Tabuena ties record with birdie bonanza
PERTH: Miguel Tabuena equalled the European Tour record for the most birdies in the opening nine holes to share the lead with Norway’s Kristoffer Reitan on day one of the World Super 6 in Perth yesterday.
The Filipino rattled off seven birdies in a row after starting on the 10th at Lake Karrinyup Country Club and then sunk another on the 18th to make the turn in 28 shots.
He flirted with the course record of 63 but two bogeys on the back nine saw him home in a seven-under-par 65 for a share of the lead with Reitan.
“I just got ahead of myself the last few holes,” said Tabuena, who has won two times on the Asian Tour.
“I’m not going to lie, I started to force shots that I wasn’t comfortable with. I started to go at pins that I shouldn’t have and the bogey on the par-three [fifth] cost me.”
His eight birdies by the turn equalled the record held by Marten Olander in the opening round of the 2002 France Open and Craig Lee in round three at the 2013 European Masters, according to European Tour officials.
The blitz came just a week after Australian James Nitties equalled a world record with nine consecutive birdies at the Vic Open, matching the feat first accomplished by Mark Calcavecchia at the 2009 Canadian Open.
Reitan, who went through European Tour qualifying last year, followed Tabuena’s lead by plundering eight birdies in his round, offset by one bogey.
The pair are two clear of New Zealand’s Ben Campbell and England’s Richard McEvoy.
Thai trio Danthai Boonma, Panuphol Pittayarat and Prom Meesawat were five behind the leaders, alongside Nitties and Scotland’s David Law, who won his maiden European Tour title at the Vic Open last week.
The innovative World Super 6 is making its third appearance in the Race to Dubai, with three rounds of stroke play cutting the field before the top 24 players go head-to-head in six hole knockout match play on Sunday to decide a winner.
LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORES
(Par-72; Australia unless stated)
65 — Miguel Tabuena (PHI), Kristoffer Reitan (NOR) 67 — Ben Campbell (NZL), Richard McEvoy (ENG) 68 — SSP Chawrasia (IND), Anton Karlsson (SWE), Nick Flanagan, Michael Hoey (NIR), Ryan Fox (NZL), Brad Kennedy
69 — Daniel Gale, Matt Jager, Gregory Bourdy (FRA), Matthew Griffin, Deyen Lawson
70 — Terry Pilkadaris, David Law (SCO), Min Woo Lee, Thomas Pieters (BEL), Jason Scrivener, James Nitties, Steven Jeffries, Scott Vincent (ZIM), Andrew Martin, Jordan Zunic, Danthai Boonma (THA), Panuphol Pittayarat (THA), Wang Jeung-Hun (KOR), Adrian Otaegui (ESP), Marcus Fraser (AUS), Anthony Quayle, Gareth Paddison (NZL), Robert MacIntyre (SCO), Prom Meesawat (THA), Chang Yi-Keun (KOR)