Corpus ready to make second Asian Games chance count

MANILA, Philippines – Carl Corpus gets a rare second chance at Asian Games redemption – and this time, he intends to make the opportunity count.

The 25-year-old Corpus has been named to the Philippine men’s golf team for the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, taking over the spot vacated by PGA Tour regular Rico Hoey, who withdrew from the regional quadrennial showcase to focus on the PGA Tour’s fall schedule.

Hoey’s decision is admittedly a slight setback to the Philippines’ original plans. A PGA Tour campaigner still chasing his first victory, Hoey was expected to spearhead the country’s bid in Japan and provide the team with another proven player accustomed to competing against the world’s best.

But his withdrawal has also opened the door for Corpus to turn a painful chapter of his young career into an opportunity for redemption.

Corpus was only an amateur when he made his Asian Games debut in Hangzhou, China, in 2023. Playing alongside cousin Aidric Chan, he finished 33rd in the individual competition and helped the Philippines place joint ninth in the team event.

It was hardly the kind of Asiad debut Corpus had envisioned.

Three years later, however, he returns to the Asian Games as a vastly different player – older, battle-tested, and armed with a professional resume that continues to grow.

Since Hangzhou, Corpus has steadily established himself on both the international and domestic circuits. He broke through on the Asian Development Tour with a victory in the Morocco Rising Stars Marrakech last year, before claiming his first Philippine Golf Tour championship at Valley Golf in Antipolo at the close of the 2025 local season.

Those victories have given Corpus something he did not have in Hangzhou: proof that he can win at the professional level.

Now, he gets the chance to bring that confidence to the Asian Games.

The Asiad golf competition is scheduled from September 30 to October 3 at the East Course of Kasugai Country Club in Aichi Prefecture, where Corpus will join a Philippine squad that remains one of the country’s strongest men’s golf lineups assembled for the regional sporting event.

Leading the charge are veterans Miguel Tabuena and Justin delos Santos, with Corpus completing a three-man team that combines experience, international exposure, youth and familiarity with Asian golf conditions.

Tabuena, in particular, arrives with considerable momentum after toughening up through his stint on LIV Golf. He capped a prolific 2025 season by winning the International Series Philippines at Sta. Elena, a triumph that helped pave the way for his rise to LIV Golf.

Delos Santos, meanwhile, brings a different but equally valuable advantage. Having plied his trade in Japan, he is already familiar with the country’s golf environment, from course conditions to the small but important details that can make a difference in a high-level competition.

Together with Corpus, they give the Philippines a formidable blend of power, experience and competitive maturity.

For Corpus, though, the mission is more personal.

He is no longer the promising amateur who struggled to make an impact in his first Asian Games appearance. He is now a professional who has won overseas, broken through on the Philippine Golf Tour and spent the past few years learning how to compete – and win – against stronger fields.

Hoey’s withdrawal may have altered the original composition of the Philippine squad, but it does little to diminish the team’s chances. If anything, it gives Corpus an unexpected platform to demonstrate how far he has come since Hangzhou.

And he knows exactly what awaits him.

This time, Corpus will not be going to the Asian Games simply to gain experience.

He will be going back to Japan with something to prove.

The opportunity is there. So is the experience.

Now comes the harder part: turning redemption into results.