MIGUEL Tabuena appears to be trying to make the most out of the remaining life of LIV Golf whose continued existence remains in doubt after its Saudi Arabian backers officially announced last week that this will be the last season that it will have its full financial backing.
Tabuena scored his best LIV Golf round since getting in as a wild card at the start of the season, shooting a six-under-par 66 on Saturday during the third round at Trump National Golf Course in Washington D.C, and surged to a tie for 20th place.
This is new territory for the Filipino ace whose previous campaigns had been a series of dismal failures illustrated vividly by settling for last place prize money in five of six legs of the current season.
Tabuena in line for big payday
He earned $50,000 (P3 million) each time, which surely is not peanuts, especially when compared with what other Filipino athletes earn.
That may jump dramatically tomorrow if Tabuena continues to take advantage of his momentum that saw him shoot nine birdies against three bogeys, his best round so far in the series.
Though his seven under par total may appear competitive, that, however, is not the case here. He trails leader Lucas Herbert by 14 strokes who shot a 68 to post a 21-under total after earlier rounds of 64-63.
Trailing by three strokes, at 18 under, is Sergio Garcia who shot a third-round 65.
The closest to Herbert after Garcia were four players tied at third at 13 under who many concede may be out of the race for the $4 million winner’s prize. Among these players are Bryson DeChambeau and Josele Ballester who flirted with 59 and settled for 60 after missing a 25-foot out on his last hole.
ASIAN TOUR: Go ties for 4th in Taiwan
Lloyd Jefferson Go missed the green seven times and the fairway by the same number and paid dearly for it as he settled for an even par 72 and a tie for fourth place at the Asian Tour’s Taifong Glass Open in Taiwan.
Th 31-year-old Go shared the lead after three rounds but his final round misadventures (four bogeys and one double bogey) negated six birdies at the Taifong Golf Course that saw South Africa’s Ian Snyman, Go’s co-leader, capture the championship by two strokes.
Go finished at 12 under, three strokes behind Snyman, who shot a 3-under-par 69 to take home the winner’s prize of $90,000.
Go, 31, won $20,716 (P1.2 million) for the biggest paycheck of his career. Despite the missed opportunity, it was a significant milestone for Go, who finished seventh at Qualifying School and has not made the cut this season.
It was also gratifying on a personal level as Go had his sister, Lois Kaye, also a professional golfer, caddying for him in all his tournaments.
Tied for second at 13 under par were Santiago de las Fuente (67) and Matthew Cheung (68).
Carl Jano Cruz, one of three Filipinos who made the cut, shot a 73 and tied for 31st, winning $3,810, while Justin Quiban was tied for 62nd after a 73 and pocketed $1,425.
Aidric Chan missed cut.
EPSON Tour: Guce in 12th spot; Bianca shoots 65
Clariss Guce led the way for the Philippine contingent at the Reliance Matrix Championship after firing an even par 72 and was tied for 12th with one round left at the Spanish Trail Country Club in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Though she was the best-placed Filipina in the field at 11 under, her third round was a bit of a disappointment after shooting earlier rounds of 66-67.
Bianca Pagdanganan had the best round among Filipino campaigners in this Epson Tour event, posting a 65 to jump into a tie for 20th place at 9 under, while Pauline del Rosario continued her slide with a third 74 that dropped her to 40th place. Del Rosario shot a 65 in the first round.
Meanwhile Dottie Ardina shot a 73 to tie for 55th among 67 cut survivors.
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