Tired of the glum and sullen faces of Brice Hernandez, Henry Alcantara and the eternal smiling faces of Martin Romualdez and Zaldy Co? Still amazed at the sartorial elegancy of both Curlee Discaya and Ping Lacson?
Well, let’s switch channels and forget the Blue Ribbon Committee in the meantime and turn our sights on the green and lush fairways and greens of the Sta. Elena Golf Club in the boundary of Sta. Rosa and Cabuyao in Laguna.
It must be a super experience to watch our very own Miguel Tabuena compete with the likes of Bubba Watson, Louis Oosthuizen and Kazuki Higa.
On October 23-26, the Sta. Elena Golf Club will host these international players for the International Series Philippines (ISP) presented by BingoPlus.
Higa, an eight-time Japan Golf Tour winner, moved top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit at the weekend after following up victory at the 41st Shinhan Donghae Open in Korea with another impressive win at the Yeangder TPC in Chinese Taipei for a second title in two weeks.
Tabuena, a two-time Asian Tour winner, will carry the hopes of the home crowd as he lines up against some of the world’s best. Speaking at the tournament’s media golf day, he underlined what it means to compete on home soil as The International Series brings elite-level golf and the pathway to LIV Golf to one of Southeast Asia’s most passionate golf communities.
He said: "It is very, very exciting and I'm very glad that The International Series is making its first ever stop in the Philippines. To be able to have Major champions like Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed, Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel among others playing in one of the best courses we have back home, it is truly a dream come true.”
A star-studded entry list has been further strengthened by a growing pool of LIV Golf stars and Asian Tour champions recently added.
New Zealander Ben Campbell of RangeGoats GC, the International Series Morocco 2024 champion and 2023 Hong Kong Open winner, has been confirmed alongside Legion XIII’s highly rated American youngster Caleb Surratt, the IronHeads GC duo of Kevin Na and Danny Lee, and Sam Horsfield of Majesticks GC.
LIV Golf wild cards Anthony Kim, the former US Ryder Cup star, and Lee Chieh-Po, the last season’s International Series Thailand champion, are also added.
To put The International Series into context, Tabuena has labelled the set of elevated events as ‘the Majors of the Asian Tour’ because of the strength of field and pathway onto LIV Golf.
He said: “The International Series is something I really plan my schedule around so I can peak at the right time for these events. I call it the ‘Majors’ of the Asian Tour. If you want to improve as a golfer, you have to test your game against stronger fields and world-class talent. Having The International Series here at home is very special — it’s truly a dream come true.”
International Series Philippines presented by BingoPlus is one of nine elevated events on the Asian Tour schedule this season that provide players from around the world a pathway into LIV Golf through the season-long Rankings race.
General admission is free Thursday and Friday, and P1,200 each day on Saturday and Sunday.
Registration is essential for all four days, and tickets are available from SM TICKETS.
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