Asiad: Phl golf brings big guns

The Philippines is bringing a strong mix of experience, international exposure and young talent to the 2026 Asian Games golf competition in Nagoya, Japan.

The six-member team features Asian Tour winners, Japan Golf Tour regulars, an LPGA Tour player and one of the brightest young amateurs in the game.

Miguel Tabuena, Justin delos Santos and Carl Corpus will carry the men’s side, while Bianca Pagdanganan, Rianne Malixi and Pauline del Rosario make up the women’s team.

They will compete in the individual and team events from 30 September to 3 October at Kasugai Country Club’s East Course in Kasugai, Aichi Prefecture.

Men: Experience, form and youth

Tabuena leads the men’s team and is the most accomplished player in the lineup.

A four-time Asian Tour winner, Tabuena first made his mark at the Asian Games as a teenager, winning the silver medal in the individual event at the 2010 Guangzhou Games.

He turned professional soon after and has since built a career that includes 21 victories, among them four Asian Tour titles — the 2015 Philippine Open, 2018 Queen’s Cup, 2023 DGC Open and 2025 International Series Philippines.

His win at the 2025 International Series Philippines was particularly memorable. Playing before a home crowd, Tabuena fired a 24-under total to win by three strokes.

He joined LIV Golf’s 4Aces GC in 2026, adding another major chapter to his international career.

Delos Santos brings extensive experience of Japanese golf to the team.

The California Polytechnic State University alumnus turned professional in 2017 and has established himself on the Japan Golf Tour, where he has earned more than ¥115 million in career prize money.

He posted a career-best third-place finish at the 2026 ISPS HANDA Japan-Australasia Championship and several other top-30 finishes this season.

His familiarity with Japanese courses and playing conditions could prove especially useful at Kasugai.

Then there is Corpus, the youngest member of the men’s team and one of the Philippines’ rising stars.

Corpus turned professional in 2025 and quickly made his presence felt, winning the Morocco Rising Stars Marrakech event on the Asian Development Tour with a 25-under total.

He has also become a regular contender on the Philippine Golf Tour, showing the kind of scoring ability that can change a tournament in a hurry. One example came at Valley Golf Club, where he shot a 65 that included two eagles.

The Asian Games will give Corpus his first taste of a major multisport event.

Women: Experience meets youth

The women’s team combines two players with Asian Games and international experience with a young amateur who has already made history.

Pagdanganan returns to the Asian Games as a proven medalist.

At the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, she won individual bronze and teamed up with Yuka Saso and Lois Kaye Go to capture gold — the Philippines’ first women’s team golf gold at the Asian Games.

She later swept individual and team gold at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.

Pagdanganan has also established herself professionally, winning her first professional title at the 2023 ICTSI Anvaya Cove Ladies International on the Taiwan LPGA Tour by six strokes. She has been an LPGA Tour member since 2020.

Malixi, meanwhile, arrives in Japan with perhaps the most eye-catching amateur résumé in the team.

In 2024, at just 17, she became only the second player to win both the US Girls’ Junior and US Women’s Amateur in the same year.

That came after she had already collected major Philippine junior and amateur titles and represented the country at the Asian Games in China and the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship.

Now playing for Duke University, Malixi made an immediate impact as a freshman, posting a team-best 70.60 stroke average.

She will be one of the Philippines’ key players in Nagoya despite still being an amateur.

Completing the women’s trio is Pauline del Rosario, a familiar name on the Philippine golf scene and a regular member of national team pools in recent years.

Her experience and steady game could be important in the team competition, where every round counts and consistency across the lineup can make the difference.

Kasugai test awaits

Kasugai Country Club’s East Course is expected to put a premium on accuracy. Its tree-lined fairways, strategically placed bunkers and undulating greens leave little room for careless shots.

Players will also have to deal with the typical early-autumn conditions in central Japan, including the possibility of wind and rain.

That could make course management just as important as distance.