Strong finish keeps Tabuena in the International Series hunt

MANILA, Philippines -- Miguel Tabuena shook off a wobbly start and endured a rollercoaster round midway through with a strong finish in the wind, birdying the last two holes to fire a 71 and stay in the hunt for a major breakthrough in the International Series Morocco in Rabat Friday (Saturday Manila time).

His two-under card at the par-73 Royal Dar Es Salam’s Red course kept him tied at second with four others at 138, still a stroke behind a steady John Catlin, who also slowed down with a 71 and remained in control at 137.

But with a slew of aces lurking behind, including Gaganjeet Bhullar, who fired a 68, Travis Smyth, who shot a 69, and Jinichiro Kozuma and Ben Campbell, who matched 70s for 138s, the final 36 holes of the $2 million championship, serving as the pathway to LIV Golf, promises a thrilling finish.

Scott Vincent and Eugenio Chacarra also stalked the leaders at 139 after a pair of 71s, while Ahmad Baig and Charlie Lindh turned in a 69 and a 71, respectively, for joint ninth at 140, just three strokes off the pace. This sets the stage for a furious weekend battle not only of shotmaking, iron play, and putting but also nerves.

Coming off an impressive fifth-place finish in the Korea Open two weeks ago, Tabuena stayed in the conversation despite a shaky start that saw him miss a couple of birdie chances in the first five holes. Despite a bogey on the sixth, he birdied the next two holes.

A double bogey on the 10th stalled his charge, although he birdied two of the next five holes to get back into the thick of things. Not even a missed green miscue on No. 16 could rattle his confidence as he fought back strongly with birdies in the last two holes to save a 35-36.

“It was good. I knew it was going to be tough, the winds were swirling, and there were some good pins there. I didn’t get off to a good start, but I held in there and finished pretty well,” said the ICTSI-backed Tabuena.

“I just continued to stay patient. I knew that there were a lot of holes left in the round and a lot of holes left in the next few days, and I just wanted to put myself in a good position to move up the leaderboard,” he added.

Meanwhile, Justin Quiban carded a second straight 72 and made the cut at tied 32nd, while Lloyd Go bucked a 74 to make it to the weekend play of the third International Series event of the season with a 146, the cutoff score.

Three-time Asian Tour winner Angelo Que, however, failed to advance with a 147 after a 75, marred by a backside 39.

Catlin, on the other hand, stayed in pursuit of a third title in four starts on the Asian Tour, matching Tabuena’s output for a nine-under aggregate. The Asian Tour Order of Merit leader and winner of the International Series Macau earlier this year also survived an up-and-down back nine, with an eagle, one birdie on 18, and three bogeys but held on to head into the weekend in pole position.

“Yeah, it was okay, I just would have liked to have been a little bit sharper,” said Catlin. “It just felt a little bit off, but I was able to hang in there well, and you know I still posted a decent number and stayed on top of that leaderboard. That was important to me coming down that last. I was like, ‘I want to make a four on 18 and be in that final group’.”

The 32-year-old is fresh from his debut on the LIV Golf League: he finished joint 24th in LIV Golf Houston, tied for seventh in their Nashville event, and will head to the next stop in Valderrama next week.