Tabuena proves mettle vs world-class field, cards 68 in Singapore Open

The Philippines’ Miguel Tabuena plays a shot during the final round of the International Series Philippines golf tournament at the Sta. Elena Golf Club in Santa Rosa, Laguna province on October 26, 2025.

Ted Aljibe / AFP

MANILA, Philippines — Miguel Tabuena slugged it out with Talor Gooch and Thomas Pieters shot-for-shot and putt-for-putt, matching the accomplished LIV Golf League campaigners’ four-under 68s in Thursday’s opening round of the Singapore Open.

Tabuena’s strong start not only underscored his technical sharpness, but also the Filipino golfer’s mental toughness and readiness to compete head-to-head with some of the world’s elite.

Fresh from a breakthrough International Series victory at home just two weeks ago, Tabuena showed that his win was no work of a chance. He used a steady frontside windup to reassert his growing stature, displaying both poise and precision. Birdies on three of his last six holes helped him keep pace with his high-profile playing partners at the Singapore Island Country Club’s New Course.

Ranged against two of the event’s fancied contenders, Tabuena’s composure never wavered. He opened with four straight regulation pars, then recovered brilliantly from a missed fairway on No. 14 with a crisp approach that set up his first birdie.

After steadying himself with a routine par and a scrambling save on No. 16, the Filipino ace struck two solid shots on the par-4 17th for another birdie, underlining his ability to capitalize under pressure.

He narrowly missed a chance on the par-5 18th, then encountered early turbulence at the turn, missing the fairway on No. 1 and settling for bogey.

Yet rather than falter, Tabuena dug deep. He immediately rebounded with a series of confident swings — saving par on the next hole, birdying No. 4, and stringing back-to-back birdies from No. 6 to finish with twin 34s for the day.

The gritty effort placed Tabuena in joint 11th alongside Gooch and Pieters, just four strokes behind Jeunghun Wang of Korea, who fired a stunning 64 to seize the early lead.

Wang’s impressive nine-birdie, one-bogey round earned him a one-stroke lead over Gunn Charoenkul and Kieran Vincent, who matched 65s, while Micah Shin, a former The Country Club Invitational winner and Philippine Golf Tour leg champion, also delivered a solid 66, earning a share of fourth place with Dominic Foos, the recent winner of the Macao Open.

Tabuena outshone Gooch – the 2023 LIV Golf individual champion – in their backside start, as the American settled for a 35 before birdieing three holes on his closing nine to post a bogey-free 68.

Pieters, a six-time European Tour titlist, also managed just one birdie on the back nine but fired four more on the front, including three straight from No. 3, to offset his lone bogey on the sixth. They joined a formidable group that includes Chase Koepka, Steve Lewton, Shih Chang Chan and Jazz Janewattananond.

Tabuena’s resilience was particularly impressive given his struggles off the tee — he missed eight fairways — but he compensated with pinpoint iron play, reaching 14 greens in regulation and needing only 29 putts. The two-time Philippine Open champion once again proved that his game and his heart are built for the biggest stages.

Now sitting firmly in contention in the $2-million International Series event, Tabuena continues his charge toward a possible milestone berth in next year’s LIV Golf League.

With only two legs left on the International Series Asian Tour calendar — including the season finale in Saudi Arabia later this month — he’s determined to finish strong and cement his standing as one of Asia’s most battle-hardened competitors.

Meanwhile, Aidric Chan struggled with a 76 and is in danger of missing the projected one-under cut, while fellow Filipinos Angelo Que and Justin Quiban both sat at one-under after seven holes; and Sean Ramos was one-over after four as of posting time.