By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Miguel Tabuena and Angelo Que spearhead a promising local cast who will go up against some of the world’s best golfers when the International Series Philippines fires off on Thursday, Oct. 23, at the Sta. Elena Golf Club in Laguna.
Tabuena, a three-time Asian Tour champion, tees off at 11:40 a.m. in a stellar flight that has big-time players, former world No. 1 Dustin Johnson and 2010 Open champion Louis Oosthuizen.
Familiarity with the course could be an advantage for Tabuena as he knows the course like the back of his hand having grown up playing at Sta. Elena.
The 31-year-old Tabuena, however, admitted it only plays a small role.
“I guess course knowledge isn’t such a big factor this week, but I’m gonna give it my best shot to have that Philippine flag on top of the leaderboard,” Tabuena said.
“To have it on my home soil is a dream come true. I know what it takes to win and hopefully, we can execute the game plan properly this week to give it the best shot,” he added.
The International Series makes its debut in the country with the tournament with organizers aiming to elevate the game of golf in a country they believed to have a rich history in the sport.
The landmark event presented by BingoPlus, which dangles a $2 million cash purse, serves as the sixth event in this year’s schedule after stops in India, Macau, Japan, Morocco and Indonesia.
Que, who won 19 professional titles, including three in the Asian Tour, is also up for the challenge as he tees off at 7:40 a.m. with American Christian Banke and Mexican Santiago De la Fuente. The 46-year-old veteran hopes to carry the momentum of his fifth-place finish at last week’s ADT Players Championship at Luisita Golf and Country Club in Tarlac.
“I felt like I’m hitting the ball solidly last week. If I could bring that over here and hold more putts, I think I can sort of contend with them,” he said.
Other locals competing are Sean Ramos, Aidric Chan, Enrico Gallardo, Keanu Jahns, Carl Jano Corpus, Rupert Zaragosa, Justin Quiban, Clyde Mondilla and amateur Perry Bucay.
Johnson, who headlines the elite foreign cast, is also looking forward to the week.
“The field is really good — a lot of great players, major winners, quality golfers. It’s my first time here. This will actually be my first look at the course today, but I’ve got a good caddie, so hopefully he’ll go out and scout the course, tell me where to hit it. Then as long as my game’s in good form, I’ll be able to hit it very tough,” said Johnson, also a 4Aces GC captain on LIV Golf.
Other notable players competing are major winner Charl Schwartzel, Marc Leishman, three-time PGA Tour winner Anthony Kim, and two-time Senior Major winner Richard Bland, to name a few.
