Manila Southwoods will host the Philippine Open golf championship for the second straight year, with management of one of the country’s most prestigious private clubs leaving no stone unturned and sparing no expense to make the 108th staging of Asia’s oldest national championship at its Masters course a memorable one.
A little over P35 million will be spent to transform the Jack Nicklaus-designed gem into the best version of itself before the first drive is struck on Nov. 12, as the 2026 Asian Tour season culminates with a talented field facing a tougher test throughout the week, with longer rough and narrower fairways.
“The Masters will be the best version that this crack field will see come the second week of next month,” Southwoods chairman Robert John Sobrepena said. “The Masters is our pride and joy, and that being said, we will make sure that the best players in the region are challenged fairly that week.”
Fairways will be narrowed to an average of 25 to 35 yards at the landing areas, while the course will play to a par-70, two strokes lower than the layout members are accustomed to.
From the black tees, the course will stretch to around 7,300 yards, setting up a risk-reward challenge. With the rough expected to grow to an average height of three to 3.5 inches, errant tee shots will be heavily penalized.
(C) Southwoods
Frenchman Julien Sale is the defending champion, while the Asian Tour and the National Golf Association of the Philippines (NGAP) have doubled this year’s prize money to $1 million (around P63 million), with support from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).
“We are just appreciative of the help the Asian Tour and the PSC have extended to make this Open a real memorable one,” NGAP president Al Panlilio said, as the Asian Tour also committed to bringing its top 20 players in the Order of Merit to the tournament.
With the prize money now reaching $1 million, the tournament could have significant implications for the final Order of Merit standings, as players on the bubble will need strong finishes to retain their Asian Tour cards for next season.
Miguel Tabuena, Justin delos Santos, and Carl Corpus, who represented the country respectably at the recent Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, will lead the Philippine charge in the 72-hole championship.
Tabuena remains the highest-ranked Filipino in the field and is eager to capture another Philippine Open title following his 2018 triumph at Luisita. Last year, however, his late charge over the final two rounds fell just short.
Delos Santos, meanwhile, was the top Filipino finisher in Nagoya and will compete in the Open for the second consecutive year.
