Tabuena ties for 52nd despite bogey-free weekend

MANILA, Philippines -- Miguel Tabuena turned in a bogey-free performance over the final 36 holes of the LIV Golf Hong Kong, but rounds of 68 and 69 proved insufficient to lift him out of the lower half of the leaderboard at the Hong Kong Golf Club.

Tabuena finished tied for 52nd, a step back from his tied-48th showing in Riyadh and tied-44th result in Australia earlier this season.

Despite the modest finish, Tabuena showed encouraging progress with his long game. His driving and tee shots were steady and accurate throughout the final two rounds, repeatedly putting him in favorable positions off the tee on the short but tricky Fanling layout.

However, the Filipino standout struggled to capitalize with his approach shots and putting, missing several birdie opportunities that could have pushed him up the standings.

Former World No. 1 Jon Rahm finally delivered the dominant performance expected of him, capturing the title with a three-stroke victory over Thomas Detry.

Rahm seized control with a third-round 65 and sealed the win with a brilliant closing 64, highlighted by four straight birdies from Nos. 12 to 15. Even a closing-hole mishap failed to threaten his lead as he finished at 23-under 257.

Detry settled for second at 260 after a 67, while Thomas Pieters placed solo third at 261 following a 66.

Tabuena, who birdied two holes in a bogey-free third round, had hoped to mount a stronger charge Sunday.

He opened his final round on No. 16 and quickly birdied the hole from eight feet. But the momentum stalled soon after as he narrowly missed a 12-foot downhill birdie putt on the next before saving par from the bunker on the 18th.

The 31-year-old shotmaker continued to drive the ball well but struggled to convert opportunities. He missed birdie chances on the first two holes of his inward stretch, then chipped to about 15 feet on the par-5 third but failed to convert.

Tabuena two-putted for par on the fourth, scrambled well for par on the par-3 fifth, and saved another par on the sixth after driving into the rough.

His birdie bid from 20 feet on the seventh stopped inches short, and a golden opportunity slipped away when he missed an eight-footer for birdie on the par-3 eighth after a superb tee shot.

He settled for routine pars on the next two holes, unable to produce strong enough approaches to set up realistic birdie chances.

Tabuena again threatened on the 11th but saw his 20-foot birdie putt veer right at the end. Another two-putt par followed on the par-3 No.12.

On the par-5 13th, a fine chip shot left him with a long birdie attempt that again refused to drop. He then misread a six-foot birdie putt on No. 14 before closing with a two-putt par.

While his driving remained near-solid and consistently put him in play, Tabuena’s iron play and putting prevented him from building any real momentum in the round.

He received the minimum $50,000 prize.

Tabuena now shifts his focus to LIV Golf Singapore, which begins Thursday at Sentosa Golf Club. There, he hopes to finally piece together all facets of his game and contend against the tour’s elite power hitters.