Filipino golfers aim to bounce back in Macao Open

MANILA, Philippines – Justin Quiban and Miguel Tabuena are eager to rebound after challenging performances in last week’s storm-disrupted Taiwan Masters, as they gear up for the Macao Open, which kicks off Thursday at the Macau Golf and Country Club.

Quiban, who briefly surged into contention after the opening round with a 68 in Taiwan, fell down the leaderboard after two consecutive rounds of 75. The event, cut to 54 holes due to Typhoon Kraphon, was played over the weekend, marking a rare two-day Asian Tour tournament. The Filipino shotmaker settled for a tie for 31st.

For Tabuena, the Taiwan Masters proved more frustrating. After a third-place finish at the Yeangder TPC, also in Taiwan, the previous week, the ICTSI-backed ace missed the cut. Both Filipino golfers, however, are determined to bounce back this week.

Quiban faces an immediate challenge, starting his campaign at 12:30 p.m. from the 10th tee alongside Miguel Carballo and Zhang Zihong.

Tabuena, meanwhile, tees off earlier at 11:25 a.m. from the first hole, paired with Sampson Zhang and Steve Lewton, a former Philippine Open winner.

Meanwhile, fellow Filipinos Gab Manotoc and Sean Ramos are also in the field.

Manotoc hopes to benefit from an early start as he tees off at 6:40 a.m. on No. 1 with Haohua Sun and Nick Voke, while Ramos begins his round at 12:55 p.m., also on the first tee, with JinShen Zhang and Isaac Lam.

Over in Japan, Juvic Pagunsan and Justin delos Santos are eyeing strong finishes at the Japan Open with the former launching his bid at 6:45 a.m. on the 10th hole with Ken Takahashi and Song Young Han.

Delos Santos, on the other hand, tees off at 7:05 a.m., paired with Ryuken Shogenji and M. Hendry.

World No. 19 Adam Scott headlines the Y210 million Japan Open, with the winner set to take home Y42 million (around P16 million).