Tabuena cards 3rd straight 71 in Riyadh

Miguel Tabuena is on track for a solid finish as he posted his third straight one-under-par 71 in the LIV Golf Riyadh early Saturday (Manila time) at the Riyadh Golf Club in Saudi Arabia. 

Playing as a late replacement for former Masters champion Patrick Reed at 4Aces GC skippered by Dustin Johnson, the 31-year-old Filipino star fired four birdies against a bogey to post a total of three-under 213 for a tie at the 47th spot with three others after 54 holes in his first-ever appearance in the prestigious LIV Golf League.

He teed off at No. 12 under the bright lights and quickly birdied the opening hole before adding another in par-3 14th to spark his hopes in this 57-player elite field composed of the former champions and world-ranked superstars.

At one point, he vaulted to as high as 21st to briefly figure in serious contention entering the final round.

Unfortunately for him, a double bogey on par-5 No. 3 halted his momentum that sent him tumbling down the leaderboard. He tried to bounce back with a birdie on the 11th, but he couldn’t crawl back as the rest of the field made their moves to intensify their campaigns in this tourney that stakes a mouthwatering $4 million to the individual champion.

Ripper GC rookie Elvis Smylie and RangeGoats GC star Peter Uihlein stole the spotlight as they forged a tie on top of the leaderboard, way ahead of the Filipino with 16-under 200 while Smash GC skipper Talor Gooch is just one shot behind with 15-under after posting a third straight 67.

“Without a doubt, I want to prove my worth in this league, and I want to establish myself as one of the best guys in the league,” the 23-year-old Smylie said.

“The best way to do that is by going out and making a statement this week.”

All in all, Torque GC holds the lead at 46-under, two shots ahead of Smash GC while Tabuena’s 4Aces GC is within striking distance at fifth spot with 36-under behind Ripper GC (43-under) and Legion XIII (40-under) heading into the final round of this prestigious Saudi-backed event.

Thomas Detry cooled with a 68 while Thomas Pieters surged with a 65 and Johnson settled for a 71 to round out the performance of Tabuena’s teammates at 4Aces GC on moving day.