Asian Tour New Season Starts With 112th Anniversary Smart Infinity Philippine Open

9 months ago by Comments Off on Asian Tour New Season Starts With 112th Anniversary Smart Infinity Philippine Open

This week heralds the first event on the new Asian Tour season with the Smart Infinity Philippine Open in Manilla.

While 2025 also marks the 30th year since the first Asian Tour event, this week will be the 112th anniversary of the Smart Infinity Philippine Open since the inaugural hosting of the event in 1913 and won by American amateur JRH Mason.

How many countries can boast a national open championship with such a long history?

The tournament has been played every year since with the exception of 1930 and ’31 and also 1945-47.

Among the legendary former champions is Australian Peter Thomson in 1964, who had won four of his five Open Championship trophies, American Lloyd Magnum and winner of the 1946 US Open plus local Phillipines hero Larry Montes who captured his ‘home’ Open a remarkable 12 times from 1929 through to 1954.

Filipino Miguel Tabuena this week will look to the win his country’s National Open three times when he tees-off Thursday on the host Manila Southwoods Golf & Country Club.

“It’s when I first felt I belonged on the Asian Tour,” said the 30-year-old about his win that year, when the event was played in Luisita.

“It was probably one of my proudest moments as a professional. It is also a different level if you win an Asian Tour event in your home country. I hope I keep it in Filipino hands this week.”

Surprisingly, this week marks the first time that the event has been played on the Asian Tour since that famous when win by the young Filipino, who was 21 at the time and a professional for four years.

“It was special,” he added, “it was surreal, and I can remember every single part of it. Hopefully, I can get the feeling again.”

Tabuena did not win on Tour last year, but he is coming off the back of an outstanding season that saw his finish seventh on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, thanks to recording two top threes, a fourth, a fifth and seven top 10s in total.

Most of the results came during a busy end to the year, after which he was in need of a well deserved break.

He said: “My game is good, it’s not the sharpest, but I don’t think anyone here will be sharp coming off the break. It’s not a very long off season for us. Especially for me, I ended it the second week of December and I just had to take some time off, it was a very packed end to the season last year.

“I just wanted to restart and just slow down for a bit. Obviously, I knew the consequences of not being as sharp but it’s still nice to build momentum through the start of the season.”

 

This week’s event, which boasts prizemoney of US$500,000, is the season-opener on the Asian Tour, and Tabuena, whose most recent win on the Asian Tour came at the DGC Open presented by Mastercard in 2023, is thrilled the regional circuit is back on his home turf.

“It’s going to be a different week. It’s nice to be in my home country. There can be some local knowledge that can be crucial this week,” explained the Filipino, who mentioned he practices regularly at Manila Southwoods, and even more so when he heard the Smart Infinity Philippine Open was being played there.

“It’s nice to see all the faces I am used to seeing on Tour in the Philippines a& nd I hope I make everyone feel as welcome as possible.”

European Tour followers may remember Tabuena from 2019 when he equalled the record for the most birdies equalled the number of birdies over an opening nine holes to share the clubhouse lead with Kristoffer Reitan on day one of the ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth.

Also, in this week’s field is the Americans Chase Koepka, Andy Ogletree and Michael Maguire plus England’s popular Steve Lewton.

  • With thanks Asian Tour 

 



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