Miguel Tabuena didnโt need to stripe a first tee shot in Adelaide to post a win this weekโthe result was already in. On the eve of the tournament, he announced heโs secured full-time status for the entire 2026 LIV Golf season, becoming the first Filipino to earn a full-year run on the circuit. Translation: heโs not flying in as an emergency option anymoreโheโs on the card, every stop.
Thatโs a massive swing considering how the year started: Tabuena wasnโt a sure starterโhe was a reserve, the kind of role where you travel with the circus but might never get called onto the stage. And instead of taking the safer routeโstaying home for an Asian Tour event he could controlโTabuena bet on chaos: he went for LIVโs season opener in Saudi Arabia hoping the door would crack open.
It did. Slotted as a reserve tied to Dustin Johnsonโs 4Aces, Tabuena got the call in Riyadh and delivered steady enough golf to help the team finish third in the $20 million, 72-hole, no-cut event, ending at six-under overall for the week. Individually he landed T-48 in a 57-man field, but the more important stat was simpler: he looked like he could survive the pace, the pressure, and the talent pool.
Then came the familiar twistโAdelaide initially leaned another way, with the 4Aces opting for Anthony Kim after his stronger Riyadh showing. But instead of being pushed back into limbo, Tabuena caught the bigger break: a wildcard slot opened and his rรฉsumรฉ did the talkingโInternational Series Philippines champion and third in the Asian Tour Order of Meritโenough to earn a full-season wildcard for 2026. From โmaybeโ to โlocked.โ
Image from INQUIRER GOLF FB