by one stroke.

Instead his 65 left him in a tie at 23-under at the top of the leaderboard with the LIV golfer Puig, who had a blistering 10-under final round of 60 containing nine birdies and an eagle.

"We made that a little more interesting than we needed to, didn't we," Catlin said to caddie Barry Cornwall after his birdie at the second playoff hole secured the $360,000 first prize and a fifth Asian Tour win, but first since 2019.

"Still hasn't quite sunk in and that was one heck of a battle," the 33-year-old Catlin told reporters.

"If you had told me I would finish minus 23 on the tournament and I still have to be in a playoff, I'd be like: You're kidding."

The 22-year-old Spaniard Puig began the day five shots behind history-maker Catlin, who shot to the top of the leaderboard on Saturday with the Asian Tour's first-ever 59.

The pair went back down the par-five 18th for the playoff, where Puig agonisingly saw a bunker shot for eagle cannon away off the flagstick.

Second time around Catlin cosied his third shot close and Puig missed a five-footer.

Catlin tapped home the winning putt and celebrated his first Asian Tour victory since the Thailand Open in 2019. (AFP)