Tabuena 5 shots adrift after rollercoaster 72 at LIV Singapore

MANILA, Philippines — Miguel Tabuena battled through sweltering conditions and a punishing layout but still managed to stay within striking distance after an up-and-down 72 in the opening round of the LIV Golf Singapore on Thursday.

The Filipino star gunned down four birdies but wavered with five bogeys to finish five shots off the joint leaders after a roller-coaster round at the par-71 Sentosa Golf Club, where firm, unpredictable greens and water hazards tested the elite field.

Bryson DeChambeau led the charge with a four-under 67, overcoming an early double bogey with six birdies, including three straight from No. 16. He shared the lead with Richard Lee and Lee Westwood after the first 18 holes of the $20-million event, the fourth leg of the LIV Golf League.

Lee surged with a three-birdie run starting at No. 9 and added two more birdies to offset a lone bogey on the 13th, while Westwood produced a bogey-free round of 35-32 to join the leaders.

One stroke behind at 68 were Louis Oosthuizen, Tyrrell Hatton, Charles Howell II, Jon Rahm, Matthew Wolff, Cameron Tringale and Marc Leishman.

Another group of 10 players, including LIV Adelaide winner Anthony Kim and defending champion Joaquin Niemann, opened with 69s, creating a crowded leaderboard as players adjusted to Sentosa’s slick greens after competing on slower surfaces in Hong Kong last week.

Tabuena, coming off a disappointing 52nd-place finish in Hong Kong, struggled to settle early after starting on No. 11. He found the greenside bunker with his approach and then blasted past the firm putting surface, where even short approaches could run out quickly.

After saving par on the 12th, he narrowly missed a birdie chance from just off the front edge on the next and then dropped a shot on the par-3 14th after overshooting the green and missing a short par putt.

He regained momentum late on the back nine, nearly holing a long birdie putt on No. 15, saving par on the next, then draining a 20-footer from the fringe for birdie on the par-3 17th before adding another on the par-5 last hole.

But the momentum stalled at the turn. Tabuena bogeyed the first hole after misjudging a delicate chip from just in front of the green. He then missed a five-foot birdie opportunity on the par-3 second and had to scramble for par on the third after coming up short of the green.

He briefly bounced back with a birdie on the par-5 fourth from 10 feet after driving into a bunker but executing a superb recovery approach.

However, trouble off the mound on the par-5 seventh proved costly as his shot found the lake, leading to another bogey.

Tabuena responded with a precise tee shot to within four feet on the par-3 eighth for birdie before closing with consecutive pars for a 37-35 card.

Despite the uneven round, he remained within reach of the leaders and tied for 31st alongside Sergio Garcia, Peter Uihlein, Dean Burmester, Wade Ormsby, Charl Schwartzel, Richard Bland and former 4Aces GC teammate Thomas Pieters.

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