Filipino aces start strong in International Series Oman golf tourney

MANILA, Philippines – Miguel Tabuena failed to sustain a brilliant backside start but still made an early impact in the International Series Oman, carding a two-under 70 for a clubhouse share of fourth place with half of the field still to complete play in the first round of the rich Asian Tour event Thursday.

Angelo Que also put in a 71 for a provisional hold of joint 10th as the Filipino aces turned in a pair of good starts in the $2 million second leg of the region’s premier circuit boosted by the presence of major champions Sergio Garcia, Louis Oosthuizen, Brooks Koepka and Charl Schwartzel, among others.

Starting at the back of the Al Mouj Golf course in the morning wave, Tabuena birdied Nos. 10 and 14 then crowded the early leaders with another birdie on No. 17. But the two-time Philippine Open champion, who nailed his first victory in the US in the Idaho Open in 2021, missed a couple of chances at the front then yielded a stroke on the tough par-4 No. 6 to finish with a 37-33.

He tied Japanese Mikumu Horikawa, Miguel Carballo and Scott Vincent at fourth, four strokes behind clubhouse leader Canada’s Yonggu Shin, who rattled off three straight birdies from No. 4 and picked up three more strokes in the next nine holes to complete a solid 66.

He led Garcia by one as the 2017 Masters titlist sizzled with five birdies in the first seven holes at the front then mixed three birdies with the same number of bogeys the rest of the way for a 67.

Que, on the other hand, had a quiet two-birdie, one-bogey card, also in the morning group.

Oosthuizen, the (British) Open champion in 2010, also carded a 71, Koepka, a four-time Major winner, include two US Open and PGA titles each, had an ever par round after two holes.

Schwartzel, who topped the US Masters in 2011, also parred the first two holes at the front at presstime.

The ICTSI-backed Tabuena is playing in his first tournament in the young season while Que is out to bounce back from a missed cut stint in last week's $5 million Saudi International, the kickoff leg of this year's Asian Tour.