Tabuena seeks Phl Open title

Miguel Tabuena is wasting no time in giving himself the best shot at winning the revived Smart Infinity Philippine Open next week. He’s been working on his yardages with his new caddy, Kenneth Quillinan, and taking him around the Manila Southwoods Masters course every day.

Quillinan, an Irishman who previously caddied for Sang Moon-bae on the US PGA Tour, was introduced to the team during Thursday’s practice round at the Masters. He will accompany the Filipino star for his next three events, with the team eager to start their partnership on a high note next week.

“He’s been around the big tours,” Tabuena said of his caddy before playing nine holes at the Jack Nicklaus-designed course south of Manila, where the 2025 Asian Tour season kicks off Thursday. “It (playing nine holes) was OK.”

Tabuena, the 2016 and 2018 Philippine Open champion, has all the motivation he needs heading into the tournament. “I’d love to have my name on that trophy more than twice,” he said. “But it’s going to be tough because a lot of very good players — almost all of those who kept their Asian Tour cards — are coming over.”

The 30-year-old is returning from a relatively long layoff after the last season, and together with his coach J3 Altea, he’s ensuring that his swing is finely tuned.

“They exhibited great rapport out there, from what I saw,” said Altea. “He just wants the curvature of his shots to be where they should be,” he added after Tabuena’s nine-hole practice session, followed by a couple of hours on the driving range and putting practice with Quillinan keeping a close eye. “So far, so good.”

Tabuena will lead the Philippine charge in the 72-hole championship, which will be held at the world-class Masters course, set to play as a par-70 for the first time. The fourth and 15th holes have been converted into long par-4s, requiring players to hit long irons or even hybrids to reach the green in regulation.

“That’s why I don’t think we’re looking at very low scores every day,” Tabuena said. “The course has some gettable holes, but there are others that are not. So we’ll see.”

The field is stacked with strong contenders, including former Order of Merit winners Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand and American Sihwan Kim, along with Great Britain’s Steve Lewton, all vying for the $90,000 champion’s purse out of the $500,000 prize pool (around P29 million).