Red-Hot Tabuena fires record-shattering 62

MORONG, Bataan, Philippines – Miguel Tabuena yesterday was – to borrow a line from a Sinatra song – A number One, top of the list, king of the hill.

When it was over, he was on top of the field with a smashing 62.

Oozing with confidence after his joint fourth finish in the high-powered Singapore Open on the Asian Tour, Tabuena fired a career-best, course record breaking eagle-spiked 10-under card to open a whopping six-stroke lead over Jay Bayron in the ICTSI Anvaya Cove Invitational here yesterday.

Tabuena’s 31-31 card set a new personal best and bettered the old mark of 64 in the wind-swept par-72 course of Anvaya Cove Golf and Sports Club set by Angelo Que on a final round charge to snare the crown last year.

But the 21-year-old Tabuena erased that record with a brilliant display of shotmaking, iron play and putting, putting him way up on Bayron, who submitted nines of 33-35 for a 68. American John Jackson marked his debut on the ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour with a 70 for solo third.

“It was really a fantastic game, the best round in my career. Everything’s in place,” said Tabuena, who had expressed his desire to win this event during Tuesday’s pro-am sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc. “I never played this game before and hopefully, I sustain this form the rest of the tournament.”

“I wasn’t actually expecting to shoot a 10-under. But if you’re confident, which I am, anything is possible,” said Tabuena, on a high after a breakthrough triumph in the Asian Tour-sanctioned Philippine Open last December and a solid showing against world No. 1 Jordan Spieth and the big guns in Singapore last month.