Perth, Australia, February 15: Philippines’ Miguel Tabuena is ready to make his maiden professional debut at the ISPS Handa Perth International an unforgettable one when the A$1.75 million event starts next week.
Tabuena was only 14 when the Asian Tour last made its visit to Australia in 2009.
However, with the ISPS Handa Perth International making a welcome return to the Tour’s schedule after a seven-year lapse, the Filipino is understandably excited about teeing up at the Lake Karrinyup Country Club from February 25 to 28.
“I’ve never played in Australia as a professional before. So this will be my first time. I played in Melbourne before as an amateur and I haven’t been back since.
“It will be nice to see Perth and its culture. I’ve also been talking to the Australian players and they have been telling me the course is in good shape and I can’t wait to tee up there,” said the 21-year-old.
The young Filipino has been enjoying a good run of form since his breakthrough win on home soil last December.
He has also started off the season promisingly especially with a tied-fourth finish at the season-opening event in Singapore.
“I’m playing well and I feel that I can compete against the best. I’ve shown that with my recent performances especially in Singapore and I’m ready to do it again in Australia,” said Tabuena.
Despite his age, Tabuena has shown great maturity, learning to cope with the demands of the game.
“I’ve learnt to be more patient and have become more mature on how to handle myself on the golf course.
I could not have done it without my support back home,” said the Filipino.
The ISPS Handa Perth International is the only golf tournament in Australia to be tri-sanctioned by the Asian Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia and European Tour and will feature over 20 tournament winners from the Asian Tour including Malaysia’s Nicholas Fung, Thailand’s Prom Meesawat and Sri Lanka’s Mithun Perera.
Major winner Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa will also headline the event alongside the stars from Europe including Italy’s Matteo Manassero and France’s Victor Dubuisson.
Tickets for the Perth International start from $22 and are available now at perthinternational.com or directly at Ticketmaster. Children under 16 will gain free entry with a paying adult ticket holder.
For general event information visit perthinternational.com and stay up to date on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/PerthInternationalGolf and Twitter - @PerthIntl.
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About the Asian Tour
As the official sanctioning body for professional golf in Asia, the Asian Tour leads the development of golf across the region, enhancing the careers of its members while maintaining a commitment to the integrity of the game. The Asian Tour, through its membership of the International Federation of PGA Tours, is the only recognised pan-Asian professional golf tour in Asia. This unique feature positions the Asian Tour at the pinnacle of professional golf in Asia; providing its events with Official World Ranking status. Tour Partners include FENIX Golf (Official Apparel Supplier), Fuji Xerox (Official Office Solutions Partner), Hilton Worldwide (Official Hotel Partner), Titleist (Official Web Partner) and Rolex (Official Timekeeper). Sentosa, Singapore is the Home of the Asian Tour which also has an office in Kuala Lumpur. Also, visit us at www.asiantour.com, www.facebook.com/asiantourgolf, www.twitter.com/asiantourgolf, www.youtube.com/theasiantour and www.weibo.com/asiantourgolf.