Tabuena pulls off thriller

SANTA ROSA, Laguna, Philippines — Miguel Tabuena did the unthinkable, orchestrating a jaw-dropping comeback from four holes down with eight to play to sting Angelo Que, 1-up, in a thrilling high-noon showdown in the ICTSI The Country Club Match Play Invitational here yesterday.

“I don’t think anyone who was 4-down would expect to come back. But that was early on and I told myself there are a lot of holes left,” said Tabuena, who sealed his improbable backside run with a clutch birdie putt from under 20 feet, set up by an excellent 8-iron approach from a fairway bunker on the challenging No. 18 of the TCC course.

“It was against the wind so I thought it would be much closer than that but I was happy to make the putt,” added Tabuena.

Tabuena’s triumph propelled him to the semifinals, where he faced Justin Quiban in an afternoon duel at presstime. Quiban earlier secured his spot in the Last 4 by winning No. 6 and birdieing the eighth, ultimately clinching a 3&1 victory over Jhonnel Ababa.