Tabuena rallies for ICTSI win, OOM title

Miguel Tabuena. Photo from Inquirer Golf

Miguel Tabuena held sway in a most trying day, closing out with a one-under-par 71 to win the ICTSI Open Championship in come-from-behind style over Antonio Lascuña and Angelo Que at Wack Wack’s vaunted East layout.

Keeping his poise when the others couldn’t, Tabuena erased a four-stroke overnight deficit to win by four as Lascuña got unraveled early and Que finished with a whimper, tallying a total 287 over the tree-lined layout.

The 20-year-old Tabuena was the only one who cracked par in the final day, sealing the deal with a 15-foot putt for birdie on the 71st hole to win the P650,000 champion’s purse and take the Order of Merit lead from three-time defending champion Lascuña.

Starting the day protecting what looked like a comfortable lead, Lascuña double-bogeyed the tough par-3 eighth hole and totally lost in from there, shooting a career-worst final round 79 for 291.

The foldup was quite uncharacteristic for the 44-year-old Lascuña, whose poise and composure have never been in doubt in the past.

After the double, Lascuña bogeyed the next two and then yielded three more shots in his last five holes, playing his final 11 holes at seven-over-par.

“I didn’t expect to win with Tony (Lascuña) in the lead,” Tabuena, who has now won three legs this season with two more left in the circuit, said. “I just stayed patient in the last six holes and focused on every birdie opportunity.”

Que opened up with a bogey and dropped shots in two of his last three holes for a 73 to catch Lascuña, with former Philippine Open champion Cassius Casas shooting a 76 to be at 292.

Charles Hong and Orlan Sumcad returned 72s and finished with 294 and 295 tallies, respectively with second round leader Zannie Boy Gialon ballooning to an 81 to wind up eight shots off the pace.