Next week’s Philippine Open presented by Philippine Sports Commission has attracted a field befitting the tournament’s status as the Asian Tour’s season-ending finale and the oldest national open in Asia.

The 108^th edition of the event will feature eight out of the top 10 players from the Tour’s Order of Merit list, as well as 10 tournament winners from 2026.

Three former Merit list champions, four former winners of the event, and a total of 26 Filipino golfers have also entered.

Boasting prizemoney of US$1million, the richest in its history, the event will be played on the Masters Course at Manila Southwoods Golf & Country Club – from 12-15 November.

With the race to win the Merit list still open for five players plus players jostling for final positions to help secure passage into the five events that will be jointly-sanctioned with the DP World Tour next year, the starting line-up is missing very few of the region’s best players.

All eyes will be on Pavit Tangkamolprasert, who has led the Merit list since winning the Yeangder TPC in September.

Wooyoung Cho pictured winning Philippine Golf Championship this year. Picture by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.

The Thai star is the favourite to finish the season first as he leads with 1,364.02 points – 185.16 more than Australian Travis Smyth in second.

With the event offering 525 points to the winner, 285 for second place and 180 for third, Smyth, South Africa Ian Snyman, in third, fourth placed John Catlin from the United States and Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond, holding sixth, can all mathematically catch the leader but need to win.

Finishing alone in second place will be enough for Smyth but only if Pavit earns fewer than 99.84 points and Snyman doesn’t win.

Catlin, who won the Link Hong Kong Open two weeks ago, and Jazz are looking to claim the Merit crown for second time, while the other former number one in the field is American Andy Ogletree.

As well as Catlin, Smyth and Snyman, the other winners from this year competing are Koreans Jiho Yang, Minhyuk Song, Jeongwoo Ham and Wooyoung Cho, as well as Charlie Lindh from Sweden and Chinese-Taipei’s Wang Wei-hsuan.

Cho has the distinction of being the last player to win on the Asian Tour in the Philippines having claimed the season-opening Philippine Golf Championship presented by Philippine Sports Commission in February.

A formidable contingent of local golfers will also be hoping to add their name to the trophy.

Miguel Tabuena. Picture by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.

Filipino Miguel Tabuena, a two-time winner of the event, in 2015 and 2018, and his countryman Angelo Que, the champion in 2008 and the current leader of the Philippine Golf Tour money list, are two of 26 Filipino golfers competing.

In addition, Sean Ramos, Aidric Chan and Carl Jano Corpus, all winners on the Asian Development Tour are in the field, as is the nation’s top amateur Shinichi Suzuki – winner of this year’s Philippine Amateur Championship.

Joining Tabuena and Que as past champions are Steve Lewton from England and American Berry Henson, who triumphed in 2017 and 2011 respectively.

Others to look out for are American Kevin Na, an eight-time champion on the PGA Tour, and newly turned professionals Ratchanon ‘TK’ Chantananuwat from Thailand and Singaporean Hiroshi Tai. It will be the latter’s debut on the Asian Tour as a member of the play for pay game. He won the individual title at the 2024 NCAA Division 1 men’s golf championship.

Main picture: Pavit Tangkamolprasert. By Graham Uden/Asian Tour.