PINOY ACE Miguel Tabuena stayed on track for a potential spot in next year’s LIV Golf League as he held on to No. 2 in the latest International Series (IS) Rankings.
The IS Philippines champion finished joint 21st in the Link Hong Kong Open last Sunday, earning 54.74 ranking points to lift his tally to 221.19 and maintain his standing behind pacesetting Scott Vincent of Zimbabwe (325.59).
From here, Mr. Tabuena would need a strong showing in the two events of the IS series — the Moutai Singapore Open on Nov. 6 to 9 and the PIF Saudi International on Nov. 19 to 22 — to get in.
Originally, only the top-ranked golfer at the end of the season would punch a ticket to LIV Golf, but in a welcome development, LIV Golf expanded it to Top 2.
As such, Mr. Tabuena would need to just hang on to No. 2, if not overtake Mr. Vincent altogether, to join the likes of Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Joaquin Niemann, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Cameron Smith in the elite league that features 54-hole events.
Chasing Messrs. Vincent and Tabuena for the all-important spots are Wade Ormsby of Australia (195.0), Kazuki Higa of Japan (160.87) and Danthai Boonma of Thailand (142.47).
“We offer a proven, open pathway onto the LIV Golf League and with this season’s route offering not one but two opportunities to progress, there is a real life-changing opportunity for the players to grasp,” Rahul Singh, head of The International Series, said in announcing the two “golden tickets” to LIV Golf on Monday. — Olmin Leyba
