Even with less catalyst, the coupling coat globuled in the same fashion at a later stage of putting it all down. Regardless, I got the CSM to conform well to the 'pattern area', and most of the globules are also on the flange.

Next time don't worry about trying to get the matt down in large pieces around difficult areas, just rip the matt into manageable pieces and lay them with  a "dabbing" action rather than a brushing action, it won't effect the integrity of the finished mould any. If you are using cheap brushes( nothing wrong with that) then it helps to cut 20mm or so off the length of the bristles to make them a bit stiffer  Around tight internal corners etc I often completely shred bits of matt and lay that in there first just to make sure there is no bridging. Another thing I do with the Tooling Coat is to go over internal and external corners with a 1/2" brush and build up a thicker layer of Gelcoat. That way you have plenty of Gelcoat to sand/polish if required without breaking through.