Tabuena rallies to seize crown

MIGUEL Tabuena found a small opening and made the most out of it yesterday, closing out with a two-under-par 70 for a come-from-behind triumph in the rich ICTSI Anvaya Cove Invitational in Morong, Bataan.

After blowing a six-stroke second round lead and starting the day four shots behind Antonio Lascuña, the 21-year-old Tabuena patiently kept himself in the hunt before pouncing on the third round leader’s final nine meltdown for the win.

Tabuena, also the reigning Philippine Open champion, birdied three of his first five holes coming home and eventually won the season’s first offering by three over Clyde Mondilla with a 279 total after Lascuña wound up with a horrendous 78.

Mondilla rallied with a 68 to nip Lascuña for second at 282, while Dutchman Guido Van Der Valk and Japan’s Toru Nakajima finished with 284s returning 71 and 73, respectively.

It was the second straight time that this tournament was decided on the final day, that a big lead was lost and Lascuña crumbled and couldn’t finish it off.

Last year, Angelo Que rallied from six shots down with a final round 64 to pip Lascuña.

That score stood as the course record until Tabuena blitzed the field in the opening round with a career-best 62, taking a six-shot lead over Bayron and looking headed for a cruise until ballooning to a 77 on Friday and yielding the lead to Lascuña.

“I was confident that I could do it and I am happy that I made it,” Tabuena said before rushing back to Manila to accept an accolade from the Philippine Sportswriters Association as one of its Athletes of the Year 2015 together with boxers Donnie Nietes and Nonito Donaire.

“He played better and I played bad,” Lascuña said in Filipino, referring to Tabuena.