PSC backs 108th Philippine Open with $1-million purse
The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) has stepped in to help stage the 108th Philippine Open, putting up a $1-million purse (roughly P63 million) for Asia’s oldest national golf championship set Nov. 12 at Manila Southwoods in Carmona, Cavite.
Some of the Asian Tour’s top players and the Philippines’ leading golfers are expected to compete in the 72-hole championship at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Masters course, which will host the Philippine Open for the second straight year.
“It is a tradition that the PSC certainly wants to continue with,” PSC Chair Patrick Gregorio said. “We wouldn’t want such a big event to be put on the shelf.
“It’s the Philippine Open, it’s the pride of the country.”
First played in 1913, the Philippine Open has endured several interruptions over its long history, including a four-year absence beginning in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Frenchman Julien Sale won the tournament’s revival last year, also at Manila Southwoods, and is expected to lead the foreign contingent trying to keep a Filipino from reclaiming the title.
Miguel Tabuena, Justin delos Santos and Carl Corpus are among the leading Filipino players expected in the field.
Tabuena, 32, will have the benefit of familiarity with Manila Southwoods, one of his home courses. He has won the Philippine Open twice, including its 100th staging at Luisita.
Former champion Angelo Que, 47, is also expected to contend after enjoying one of the strongest stretches of his career over the past two years.
Manila Southwoods has been preparing the Masters course for the championship since being awarded hosting rights for a second consecutive year.
Players can expect a tighter setup in November, with the rough being allowed to grow and the fairways narrowed to place a premium on accuracy off the tee.
The Asian Tour also helped keep the tournament on its schedule following the withdrawal of BingoPlus as title sponsor just over a month ago.
The pullout had put the staging of the Philippine Open in doubt before the Asian Tour and the National Golf Association of the Philippines worked to keep the tournament on track.
