Tabuena secures joint 4th after late surge in Macao Open; Thais dominate

MANILA, Philippines -- Miguel Tabuena delivered one of his most impressive tournament finishes to date, firing a remarkable six-under-par over the final seven holes, capped by an eagle on the 18th, enabling him to earn joint fourth place with a 63 at the Macao Open topped by Rattanon Wannasrichan in wire-to-wire fashion on Sunday.

Tabuena excelled on the back nine of the Macau Golf and Country Club, stringing together four birdies over a six-hole stretch from No. 12 then holed out with an eagle for a 32-31 round. This effort vaulted him from a joint 10th position to a share of fourth with Asian Tour Order of Merit frontrunner John Catlin, a strong rebound after missing the cut at last week's Mercuries Taiwan Masters.

Catlin finished with a 65.

Wannasrichan, meanwhile, pulled away from fellow Thai Gunn Charoenkul, posting a fiery four-birdie spree within the first seven holes. After clinging to a one-shot lead, he built a commanding five-stroke advantage heading into the final nine, which he maintained en route to victory.

Not even a bogey on the 17th could derail his ascent to the throne, closing with a 66 for a four-day total of 20-under 260, finishing two shots ahead of Charoenkul, who settled for a 67 and a 262.

Poosit Supupramai completed Thailand’s dominance of the $1-million event with a 64, securing solo third at 264.

Tabuena's 63 was the best round of the day. After a third-round even-par 70 stalled his momentum, he regrouped on the front nine, posting back-to-back birdies to finish his opening stretch.

His only blemish came at the par-3 10th, but he quickly rebounded with birdies on the next two par-5s and hit another birdie on the par-4 15th. A solid tee shot on the penultimate hole led to yet another birdie.

Confidence surging, the ICTSI-backed ace capped his round with an eagle on the last hole, delivering a stellar finish that more than made up for last week's struggles. His performance fell just short of matching his previous third place effort at the Yeangder TPC, also held in Taiwan two weeks ago.

Looking ahead, Tabuena hopes to build on this momentum as he prepares for the $2-million Black Mountain Championship, an International Series event, in Thailand, set for October 17-20.

Boosted by his stellar play in his final eight holes, Tabuena finished with 11 fairways hit and reached 14 greens in regulation. Most importantly, he needed just 26 putts to complete his superb round.

Meanwhile, Sean Ramos struggled to a 74, finishing 67th with a 287 total.

Over in Japan, Justin delos Santos couldn't recover from a rough start in the final round of the Japan Open at Tokyo Golf Club in Saitama, also on Sunday.

After bogeying four of his first eight holes, the Filipino-American golfer settled for a 75 and a tie for 12th place with a 286 total. Shugo Imahira took the title with a come-from-behind victory, closing with a 68 for a 276 total, edging Ryosuke Kinoshita by one shot.

Despite a shaky final round, Delos Santos still secured a respectable Top 12 finish, aided by the challenging conditions that saw many contenders stumble in the closing stretch.