Backside stumble seals Tabuenas’ exit in International Series Japan

MANILA, Philippines — Miguel Tabuena faced a brutal test on the back nine of the Caledonian Golf Club on Friday, limping home with a six-over-par 41 to close with a 76 and miss the cut by one at the International Series Japan.

After an impressive bogey-free opening 67 that put him among the top contenders, the Filipino ace looked solid at the halfway mark of Round 2, carding two birdies against a lone bogey for a 35 on the front side.

But the demanding conditions and layout of the par-71 course took a heavy toll on his game after the turn.

A costly mishap on the par-4 11th sparked a downward spiral. He dropped two strokes on No. 13 and compounded his woes with a double bogey on the 15th. From joint fifth place, Tabuena fell dramatically to a share of 55th, teetering on the brink of elimination.

With his back against the wall, Tabuena dug deep to salvage crucial pars over the next two holes, but a bogey on the par-5 closing hole — one he had previously birdied — left him with a 35-41 round and a one-over-par 143 total, missing the cut by one.

Several high-profile names also fell by the wayside of the $2-million championship, including Peter Uihlein (69-143), Jeev Milkha Singh (70-143), Danthai Boonma (72-144), Ryo Ishikawa (70-144), reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion John Catlin (69-144), Chase Koepka (76-145), and Taichi Kho (72-146).

At the top of the leaderboard, Australia’s Lucas Herbert saw his red-hot momentum cool slightly, following up his sizzling opening-round 62 with a 69.

Despite an eight-birdie effort, he stumbled with three bogeys and a double bogey on the 15th, settling for a 131 total — good for a one-stroke lead over South Korea’s Younghan Song (67-132).

Japanese Yuta Sugiura (67-134), along with 135 scorers Jose Toledo (69), Travis Smyth (67), Cameron Triangale (69) and Caleb Surratt (67) remained within striking distance as the tournament heads into the all-important moving day on Saturday.

Herbert, who ignited his campaign with a nine-under round that included seven birdies and an eagle-3 on No. 2, now finds himself at the heart of a packed leaderboard. With the chase group closing in and playing conditions remaining challenging, a thrilling battle is expected over the final 36 holes of the championship — one of the marquee events of the Asian Tour’s International Series.

Beyond the title and prize money, players are also jockeying for valuable points and visibility, with strong finishes potentially opening doors to next season’s LIV Golf League.

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