Miguel Tabuena is leaving no stone unturned as he prepares for the revival of the Smart Infinity Philippine Open next week.
With a new caddie on board, he has been meticulously working on his yardages and familiarizing his partner with the Manila Southwoods Masters course, where the tournament will be held.
Kenneth Quillinan, an Irishman who previously carried the bag for PGA Tour player Sang Moon-bae, began working with Tabuena and his team during a practice round on Thursday.
Quillinan will assist the Filipino star over the next three tournaments, and the duo hopes to establish a successful partnership starting next week.
“He’s been around the big tours,” Tabuena said of Quillinan after completing nine holes at the Jack Nicklaus-designed masterpiece south of Manila, where the 2025 Asian Tour season kicks off on Thursday. “It [playing nine holes] was OK.”
A two-time Philippine Open champion, having won in 2016 and 2018, Tabuena is motivated to add a third title to his name.
“I’d love to have my name written on that trophy more than two times,” he admitted. “But it’s going to be tough because a lot of very good players—all those who kept their [Asian Tour] cards, save for a few—are coming over.”
The 30-year-old is returning from a relatively longer offseason, focusing on fine-tuning his game with his coach, J3 Altea.
Together, they are working on ensuring his swing is tournament-ready.
“They exhibited great rapport out there, from what I saw,” Altea said of the Tabuena-Quillinan collaboration.
“He just wants the curvature of his shots to be where they should be,” Altea added after Tabuena’s nine-hole practice round, which was followed by a few hours on the driving range and putting practice, with Quillinan observing intently. “So far, so good.”
Tabuena leads the Philippine contingent in the prestigious 72-hole championship, which will take place on the Masters course set up as a par-70 for the first time.
The changes include converting the fourth and 15th holes into long par-4s, where most players will likely need long irons or hybrids to reach the greens in regulation.
“That’s why I don’t think we’re going to see very low scores every day,” Tabuena said. “The course has its gettable holes, but there are some that are not. So we’ll see.”
The tournament boasts a strong international field, including former Order of Merit winners Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand, Sihwan Kim of the United States, and Great Britain’s Steve Lewton. They will compete for the $90,000 champion’s purse out of the $500,000 (approximately ₱29 million) prize pool.
