Asian Tour Yearbook: 2023

TABUENA OVERWHELMED AT STUNNING COMEBACK RASHID LEFT TO RUE ANOTHER NEAR MISS Miguel Tabuena [RIGHT] claimed his first Asian Tour title in four years. M iguel Tabuena and Rashid Khan know all about the highs and lows of being a touring professional. Since their junior days around the turn of the century, Filipino Tabuena and Indian Khan were routinely touted as golfing stars of the future. They have duly lived upto those expectations. However, despite considerable successes, there have been bumps along the road in the shape of injuries and lack of form. Both have needed to display resilience to remain competitive and relevant on the Asian Tour. Tabuena savoured his maiden Asian Tour triumph at the Philippine Open in 2015. A year later, he was recognised as joint Sportsman of the Year by the Philippine Sportswriters Association. A second Asian Tour title followed at the Queen’s Cup in Thailand at the end of 2018. From there, though, Tabuena’s fortunes floundered to the point that he only just kept his Tour card on the Order of Merit in 2022, claiming the last spot. Khan’s career has followed a not dissimilar path to Tabuena. A star in the amateur game, he was part of the Indian team that won the silver medal at the 2010 Asian Games. He turned professional soon after and won twice on the Asian Tour in 2014, the SAIL-SBI Open at Delhi Golf Club and the Chiangmai Golf Classic in Thailand. For both Tabuena and Khan it seemed inevitable that further triumphs would follow their early breakthroughs. Yet four and nine years respectively after their last victories, Tabuena and Khan were still awaiting that elusive third Asian Tour win. Heading into the final round of the second edition of The DGC Open presented by Mastercard, a belated return to the winner’s enclosure was uppermost in both of their thoughts at the sixth leg of the Asian Tour’s 2023 season. For Khan, in particular, an end to his long and frustrating victory drought appeared well within his range as he sat proudly atop the 54-hole leaderboard – three strokes clear of second-placed compatriot Chikkarangappa S. Also showing a welcome return to form 57 THE DGC OPEN PR E SEN T ED BY MA ST ERCA RD D E L H I GO L F C L U B | MA R C H 1 6 - 1 9 , 2 0 2 3 | P R I Z E MON E Y U S $ 7 5 0 , 0 0 0