ACES FOR PHL SPORTS

Filipino athletes threaded new paths, conquered new territories and etched their names in the annals of the global sporting wars.

- By THE STAR SPORTS STAFF

The Philippines hosted its biggest golf tournament in three decades and Miguel Tabuena rose to the occasion, scoring an ace for the home boys.

With the $2-million International Series Philippines held at his home club, Sta. Elena Golf and Country Club, Tabuena was in the spotlight all throughout, in the company of major winners Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed.

And the Filipino Olympian golfer came through. Tabuena strung up brilliant rounds of 69-65-65-65, spiked by an ace and four eagles, to score a three-stroke win, his first in the International Series, a string of elevated golf events on the Asian Tour.

The emotional triumph witnessed by adoring supporters was worth $360,000 but its value in putting Philippine golf back on the map and restoring confidence among Pinoy parbusters was priceless.

Being IS champ on home ground also gave Tabuena a shot at the “golden tickets” to LIV Golf that awaited the Top 2 players in the IS Rankings at the end of the season.

Tabuena went on to finish third with 260.05 ranking points behind topnotcher Scott Vincent (335.11) and second placer Yosuke Asaji (285.30), falling short of promotion. He also finished No. 3 in the Asian Tour Order of Merit with 1,402.77 points.

Still, the 18-event campaign in 2025 was a massive success for Tabuena, who broke through $3 million in career earnings on the Tour - yet another major milestone.

The Philippines remained as an epicenter of the billiards universe in 2025 thanks mainly to the supernova performances by Chezka Centeno, Carlo Biado and an unheralded Jonas Magpantay.

In just a year, the country produced three world champions.

Biado took the WPA World 9-ball crown in July in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia where he bested the fearsome Fedor Gorst, 15-13, while Centeno topped the WPA Women's 10-ball tilt in October in Bali, Indonesia where she defeated her mentor and friend - and a former world champion herself - Rubilen Amit, 3-2.