Miguel Tabuena brings a more compelling dimension to this year’s The Country Club Invitational – not as a former champion chasing a repeat, but as a player who has fully established himself as a bona fide world-class contender.

While he fell just short of securing a spot in the lucrative LIV Golf League, Tabuena’s strong finish to the 2025 season and his gritty showing in the LIV Golf Promotions underscored his resilience, maturity and readiness to compete at the highest level. His recent body of work speaks louder than any missed opportunity, affirming his status as the standard-bearer of Philippine golf on the international stage.

That pedigree will be put to the test when the TCC Invitational fires off on Jan. 27 at one of the country’s sternest and most exacting layouts. The field is stacked with past champions and the Top 30 finishers from the last Philippine Golf Tour Order of Merit, ensuring that no margin for error exists across the grueling 72-hole championship.

Serving as the traditional kickoff leg of every PGT season, the TCC Invitational also remains the richest event in local golf. The sponsoring ICTSI has raised the stakes anew, bumping the total purse to ₱6.5 million, reinforcing its status as the crown jewel of the domestic circuit, with every leg guaranteeing at least ₱2 million.

A champion here in 2017, Tabuena will undoubtedly carry the proverbial bull’s-eye on his back. He enters the event fresh off a stellar campaign on the Asian Tour International Series, where he finished third in the Order of Merit – a feat that places him in rare company and well ahead of most of his peers in terms of consistency, ball-striking and competitive exposure.

Tabuena came agonizingly close to an automatic LIV Golf berth, with only the top two earning direct entry. He later earned another shot through LIV Golf Promotions but faltered in the decisive third round. Still, those near-misses do little to dent his reputation. If anything, they highlight his ability to contend under immense pressure and against elite competition – an experience few in the field can match.

At TCC, where patience, precision and course management are paramount, Tabuena’s well-rounded game – anchored by elite iron play, improved putting and battle-tested composure – gives him a clear edge. He is not merely one to watch: he is the player everyone else must measure themselves against in this blue-ribbon event held in honor of ICTSI founder Don Pocholo Razon.

He nearly pulled off back-to-back victories in 2018, only to be denied by Korean-American Micah Shin, who edged him by a single stroke in a dramatic finish and became the first non-Filipino champion of the PGT’s flagship tournament. Dutchman Guido van der Valk later followed suit, claiming consecutive titles in 2020 and 2023, with the 2021 and 2022 editions shelved due to the pandemic.

Veteran Tony Lascuña added his second TCC crown in 2024, while Korean Gwon Minwook spoiled van der Valk’s three-peat bid with a sudden-death victory in 2025 – another heart-stopping conclusion in a tournament known for its thrilling finishes.

Also eyeing their first TCC Invitational triumph is a strong contingent of local aces led by Keanu Jahns, last year’s Match Play Championship winner at TCC, along with Fidel Concepcion, Rupert Zaragosa, Reymon Jaraula and Clyde Mondilla.

Three-time champion Angelo Que is likewise in the hunt, buoyed by his first-ever PGT Order of Merit title. He joins a seasoned cast that includes Lascuña, Shin and longtime tour stalwarts Jhonnel Ababa, Mike Bibat, Zanieboy Gialon, Dino Villanueva, Nilo Salahog and James Ryan Lam – ensuring a fiercely competitive week ahead.