Golf Events from the Weekend 20th December 2015

Well it was another awesome weekend on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this week the Asian Tour headed to the Philippines for the final event of the 2015 season and it was the Philippine Open presented by ICTSI and it was played on the Luisita Golf & Country Club, Philippines. It carried a good prize purse of US $300,000 for the taking. Marcus Both (Australia) was the defending Champion and was keen to defend his title. And it was the golfer by the name of Miguel Tabuena (Philippines) who scored rounds of 67-5, 69-3 and a brilliant final round of 66-6 for a fifty four hole total of 202-14 in the rain shortened event due to poor weather from the recent Typhoon that struck the Philippines and he won by a single shot for his maiden Asian Tour win of his career. He earned US $54,000 for the win and finished in twenty third position on the final 2015 Asian Tour Order of Merit with US $166,204 earned from the fifteen events he played in. Anirban Lahiri (India) won the 2015 Asian Tour Order on Merit with US $1,139,084 earned from the nine events he played in. Miguel Tabuena (Philippines) will be happy with his three rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his 66-6 in the final round!! 

 

Miguel Tabuena (Philippines) hits an iron shot during the final round

Miguel Tabuena (Philippines) played a brilliant final round of 66-6 which included a front nine of 35-1 which saw him birdie the par four, fourth hole, par five, fifth hole but his lone bogey came on the par three, sixth hole and he made the turn at minus nine and was three shots behind the leader. Scott Barr (Australia) went out in 33-3 and made the turn at minus twelve and was leading by three shots. Himmat Rai (India) went out in 32-4 and made the turn at minus seven and was five shots behind the leader. Chinnarat Phadungsil (Thailand) went out in 34-2 and made the turn at minus nine and was three shots behind the leader. 

Miguel Tabuena (Philippines) played holes ten to fourteen in an amazing four under par which included birdies on the par four, tenth hole, par five, twelfth hole, par three, thirteenth hole and par four, fourteenth hole and he moved to minus thirteen and was now leading by a single shot. Scott Barr (Australia) played holes ten to fourteen in even par which included a birdie on the par four, fourteenth hole and a bogey on the par four, tenth hole and he remained at minus twelve but was now one shot behind the leader. Himmat Rai (India) played holes ten to fourteen in two under par which included birdies on the par four, tenth hole and par four, fourteenth hole and he moved to minus nine and was now only four shots behind the leader. Chinnarat Phadungsil (Thailand) played holes ten to fourteen in three under par which included birdies on the par four, tenth hole, par five, twelfth hole and par three, thirteenth hole and he moved to minus twelve and now was only one shot behind the leader. 

Miguel Tabuena (Philippines) played holes fifteen to seventeen in one under par and it included a birdie on the par five, sixteenth hole and he moved to minus fourteen and was now leading by two shots heading to the par four, seventy second tee. Scott Barr (Australia) played holes fifteen to seventeen in even par which included a birdie on the par four, fifteenth hole and a bogey on par three, seventeenth hole and he remained at minus twelve and was now two shots behind the leader heading to the par four, seventy second tee.  Himmat Rai (India) played holes fifteen to seventeen in two under par which included birdies on the par four, fifteenth hole and par three, seventeenth hole and he moved to minus eleven and now was only three shots behind the leader heading to the par four, seventy second tee. Chinnarat Phadungsil (Thailand) played holes fifteen to seventeen in even par which included making three straight pars and he remained at minus twelve heading to the par four, seventy second tee. 

Himmat Rai (India) who was playing a few groups ahead of the final group made a good birdie on the par four, fifty fourth hole and finished the fifty four holes on minus twelve and was two shots behind the winner. Chinnarat Phadungsil (Thailand) who was playing in the group ahead of the final group made a solid par at the par four, fifty fourth hole and finished the fifty four holes at minus twelve and was two shots behind the winner. Scott Barr (Australia) who was playing in the final group with Miguel Tabuena (Philippines) made a very good birdie up the par four, fifty fourth hole and finished the fifth four holes at minus thirteen and was one shot behind the winner. Miguel Tabuena (Philippines) stood on the par four, fifty fourth tee with a two shot lead and knew a par was all he needed to gain his maiden Asian Tour win. And he did exactly that with making an easy par four and he finished the fifty four holes at minus fourteen to win by a single shot!! He scored 31-5 on the back nine which was brilliant!! He got a huge hug and high five from his caddie!! 

He was interviewed by the local television reporter and told him “I’m glad the Philippine Open is my first Asian Tour title,” he also said “I’m really happy that my name will be on this prestigious trophy alongside some of the legends in golf in Asia’s oldest National Open.” He also said “I gave myself a goal at the start of the day which was to shoot a 66 or lower. There are a lot of birdie chances and people can make a move. I was one-under after the turn and I thought I lost some ground. I knew I needed to go out with all guns blazing,” And he also said “You have to take your defeats as a positive and remind yourself that it is part of the process. It definitely made me a stronger golfer mentally. It helped a lot that I had already saved my Asian Tour card for 2016 earlier this year. I knew I was playing for the win”. “I played really well here before and I won on this course on the local circuit. I’m without words really. I’m happy and glad with the victory,”

 

Miguel Tabuena (Philippines) kisses the Philippine Open Trophy he won!!

Miguel Tabuena (Philippines) agonisingly missed out on a first Asian Tour win at the 2014 Yeangder Tournament Players Championship in Chinese Taipei when he was defeated by Prom Meesawat (Thailand) on the second play-off hole. His runner-up result and one other top-10 earned him a full card for 2015, the first time he had achieved the feat in his young career. His best moment in 2012 came on home soil at the ICTSI Philippine Open where he went into the final round, one shot back of Singaporean veteran Mardan Mamat (Singapore). He had a round to forget though after closing with an 81 which eventually saw him take a share of eleventh place. He missed out on his full playing rights for 2012 when he ended the 2011 season in 62nd place on the Order of Merit, a mere US$250 short of Keith Horne (RSA) who sealed the last full tour card. Miguel’s Tabuena (Philippines) highlights for the year came at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters where he finished fourth. In 2013, Miguel’s Tabuena (Philippines) best placing was a tied sixth result at the Solaire Open on home soil. The teenager finished in the top-40 of the 2011 Asian Tour Qualifying Final Stage in Thailand as an amateur and subsequently turned professional in February. The highly rated teenager was also a silver medalist winner in the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China in 2010. Due to his playing schedule, Miguel Tabuena (Philippines) is home-schooled. Apart from his maiden win on the Asian Tour this past week he has also won seven times previous on the Philippine Golf Tour and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2012 ICTSI Splendido Classic, Philippines, 2012 Eastridge Classic, Philippines, 2014 ICTSI Manila Masters, 2015 Splendido Classic, Philippines, 2015 ICTSI Rancho Palos Verdes Classic, Philippines, 2015 ICTSI Open Championship, Philippines, 2015 Central Azucarera de Tarlac Open, Philippines. Let’s hope he can continue this form into the 2016 Asian Tour season and perhaps achieve his second Asian Tour win? I wish him all the best for 2016 Asian Tour season. 

Coming in solo second position on 203-13 after fifty four holes was Scott Barr (Australia); he earned US $33,000.00 for his efforts and finished in forty ninth position on the final 2015 Asian Tour Order of Merit with US $90,870 earned from the fifteen events he played in this season. He will be happy with his three rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his 66-6 in the second round which included a front nine 30-6!! And it was also the equal low round of the day!! But he will be disappointed with how he played the back in the final round when he was leading with only scoring 35-1 especially the bogey he made on the par three, seventeenth hole!! But he will also gain a lot of confidence out of this runner up finish and with it he kept his full playing status for 2016 on the Asian Tour. Scott Barr (Australia) enjoyed three top-10s in 2014 to safely keep his card for the twelfth successive season. He has come close on several occasions to winning his first title. In 2012, he led at the SAIL Open before finishing third. Scott Barr (Australia) qualified for his second Major Championship appearance at the US Open in 2011. He also enjoyed a solid season in 2010 with two seventh place finishes at the Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters and Mercuries Taiwan Masters and a second place finish at the Iskandar Johor Open. In 2009, Scott Barr (Australia) was tied fifth at the Brunei Open and equal seventh at the Macau Open. In 2008, the Singapore-based Scott Barr (Australia) enjoyed a tied eleventh and joint twelfth finish in successive weeks at the Johnnie Walker Classic in India and Maybank Malaysian Open. Finished tied sixth in the Hana Bank Vietnam Masters at the end of the season. In 2007, he registered six top-10s. In 2006, he finished runner-up at the Macau Open for the second time in four years. In 2005, Scott Barr (Australia) enjoyed his career season to date so far. The Aussie savoured a second place finish in the Okinawa Open and Thailand Open, where he lost in a play-off to Kiwi Richard Lee (NZL). He shot an albatross in the Maekyung Open in Korea. In 2004 Scott Barr (Australia) achieved a career high when he qualified for the British Open. Prior to that, he played on the Australasian Tour from 1995 to 1999 but quit playing after a water skiing accident saw him suffer a neck injury. He became a teaching professional in Singapore Island Country Club but got his big break in 2003 when he played in the Macau Open. Led after the second and third rounds but was caught by Scotland's Colin Montgomerie (Scotland) in the final round and then edged out in the play-off. The man from Canberra says he enjoys the stock and real estate markets. He has started a business in Singapore dealing with barbeque grills and has spent time doing TV commentary. Let’s hope he can continue this form into the 2016 Asian Tour season and achieve his maiden win. I wish him all the best for the 2016 Asian Tour season. 

Coming in tied for third position at 204-12 after fifty four holes was Himmat Rai (India); he earned US $16,950.00 for his efforts and finished in thirty first position on the final 2015 Asian Tour Order of Merit with US $139,473 earned from the twelve events he played in this season. He will be happy with his three rounds this week that were all under par especially his 63-9 in the final round which was the low round of the day and the tournament!! Himmat Rai (India) (born 18 May 1987) is an Indian professional golfer who won the 2011 ISPS Handa Singapore Classic. He has also won the 2009 PGTI Players Championship on the professional golf tour of India. Himmat Rai (India) broke through in a big way when he won the ISPS Handa Singapore Classic in style, prevailing in a five-way play-off that stretched over six holes at Orchid Country Club in 2011. He holed a 25-foot birdie to pip Filipino Elmer Salvador for his first Asian Tour title. Also registered top-10s at the Panasonic Open India and Hero Indian Open. His best result in 2012 was tied fourth at the Queen’s Cup in Thailand followed by another top-10 at the Yeangder Tournament Players’ Championship in Chinese Taipei. It was a mixed season for Himmat Rai (India) in 2013 where his best result was tied ninth at the Avantha Masters on home soil. He regained his playing privileges with a tied-twelve place finish at the 2015 Qualifying School. He was introduced to the game by his father at the age of six. Took the game of golf seriously at the age of 12 and won his first title on the Professional Golf Tour of India two years after turning professional. He is one of the most methodical golfers on Tour. I wish him all the best for the 2016 Asian Tour season. 

The other player to tie for third position was Chinnarat Phadungsil (Thailand); he also earned US $16,950.00 for his efforts and finished in fifty sixth position on the final 2015 Asian Tour Order of Merit with US $ 77,873 earned from the fifteen events he played in this season. He will be happy with his three rounds this week that were all under par especially his first and final rounds that were both 67-5s!! Chinnarat Phadungsil (Thailand) (born 1 November 1988) is a Thai professional golfer who plays on the Asian Tour and the European Tour. Chinnarat Phadungsil (Thailand) was born in Chantaburi, Thailand. As an amateur, he won tournaments in Asia, Australia and the United States. His most notable win came at the 15-17 age group event at the Junior World Golf Championships in San Diego, California. He won the 2005 Double A International Open on the Asian Tour at the age of 17 years and five days, becoming the youngest person to win on the Asian Tour. He trailed by five shots going into the final round but forced a playoff with a final round of 67 which included three birdies on the final holes. He defeated Shiv Kapur (India) in a playoff to win the tournament. The win also made him the third amateur to win a professional tournament in Asia. He turned professional right after the victory. Chinnarat Phadungsil (Thailand) won his second event on the Asian Tour at the 2006 Crowne Plaza Open. He was two shots back with three holes left in the tournament and birdied holes 16 and 18 to force a playoff. He defeated Prom Meesawat (Thailand) and Lin Wen-tang (Taiwan) in the playoff. As a rookie on tour, he finished in twenty ninth on the Order of Merit. He almost picked up his third Asian Tour victory at the 2007 Midea China Classic but fell to Thaworn Wiratchant (Thailand) in a playoff. He finished twentieth on the Order of Merit in 2007. In 2008 he recorded four top-10 finishes and finished in 38th on the Order of Merit. He earned his European Tour card for 2009 by finished tied for twelfth at qualifying school. Chinnarat Phadungsil (Thailand) won his third event on the Asian Tour at the 2009 Queen's Cup. He entered the final round a stroke behind the leader but a final round of 67 (-4) including three birdies on the last five holes saw him win the tournament by a margin of three strokes. I wish him all the best for the 2016 Asian Tour season. 

Rounding out the top nine in tied for fifth position at 206-10 after fifty four holes was Seukhyun Baek (South Korea); he earned US $ 8,922.00 for his efforts finished in sixty ninth position on the final 2015 Asian Tour Order of Merit with US $51,091 earned from the eleven events he played in this season and unfortunately he failed to keep his full playing status for the 2016 Asian Tour season. He will be happy with his three rounds this week that were all under par especially his final round 66-6 which was blemish free and included a front nine 32-4 where he had four straight birdies from the fifth to eighth holes!! Seukhyun Baek (South Korea) was denied his maiden Asian Tour win in 2014 when he was pipped to the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters by Anirban Lahiri (India), who eagled the last hole for a one-shot win. The Korean also missed an opportunity at the Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters in 2013 where he led up till the fifteenth hole in the final round but settled for third place after dropping three shots in his last three holes. He enjoyed one of his best seasons ever by finishing in ninth place on the Order of Merit after posting eight top-10s. Seukhyun Baek (South Korea) earned his Asian Tour card in 2010 at the Qualifying School. He burst into life with a tied tenth placing at the King’s Cup in Thailand and surprised even himself when he took the second and third round lead at the Hero Indian Open and was on the brink of victory but faded with a final round 73 to finish in second place, two strokes from the champion Rikard Karlberg of Sweden. Seukhyun Baek (South Korea) has been based in Thailand since 2004 and speaks fluent Thai as well. Let’s hope he can regain his full playing status back for 2016 Asian Tour at the qualifying school in early January. I wish him all the best for the 2016 Asian Tour season. 

Also tied for fifth position was Simon Griffiths (England); he too earned US $ 8,922.00 for his efforts finished in 122nd position on the final 2015 Asian Tour Order of Merit with US $10,242 earned from the four events he played in this season and unfortunately he failed to keep his full playing status for the 2016 Asian Tour season. He will be happy with his three rounds that were all under par especially his second and final rounds that were consecutive 68-4s!! Simon Griffiths (England) finished sixty sixth on the Order of Merit in 2010 but fought his way to a tied twenty fifth outing at the Qualifying School in Thailand in January of 2011 to regain his playing rights. He started the year with four straight cuts and his best result of the year came in tied eighth place at the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship in Chinese Taipei. In 2012, Simon Griffiths’s (England) best result was a tied eleventh finish at the King’s Cup. The Englishman produced his best performance on Tour when he finished tied second at the Volvo China Open in 2008. The result was enough to help him seal his Tour card for 2009 as he ended the year in twenty first position on the rankings. Simon Griffiths (England) started 2009 strongly with a tied eleventh place at the Asian Tour International in Thailand. One other top-10 at the Indonesia Open and four top-30s helped secure his 2010 Tour card with a forty sixth place finish on the Order of Merit. Simon Griffiths (England) made his debut on the Asian Tour in 2006 and enjoyed a flying start with a tied fifth finish at the Aamby Valley Asian Masters in India. He went on to register a tied tenth finish in the Brunei Open. In 2007, he safely kept his card by finishing forty fourth on the money list, thanks to a second place finish at the Hana Bank Vietnam Masters. Partnered Ross Fisher (England), a multiple winner on the European Tour, and won back-to-back titles at the Sunningdale Foursomes in England in 2003 and 2004. He picked up golf at the age of seven at the famed Wentworth Golf Club in London where his father is a member. Has played on the European Challenge Tour where his best finish was seventh at Formby Hall Challenge in 2003. Let’s hope he can regain his full playing status back for 2016 Asian Tour at the qualifying school in early January. I wish him all the best for the 2016 Asian Tour season. 

Also tied for fifth position was Jeunghun Wang (South Korea); he too earned US $ 8,922.00 for his efforts finished in ninth position on the final 2015 Asian Tour Order of Merit with US $218,988 earned from the sixteen events he played in this season. He will be happy with his three rounds this week that were all under par especially his first round 67-5!! Jeunghun Wang (South Korea) enjoyed a stellar season in 2014 where he didn’t miss a single cut in sixteen Asian Tour events. He came close to winning the Dubai Open before settling for second which was his best result on the Asian Tour. He led by one with one hole to play on the last day but dropped a double bogey to lose to Arjun Atwal (India).  He also contended in the Resorts World Manila Masters. He lived in the Philippines for six years when he was a junior golfer as it was “cheaper” for his golf career. His close affinity with the country has seen him do well in all Asian Tour events staged in the Philippines since 2013. He has one PRO WIN: (1) 2014 Mission Hills Haikou Open, China. AMATEUR WINS: (5) Carlubang Amateur Open 2010, DHL National Golf Championship 2011, Philippines Amateur Championship 2011, YoungIn Univ. President Cup 2010, Sports Chosun Cup 2010. Let’s hope he can continue this form into the 2016 Asian Tour season and I wish him all the best for the 2016 Asian Tour season. 

Also tied for fifth position was Niall Turner (IRL); he too earned US $ 8,922.00 for his efforts finished in fifty eighth position on the final 2015 Asian Tour Order of Merit with US $70,440 earned from the ten events he played in this season. He will be happy with his three rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his 68-4 in the second round!! He will be also really happy that he secured his full playing status for the 2016 Asian Tour season. Niall Turner (IRL) made his Asian Tour debut in 2011 and claimed three top-20s in his first nine months on Tour. Made a strong start to 2012 when he contended for the Handa Faldo Cambodian Classic before finishing third. He also finished top-20 in three other events during the season. Niall Turner (IRL) is one of the tallest players on Tour. He was an avid tennis player before turning his attention to golf. He won one professional tournament on the ASIAN DEVELOPMENT TOUR which was the 2014 Linc Group Jakarta Classic. I wish him all the best the 2016 Asian Tour season. 

The final player to tie for fifth position was Keith Horne (RSA); he too earned US $ 8,922.00 for his efforts finished in fifty ninth position on the final 2015 Asian Tour Order of Merit with US $69,977 earned from the eleven events he played in this season. He will be happy with his three rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his 68-4 in the second round!! He will be also really happy that he secured his full playing status for the 2016 Asian Tour season. Keith Weller Horne (RSA) (born 9 June 1971) is a professional golfer from South Africa. Keith Horne (RSA) was born in Durban and had a successful amateur career. In 1993, Keith Horne (RSA) won a Silver Medal at the World Games in Spain. He turned professional in 1996. After turning professional in 1996, Keith Horne (RSA) immediately joined the local Sunshine Tour, the richest professional golf tour in South Africa. His first professional win came in 1998 at the Vodacom Series: Kwazulu Natal. After that, he had a few off-seasons until he won a few unofficial Pro-Ams in 2003. His second official win came in 2007 at the MTC Namibia PGA Championship. He won again a year later at the Nashua Golf Challenge. Keith Horne (RSA) also holds membership on the Asian Tour, where he has yet to win. In 2010, a runner-up finish in the Joburg Open, and a top-10 finish at the Singapore Open, both events which are co-sanctioned with the European Tour meant that Keith Horne (RSA) earned enough to have a full European Tour membership for 2011. In 2012, he picked up his fifth victory on the Sunshine Tour at the Telkom PGA Championship. He picked up two more wins in 2014 and one in 2015. Keith Horne (RSA) married his wife Karen in September 2000. He has two children, born in 2002 and 2007. He currently resides in Alberton. He has won eight times to date so far on the Sunshine Tour with his most recent win coming at the 2015 Sun City Challenge. Let’s hope he can continue this form into the 2016 Asian Tour season. I wish him all the best for the 2016 Asian Tour season. 

The top sixty three golfers on the 2015 final Asian Tour Order of Merit kept their full playing status for the 2016 season. And the happiest golfer this week apart from Miguel Tabuena (Philippines) was Unho Park (Australia) who finished in sixty third position on the final 2015 Asian Tour Order of Merit with US $61,847 earned from the nineteen events he played in this season and his full playing status on the 2016 Asian Tour season is secure!! The least happy golfer this week was Phachara Khongwatmai (Thailand) who finished in sixty fourth position on the final 2015 Asian Tour Order of Merit with US $60, 688 earned from the thirteen events he played in this season and he will now head back to Asian Tour Qualifying School in early 2016 to try and gain his full status back for the 2016 season. 

The Asian Tour recommences in mid January 2016 for EurAsia Cup presented by DRB – HICOM which is played on the Luisita Golf & Country Club, Malaysia. It carries a huge prize purse of US $4,800,000 for the taking. It is a Teams event between Europe and Asia in a Ryder Cup Style Match Play format and is only the second playing of the event. The first matches are played on Friday 15th January. The inaugural event was a tie; the Cup was shared between the teams!! I will report back the final result once it is known. 

So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list standings this week and for the final time in 2015 and coming in at Number One Position for the thirteenth week of his career is Jordan Spieth (USA) who is fresh off  his solo fourth position at the Hero World Challenge two weeks ago and also his tied for second position at the Emirates Australian Open three weeks ago with 11.68 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Jason Day (Australia) who is fresh off being part of the 2015 Team Internationals Presidents Cup narrow loss to Team USA ten weeks ago in South Korea and also his tied for tenth position at the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola twelve weeks ago with 11.12 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Rory McILroy (NIR) who is fresh off his win four weeks ago at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai and the Race to Dubai title for a third time in his career and also his tied for eleventh position at the WGC – HSBC Champions six weeks ago with 10.97 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Bubba Watson (USA) who is fresh off his tied for fifteenth position at the Thailand Golf Championship one week ago and also his win two weeks ago at the Hero World Challenge with 8.11 Official World Ranking Points and rounding out the top five on the Official World Ranking Points list standings this week is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who is fresh off his solo second position at the Nedbank Golf Challenge two weeks ago and also his tied for fifty ninth position at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai four weeks ago with 7.45 Official World Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) this week is in his fortieth week of another spell of being the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after finishing in tied for seventh position at the Franklin Templeton Shootout one week ago with his partner Retief Goosen (RSA). This week he gains one place and rises to fortieth eighth position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list standings with 2.64 Official Golf World Ranking Points.

Remember the most important shot in a game of golf is the shot you are about to play!!

This being my last golf blog of 2015 I would like to thank all the readers for their support over the past year and I will be back in the second week of January in 2016 to start my weekly report of Golf Events from the Major Professional Tours from around the world. Have a safe and Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year for 2016!! 

Source: Pgatour.com, Official World Golf Rankings, wikipedia.org, Google search engine, europeantour.com, golfchannel.com, ladieseuropeantour.com, asiantour.com