Tabuena eyes Open jewel

The Solaire Philippine Open gears up for another blockbuster staging and thrilling ending at The Country Club when it begins its journey to a new century with a stellar international cast being firmed up.

More than 50 percent of the field that vied last year will all be coming over again

Filipino ace Miguel Tabuena nipped veteran Prom Meesawat of Thailand in sudden death to highlight the milestone Centennial staging of the event at the TCC last year with the same finish expected when the 101st Open is held from 3 to 6 April.

The 2017 Open also went over the distance with Englishman Steve Lewton edging American Johannes Veerman in a playoff, also at the well-kept Tom Weiskoph-designed layout, with the same windup likely to ensue in the upcoming event.

“More than 50 percent of the field that vied last year will all be coming over again with the 2019 cast to be toughened up by new, crack international players,” said Colo Ventosa, general manager of Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc., which co-organizes the event with the National Golf Association of the Philippines (NGAP).

Solaire Resort and Casino, headed by president/CEO Thomas Arasi, and the NGAP, now led by president Martin Lorenzo, recently inked a pact to jointly stage the 2019 Open with the former bankrolling $500,000 to put up the four-day championship, which also serves as part of the Philippine Golf Tour Asia.

Lorenzo and NGAP secretary-general Bones Floro reiterated their full support to ensure the smooth and successful staging of the fabled event, which will feature former champions and mainstays of the other regional tours seeking to join the elite circle of winners in Asia’s oldest National Open and at the same time test a challenging course that doesn’t favor any particular style of play.