Tabuena loses in playoff, settles for P2.365M

MANILA, Philippines - Miguel Tabuena missed nailing his breakthrough victory on the Asian Tour, blowing a two-stroke lead in the closing holes in regulation and bowing to Thai Prom Meesawat on the second playoff hole in the $500,000 Yeangder Tournament Players Championship for the third straight day at the Linkou International Golf and Country Club in Taiwan yesterday.

Meesawat birdied the par-5 18th and closed out with a 69 to tie Tabuena, who led by two with two holes to go but bogeyed the 17th and parred the last hole for a 71 and a 277.

After both players parred the first playoff hole, the Thai ace needed three shots to safely reach the 18th then clinched the victory with a two-putt par as Tabuena crumbled and missed his own par putt.

It was a sorry setback for the 19-year-old Tabuena, who surged ahead of the field with a 65 Saturday only to squander it with a shaky start of bogeys on Nos. 3 and 4. But he gallantly fought back with a slew of scrambling pars and two chip-in birdies on Nos. 11 and 16 to regain a two-shot lead over Meesawat.

But he ran out of luck in salvaging pars after saving seven in nine times that he went out of regulation, failing to rescue a par when he needed it most – on the par-3 17th.

Meesawat took the top $90,000 purse.

“I want to thank God for keeping me calm out there. I really fought hard out there and gave myself a chance. That’s all I can ask for. In the end, Prom turned out to be the better player,” said Tabuena, who nevertheless banked his biggest paycheck in a young pro career – $55,000 (P2.365 million).

“I think this result will help me keep my card for next year,” said Tabuena, pressed to finish in the Top 60 to assure his Asian Tour spot next year.

“I’ve been knocking on the door so I have to stay patient. If I keep playing the way I’ve been playing then the win will eventually come,” said Tabuena, who will try again in this week’s Selangor Masters in Malaysia.

Tabuena, who surged ahead of the field with a 65 Saturday, fell off the leaderboard with a bogey-bogey from No. 3. He  fought back with four birdies in an eight-hole stretch from No. 9, including two off the green, to wrest the lead from Lascuña, who finished two flights ahead with a 69.