He was No. 430 in the world. Here’s why LIV Golf could come next

When Miguel Tabuena finished off his final-round, seven-under 65 to win the International Series Philippines on Sunday, he crumpled to his knees and pounded the turf. The 31-year-old had just secured the biggest win of his career — and he’d done so on his home course in front of his family.

Tabuena shot three consecutive 65s to top a field that included Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed and Marc Leishman. That he did so one week after withdrawing due to neck spasms makes his victory all the more impressive. The win was the fourth of his career, making him the most successful Filipino golfer on the Asian Tour. It also pushed him past the $3 million mark in career earnings on the Asian Tour.

“It’s truly special. This is the biggest golf event the Philippines has ever hosted. To win it as a Filipino, in front of my people, is an incredible honour,” Tabuena said after securing the win.

“My family and friends were there. My mom’s turning 60 this December, and it meant everything to have her see me win. I just fell to my knees. It was hard to hold it together after such a long, emotional week. I had so much expectations — from others and from myself. This means everything.”

But Tabuena’s hometown victory could wind up meaning even more in a few weeks.

Tabuena entered the week ranked 430th in the Official World Golf Rankings. The win bumped him up to No. 251 and now has him positioned to make a run at the biggest prize in the International Series — an elevated group of tournaments on the Asian Tour. Due to a partnership with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), the top player in the International Series’ Order of Merit gets a spot on LIV Golf for the following season.

Tabuena’s win at Sta. Elena Golf Club moved him up 46 spots in the Order of Merit to No. 2, just 108.1 points behind Scott Vincent with three tournaments left to play. Vincent was a member of the Iron Heads from 2022 to 2024 before losing his spot. He won the International Series Morocco event and came runner-up at the Jakarta International Championship, which has him in position to rejoin LIV unless Tabuena or someone else catches him.

For Tabuena, who was ranked 1543rd in the world at the end of 2022, the chance to play his way onto the breakaway circuit is now firmly within reach after his win on home soil. He knows that finding a way onto LIV can change everything for him.

“Of course, that is the goal, you know, we want to be on LIV Golf,” Tabuena said. “That was a big goal this year with my game. From the beginning of this week, I didn’t have that in mind (rather focusing on the tournament), but to be able to get it done brings me so much confidence and belief in myself that I can actually win these events and hopefully next year.”

Last year, Joaquin Niemann finished the year first in the International Series rankings, which meant no LIV Golf spot was awarded. However, Ben Campbell, who finished third, got signed by the RangeGoats after Thomas Pieters was traded to the 4Aces.

The next International Series event is this week at the LINK Hong Kong Open. The winner of the Hong Kong Open will also receive a spot in the 2026 Masters and 2026 Open Championship, thanks to a recent change to the qualification system by Augusta National Golf Club and the R&A. The International Series will conclude with the Moutai Singapore Open on November 6-9 and then the PIF Saudi International on November 19-22.

If Tabuena doesn’t pass Vincent in the next three tournaments, he should still have a chance to earn a spot at the LIV Promotions event, the Q School tournament the breakaway league is expected to host at the end of the season — although LIV Golf has yet to release a date for the event or any information about how many spots will be up for grabs. Three spots were available in 2023, but LIV trimmed that to one in 2024. Henrik Stenson, who was relegated from LIV Golf after a poor season, is expected to be among the players teeing it up at LIV Promotions in an attempt to play his way back onto the circuit.