PGA, LIV, Japan: Three Filipino golf aces unite for elusive Asian Games gold

For the Philippines, the wait could finally be nearing its end. It becomes a possibility thanks to an unprecedented assembly of three golfing aces who have carved out careers on three different tours and competitive stages, but will come together with one common mission: reclaim the Asian Games throne for the country.

Rico Hoey, Miguel Tabuena and Justin delos Santos will spearhead what shapes up to be one of the most formidable Philippine men’s golf teams ever assembled for the regional quadrennial showcase. They bring with them vastly different backgrounds and experiences — Hoey from the PGA Tour; Tabuena from LIV Golf and the Philippine Golf Tour; and delos Santos from the Japan Golf Tour —  but all three will be chasing the same elusive prize when the men’s golf competitions are held from September 30 to October 3 at the East Course of Kasugai Country Club in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

It has been four decades since Ramon Brobio delivered the Philippines’ first and only Asian Games men’s golf gold medal at the 1986 Seoul Games. Since then, the country has come agonizingly close but has been unable to break through.

Gerald Rosales settled for silver in Bangkok in 1998, while Tabuena came within one medal of matching Brobio’s feat when he also took silver at the 2010 Guangzhou Games.

The drought continued in Hangzhou in 2023, where Clyde Mondilla tied for 10th and the Philippines finished joint ninth in the team competition. Carl Corpus placed 33rd; Ira Alido tied for 37th; while Aidric Chan failed to advance beyond the second round of the individual play.

This time, however, the Philippines arrives with a rare combination of firepower, experience and international exposure.

Hoey, the big-hitting 30-year-old University of Southern California product, is the centerpiece of a roster that can legitimately dream of ending the 40-year drought. A regular on the PGA Tour, the ICTSI-backed ace has already posted a pair of runner-up finishes and is steadily knocking on the door of his maiden victory.

His international pedigree for the Philippines also goes back years. At just 17, Hoey represented the country in the Putra Cup at Sherwood Hills in Cavite, winning an individual bronze while helping the Philippines capture the team gold and end a 17-year title drought in the prestigious regional competition.

Now, with the experience of competing against the world’s best on the PGA Tour, Hoey returns to the Asian Games with an even bigger stage in front of him — and a chance to make Philippine golf history.

Tabuena, meanwhile, brings a different kind of pedigree.

A multi-titled PGT standout and one of the country’s most accomplished golfers of his generation, Tabuena has also taken his game to the global stage through LIV Golf. Still in pursuit of a breakthrough in the ultra-competitive circuit, he has the experience and temperament to complement Hoey’s power and firepower.

His recent credentials include a victory in last year’s International Series Philippines at Sta. Elena Golf Club, further underscoring the form and big-match experience he can bring to the national side.

Then there is delos Santos, whose career has been built largely in Japan and whose familiarity with the country’s golf environment could prove especially valuable.

The California Polytechnic State University product is still looking for his first victory in Japan, but he has already shown that he can contend with the best. His solo third-place finish in the ISPS Handa Japan-Australasia Championship in March stands as his best result this year, while he posted a career-best solo third in the 2022 For the Players by the Players tournament on the Japan Golf Tour.

He is also set to compete in this week’s Jumbo Ozaki Memorial Tournament in Kusatsu, Gunma, giving him another opportunity to sharpen his game on Japanese soil before the Asian Games.

Together, the three offer a compelling blend of power, experience and local-course familiarity.

Meanwhile, the fourth and final member of the team had yet to be named at presstime.

Hoey brings the PGA Tour pedigree and booming length. Tabuena contributes proven international experience and the toughness forged by years of competing at the highest levels. Delos Santos provides a Japan-based perspective and familiarity with the conditions and demands of the country’s professional circuit.

It is a rare assembly — and perhaps the best chance the Philippines has had in years to end its Asian Games golf gold-medal drought.

The challenge, however, will be immense.

The Philippines will not have the luxury of an easy path to the podium, with the field expected to feature elite golfers from traditional Asian golf powers such as Japan, South Korea and Thailand. Those countries have deep talent pools, strong domestic circuits and players accustomed to competing at the highest levels of the sport.

That makes the Philippine mission both daunting and compelling.

After 40 years of waiting, the country’s hunger for another Asian Games golf gold is no longer simply about adding another medal to the tally. It is about finally closing a chapter that has remained open since Brobio’s historic triumph in Seoul.

And this time, the Philippines has three aces — each forged on a different tour, each carrying a different set of strengths, and each arriving in Japan with the same target.

When the first shot is fired on September 30, the Philippine tricolors could be flying high on a leaderboard packed with Asian golf’s best.

Forty years of waiting. Three aces. One golden mission. — Jan Veran