Tabuena aims to contend
Miguel Tabuena has returned from a long stint in the United States to compete in this week’s Blue Canyon Phuket Championship and says he is aiming to be in contention on Sunday despite limited playing opportunities this year.
The two-time Asian Tour winner has been camped in Washington for much of the year and has just got back to the region for a tournament that marks the resumption of the Asian Tour’s 2020-21 season.
“I have recovered from a bit of jetlag,” said the Filipino.
“Today was the first time this week I didn’t wake up before three, which was pretty good.”
He has been starved of playing opportunities because of the pandemic, but when he has competed he has seized the opportunity, including winning an event in September run by the PGA of America.
“The game is there. I’ve been seven or eight months away from this heat. I am just trying to preserve my body as well as I can although I am pretty used to it and I know what to expect,” added the 27-year-old, who has been practicing regularly with PGA Tour player Cam Davis from Australia while in the States.
“I have to hydrate a bit more this week. So, this week is more about maintaining my body.”
PHUKET-THAILAND – Miguel Tabuena of the Philippines pictured during an official practice round on Tuesday, November 23, 2021, ahead of the Asian Tour’s Blue Canyon Phuket Championship 2021 at the Blue Canyon Country Club, (Canyon Course), with a prize fund of US$ 1 Million. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour
The second of his Asian Tour wins actually came in Thailand at the Queen’s Cup in 2018 so he is in a good space this week.
“I know the game is there, hopefully it shows up. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t matter, it’s good to be back playing again especially in Thailand. Hopefully I can contend, I always play to contend,” he said.
“I want to be in a situation where I can win on Sunday but if the situation is not there its just to improve every week.”
Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond, Scott Hend from Australia, American John Catlin, Malaysian Gavin Green and teenage Korean star Joohyung Kim are just some of big names competing.
PHUKET-THAILAND – L-R – Miguel Tabuena of the Philippines pictured next to the Tiger Woods plaque on the 13th hole during an official practice round on Tuesday, November 23, 2021, ahead of the Asian Tour’s Blue Canyon Phuket Championship 2021 at the Blue Canyon Country Club, (Canyon Course), with a prize fund of US$ 1 Million. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour
The Asian Tour Phuket Series, as its has been named, starts with the Blue Canyon Phuket Championship on Thursday, followed the week after by the Laguna Phuket Championship. The two US$1 million tournaments are part of the 2020-21 season ending events, with two final ones planned for Singapore in January.
We have put together 10 things you need to know ahead of the Asian Tour’s long-awaited resumption at the Blue Canyon Phuket Championship this week!
PHUKET-THAILAND- Blue Canyon Country Club, Phuket, Thailand. The Asian Tour Laguna Blue Canyon Championship will be staged at the Blue Canyon Country Club from November 25-28, 2021. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
- The inaugural Blue Canyon Phuket Championship will mark the resumption of the Asian Tour’s 2020 season following a 20-month hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The US$1 million full-field event is part of the Asian Tour Phuket Series and will mark the first event of the two-week swing.
- A total of 144 players from 27 countries will be vying for top honours at the highly acclaimed Blue Canyon Country Club’s Canyon course, where golf legends Tiger Woods and Greg Norman have triumphed at the 1998 and 1994 Johnnie Walker Classic respectively.
- Greg Norman reclaimed his world number one status following his victory in 1994 where he beat Nick Faldo and set the course record with his final round 64.
- Tiger Woods defeated Ernie Els in a play-off to stage a great comeback in 1998. The 13th hole nicknamed “The Tiger Hole” became a signature hole of the course after Tiger drove the green from 270 yards.
- The Blue Canyon Phuket Championship will see players from Jordan and Saudi Arabia making their first ever starts on the Asian Tour.
- Reigning Order of Merit champion Jazz Janewattananond will return to Thailand for the Asian Tour Phuket Series. Place fifth on the current Order of Merit, Jazz will be vying to become the first player to successfully retain the Merit crown in back-to-back seasons on Tour.
- American John Catlin, highest-ranked player at 123rd place on the OWGR, will also feature in the inaugural event. He claimed his fourth victory at the Thailand Open in 2019 and has gone one to win three events on the European Tour since.
- Thai hotshots Sadom Kaewkanjana and Phachara Khongwatmai, who have both won multiple titles on their domestic circuit this year, will be part of the 56-man strong local challenge vying for top honours at the Blue Canyon Phuket Championship.
- 14-year-old Amateur Ratchanon Chantananuwat, who has been making waves in the local golf scene, will make his Asian Tour debut at the Blue Canyon Phuket Championship. The Thai prodigy become the youngest ever player to make the cut on the All Thailand Golf Tour in 2020. Should he make the halfway cut in Phuket, he will become the third youngest player to achieve the feat on the Asian Tour, following record-holder Jazz and second-placed Kuang Yang.
PHUKET-THAILAND- Tiger Woods longest drive on the 18th plaque at Blue Canyon Country Club, Phuket, Thailand. The Asian Tour Laguna Blue Canyon Championship will be staged at the Blue Canyon Country Club from November 25-28, 2021. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Blue Canyon Country Club will stage on of its biggest tournaments next week when the Blue Canyon Phuket Championship is played there from November 25-28, and no one is more excited than the club’s Chairman Mr. Praphant Asava-aree.
“We are proud that Blue Canyon has a long history and legacy with international competition,” said Mr Praphant.
“And we are trying to bring that back so that Blue Canyon can be the most iconic course in Thailand. So, we are extremely proud to host an Asian Tour event to help us achieve our goals.”
The US$1million tournament, to be played on the Canyon Course, marks the restart of the Asian Tour following a 19-month break because of COVID-19.
A stellar field has entered including reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Jazz Janewattananond from Thailand, Australia’s Scott Hend, who has claimed 10-titles on the Asian Tour, John Catlin from the United States ‒ a three-time winner on the European Tour ‒ Malaysian number one Gavin Green, and a host of other marquee names.
The unmistakable 18th at Blue Canyon. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“Referring to the Sandbox initiative by the local government, this was key in allowing players to come here and compete without quarantine. This was a huge plus for Phuket,” added Mr Praphant.
“We have to thank the people of Phuket, the Governor and the Tourism Authority of Thailand for the bold decision they made to open up Phuket. I think in this pandemic Phuket has been doing quite well since the Sandbox started in July, and now we have opened up more since November 1. And we are confident things will get better.”
The club hosted back-to-back events on the All Thailand Golf Tour and Thailand PGA Tour in September but next week will mark the first time it has hosted an international event since the 2007 Johnnie Walker Classic – an Asian Tour, European Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia tri-sanctioned tournament won by Anton Haig from South Africa.
“The golf club has been doing well. The local events we staged were very successful and we have been happy with how things have developed,” said the Chairman.
“We closed down for one-month last year following government regulations. But we have used this whole period of downtime to improve the quality of the course and its playing surfaces. We renovated everything on the Canyon Course: fairways, tee boxes, everything. We have been working very hard on the greens to get them ready for the tournament. Four days rain, three days sun has meant it has not been easy to get the greens prepared but we have been working on it slowly and patiently.”
The Club, which celebrated its 30th anniversary last month, also hosted the Johnnie Walker Classic in 1994 when Australian great Greg Norman beat Fred Couples from the United States by a shot; and, also in 1998 the year that American Tiger Woods defeated South Africa’s Ernie Els in a memorable sudden-death play-off.
The famous penultimate hole at Blue Canyon. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
The Asian Tour was also there in 1996 for the Honda City Invitational, won by Australian Steve Elkington, and in 2005 for the Thailand Open, where New Zealand’s Richard Lee took the title.
Added Mr Praphat: “We are planning more events, and we are discussing this with a lot of organisers, and of course we hope that Asian Tour will come back!”
Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert says he is completely focused on finishing in the top-30 on the Asian Tour Order of Merit so that he earns a place in next year’s US$5million Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers ‒ the Tour’s new season-opening flagship event.
The two-time Asian Tour winner returned this week from a three-month stint in the US where he made it to the second stage of the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying School and is now preparing for the Asian Tour Phuket Series, which starts at the end of this month.
“I am very happy the Asian Tour is restarting – I know the Tour has been working very hard to get back,” said Pavit.
“It’s amazing for Thailand that the Tour is restarting in my country with back-to-back events in Phuket and then to have the Saudi International become part of the Tour is really good news – I am really focused on getting into the top-30 on the Order of Merit to get into that event. I am now 21st [on the Merit list] so it’s going to be very, very close. Every tournament means a lot.”
The Blue Canyon Phuket Championship tees-off from November 25 to 28 on the Canyon Course at Blue Canyon Country Club, while the Laguna Phuket Championship will be staged the following week at Laguna Golf Phuket.
Both events boast prizemoney of US$1million and will be followed by two events being planned in Singapore in January that will bring to a conclusion, the 2020-21 season.
The Saudi International will commence the 2022 season in February and feature the top-30 players from the final Merit list.
Pavit added: “And if I can win in Phuket it also means a lot as I am playing in my home country. I am completely focused on the Asian Tour, I have nothing to worry about, I can’t wait. We’ve stopped playing since March last year.”
The 32 year old says playing in the US has made him a stronger player.
“I was pretty happy with the result actually,” he commented.
“I didn’t make it but it’s my first professional events in America. It’s a new experience there.”
The Thai star made it through stage one in Arizona but struggled with the cold weather and tough golf course at the second stage in New Mexico.
“I made a mistake on picking the course in New Mexico. I played well in Arizona – the weather is like Asia. I should have picked Florida. New Mexico is like one or two degrees in the morning, and I couldn’t feel my hands. I practiced in Florida with Kiradech [Aphibarnrat] and I practiced on Bermuda grass there, but when I went to New Mexico it’s Bent grass. It’s completely different.”
The US trip also meant he was able to spend more time with his wife, Chorpaka Jaengkit, as she is also a Tour professional, and they are normally thousands of miles apart. She plays on the Symetra Tour in the US – although she received a medical exemption.
“I am pretty confident [heading into Phuket]. I played against some high-quality players in the US and learned a lot. I can’t wait to compete and play on the grass here, it’s different, it’s Thailand,” said Pavit, who has also won a record seven times on the Asian Development Tour.
In the first of this year’s engaging series of “Our Time” videos ‒ a collaboration with Tour partner Rolex ‒ Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond talks about his love of the Asian Tour, the early days and the pandemic.
Jazz Janewattananond, the reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, says he hopes the Asian Tour can be “one of the global Tours” now that it is about to restart and that the only way to deal with the pandemic was to “power through it”.
The Thai star has been playing on the European Tour this year but is preparing for the Asian Tour’s restart in Phuket at the end of November.
“When I heard the Asian Tour is on, I felt like things are going to be back to normal,” said Jazz, in his “Our Time” video.
“Everything is going to be fine you know, it’s just one of those things, that means our region is improving, the pandemic situation in Asia is improving because they are allowing us to set up tournaments, and the Asian Tour is doing better. It’s just a win-win situation for the players, the Tour and the region.”
The 26 year old will compete in both Asian Tour Phuket Series events: first the Blue Canyon Phuket Championship from November 25-28 and then the Laguna Phuket Championship, from December 2-5.
These events were announced recently and will help bring the curtain down on the 2020-21 season, while just last Friday the Tour revealed that its 2022 schedule will boast 10 new events that will form a new series of tournaments each boasting prizemoney of US$1million and above.
“My hope for the Asian Tour in the future is that we can be one of the global Tours that can compete with any Tour on earth, really looking forward to it,” added Jazz.
Like all players, the Thai star’s schedule was hampered by the pandemic, but he found a way to deal with the situation.
“When the pandemic hit it was really hard for us,” he said.
“Where I come from in Thailand, it was really hard, the country was shut down. We could not go back home, everyone was facing the similar situation, but you gotta move on and power through it.”
Jazz is a six-time winner on the Asian Tour ‒ four of which came in 2019 ‒ and is grateful for the opportunities it afforded to him
“The Asian Tour is where it started: the whole golf professional process. I played the first one when I was 12 or 13, I can’t remember. When you play Asian Tour it’s more like you are going out, hanging out with your friends,” he said.
His first win on the Asian Tour came at the 2017 Bashundhara Bangladesh Open. But it was back in 2010 when he first made a name for himself when he became the youngest player ever, at age 14 years 71 days, to make the halfway cut in an Asian Tour event at Asian Tour International in Bangkok, as an amateur.
“It’s the vibe there [on the Asian Tour], everyone is friends, you go there to enjoy your week, you stay in the same hotel, you take a bus to the golf course. So, there is a connection there with me and my golf, and childhood and Asian Tour. We kind of all grew up together,” said the Thai.
“It’s great to have a Tour in our region that is really well run and very good to improve young players like me. If I didn’t have Asian Tour I don’t know where my career will be at.”
‘S-HERTOGENBOSCH, NETHERLANDS – SEPTEMBER 16: Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand tees off the first hole during Day One of the Dutch Open at Bernardus Golf on September 16, 2021 in Cromvoirt, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
Two-time Asian Tour winner Miguel Tabuena says he is in the best shape of his life as he prepares for the forthcoming Asian Tour Phuket Series, thanks to extensive work with Dr. Harry Sese ‒ the strength and conditioning coach of world number one Jon Rahm from Spain.
The Filipino star has been based in Bellevue, Washington, for most of the pandemic period and has also been practicing regularly with PGA Tour player Cam Davis from Australia.
“I have been playing quite a bit with Cam and we both work with Harry Sese,” said Tabuena.
“I am close to him and he is a fellow Filipino as well. He is the number one guy of Jon Rahm. So, I have been looked after very well here in the States.
“I am a bit rusty but the most fit right now in my career. It’s one of the positives I got from the pandemic set back.”
The Asian Tour Phuket Series starts with the Blue Canyon Phuket Championship from November 25-28, followed the week after by the Laguna Phuket Championship. The two US$1 million tournaments are part of the 2020-21 season ending events, with two final ones planned for Singapore in January.
HONG KONG, CHINA – JANUARY 11: Miguel Tabuena of Philippines tees off during the third round of the Hong Kong Open at the Hong Kong Golf Club on January 11, 2020 in Hong Kong. (Photo by Yu Chun Christopher Wong/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
Tabuena has been starved of playing opportunities because of the pandemic, but when he has competed he has seized the opportunity, including winning an event in September run by the PGA of America.
He added: “Playing practice rounds with myself and Cam is a no brainer; I can shoot six or seven under with my eyes closed but when it’s actually tournament play it’s very much different, you are under pressure with your score counting, and world ranking points on the line.”
The 27-year-old from Manila was thrilled when he heard the Asian Tour would restart this month.
“It was really good to hear from Cho [Cho Minn Thant] that things were going to start to move again on the Asian Tour, so I have been preparing quite a bit. It is great for us who have full playing status on the Asian Tour. It is going to be great playing again and I am very much excited as I miss my friends on the Asian Tour.
“It will be great to see everyone, all the staff as well, who I have been very close to for the past 10 years since I have been on Tour. It will be great to see those faces again.
“But I am just grateful that we get to play golf again especially in Asia and be part of this new partnership with Greg Norman!”
He said his game could be better but as of now he is pretty much ready for Phuket.
He has a Monday qualifier for the Houston Open next week and will fly to Phuket on November 18.
“My expectations are not that high going to Phuket,” he added.
“Maybe I will contend and maybe I will not, but I won’t make a big deal out of it. It’s the first tournament back and I am glad to be part of it.”
In-form Sadom Kaewkanjana became only the sixth player from Thailand to win the Thailand Open when he claimed the title at Riverdale Golf Club yesterday.
The 23 year old secured a four-shot victory over compatriot Prom Meesawat in the 49th staging of the event.
Sadom closed with a five-under-par 66 to win with a total of 23 under, and make it three wins on home soil this year. He won the SINGHA-SAT Phuket Classic on the Lakes Course at Blue Canyon Country Club at the beginning of October and the following week he was victorious in the Singha Laguna Phuket Open.
The rising star will be one to look out for at the forthcoming two-leg Asian Tour Phuket Series which will be played at the same two venues – although the Canyon Course will be used for the Blue Canyon event.
Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai, who won Singha Pattaya Open the week before, and countryman Suradit Yongcharoenchai were tied for third.
Sadom, who did not drop a shot in the last two rounds, received the King Rama IV trophy and a cheque for 1.5 million baht (about US$44,885).
The tournament was due to be staged on the Asian Tour but was prevented from doing so by the pandemic. It was therefore sanctioned by the All Thailand Golf Tour and it marked the fourth time Sadom has won on the circuit.
The other Thai winners of the country’s oldest golf event are: Prom’s father Suthep Meesawat (1991), Boonchu Ruangkit (1992 and 2004), Prayad Marksaeng (2013), Rattanon Wannasrichan (2017) and Panuphol Pittayarat (2018).
“I feel really happy to win this trophy and I think every Thai golfer wants to win this one,” said Sadom, who won the 2019 Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open on the Asian Tour.
“I try to hit fairways as much as I could and this week I managed to play my game without any pressure.”
Fourteen-year-old amateur Ratchanon Chantananuwat shot 66 to finish 16th and finish as the low amateur.
“I am really proud because it is a big tournament and there are many great golfers in the tournament,” he said.
He also plans to compete in the Asian Tour Phuket Swing.
Former world #1 and World Golf Hall of Fame member, Greg Norman, has today been announced as CEO of a newly formed company, LIV Golf Investments, a move which will set in motion a number of momentous developments for professional golf worldwide.
Norman’s first order of business is the announcement of a ground-breaking series of 10 new marquee events to be staged annually on the Asian Tour over the next 10 years, representing a total commitment of over $200m to support playing opportunities and prize funds. The move represents one of the single biggest investments in the history of professional golf.
The series will be added to the Asian Tour schedule from 2022 onwards, with new events across Asia, the Middle East and Europe. It has been designed to drive greater engagement amongst fans, attract new commercial interest and to help stabilize professional golf following a sustained period of worldwide disruption and uncertainty.
Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
“This is only the beginning,” commented Norman. “LIV Golf Investments has secured a major capital commitment that will be used to create additive new opportunities across worldwide professional golf. We will be a cooperative and respectful supporter of the game at every level, and today’s announcement alongside the Asian Tour is the first example of that.
“I have been a staunch supporter and believer in playing and developing golf in Asia for more than four decades. The Asian Tour is a sleeping giant and we share ambition to grow the series and unlock what we believe is significant untapped potential. We see our promotion of these new events as a vital first step in supporting emerging markets, creating a new platform, rich with playing opportunities that create valuable player pathways.”
LIV Golf Investments has been established with group companies in the USA, UK, with Asian offices to follow. Several high-profile C-Suite executives have already been appointed, with further announcements to follow in due course. PIF, one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds with a diverse international investment portfolio, is the majority shareholder in the new company. Plans are in place to introduce further investment partners, who share the passion and belief in how new opportunities in professional golf can create widespread benefit for fans and players.
“This is the single biggest development in the history of the Asian Tour and a major milestone for professional golf,” said Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer, Asian Tour. “The opportunity will secure unprecedented new playing opportunities, establish new player pathways, allow us to compete commercially with other sports, and enhance our social agenda.
“We are particularly excited at the prospect today’s landmark announcement brings to the amateur game, providing new inspiration to aspiring players through a new level of top-flight professional competition in the region.”
The series will add to the Asian Tour’s backbone of established events to comprise a 25-event season, expected to represent a record-breaking combined prize-fund in 2022. Each of the 10 new events will be broadcast live across the globe, with plans to attract an international field of headline talent through an open eligibility category regardless of Tour affiliation so opportunities are available to the broadest cross section of players.
Today’s announcement closely follows the striking of a new 10-year partnership between the Asian Tour and Golf Saudi, the organisers of the Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers, which will see the event become the flagship tournament on the Asian Tour, featuring an impressive increased prize fund of $5m. The Saudi International will not be one of the 10 new events to feature as part of the new series but will itself provide enhanced exemption requirements.
Further signals of increased prosperity for the Asian Tour also came recently with the announcement that competitive play will soon recommence following a postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its suspended 2020/21 season will draw to a close with the staging of two new tournaments in Thailand in November and December 2021, and two further tournaments planned for Singapore in January 2022.
The new series of 10 events will take place throughout 2022, with all full-field events contributing towards the Order of Merit ranking.
Further details on the new series, including a reveal of the brand and series name, will follow in the near future.
About LIV Golf Investments
LIV Golf Investments is a newly formed company, with group companies in the USA and UK, with Asian offices to follow. Its remit is to holistically improve the health of professional golf on a truly global scale and support existing stakeholders to help unlock the sports’ untapped potential. Greg Norman is the first and founding CEO of LIV Golf Investments. PIF, one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds with a diverse international investment portfolio, is the majority shareholder in LIV Golf Investments.
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