When Filipino rising star Miguel Tabuena picked seasoned campaigner Angelo Que as his partner for the ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf, he knew one issue needed to be resolved quickly.
âIâll definitely not wear purple pants,â laughed Tabuena, the current sixth ranked Asian Tour golfer ahead of the World Cup of Golf which takes place at Kingston Heath Golf Club next week.
On Tour, the effervescent Que is nicknamed the âHuman Highlighterâ due to his preference to deck himself with bold, bright and luminous colours. Even his golf ball is yellow-coloured.
Despite being the younger man at 22, Tabuena, who will make his World Cup of Golf debut, is by far the more conservative of the two golfers when it comes to fashion choice and he promptly laid down the law.
âAngelo said to me âMig, do you mind wearing my colours?â and I replied âhmm, no man, weâve really got to meet halfway,â recalled Tabuena, who is the reigning Philippine Open champion.
Sportingly, Que wasnât fussed for the sake of team unity. As a pick, he now has a shot at the US$8 million prize pot at Kingston Heath, Melbourne from November 24 to 27.
âMiguelâs dad is ordering some stuff for us. I didnât tell them what colours I wanted. I gave some input and Iâm okay with anything. I understand nobody would wear the colours and combinations that I normally wear. Hopefully thereâs at least one bright colour during the week,â said a hopeful Que.
Throughout his career, Que, 37, has been his own man.
âI always want to be different. I never followed anyoneâs style. I have my own personality, I just like doing what I want. I prefer to wear bright colours as fans can easily spot me on the golf course,â he smiled.
âBut Iâm happy to toe the line for the team on this instance.â
Colours aside, Tabuena and Que will form Team Philippinesâ strongest combination in recent times. The nation finished runner-up in the World Cup of Golf when Manila hosted the prestigious team event back in 1977 through Ben Arda and Rudy Lavares.
With 28 nations battling over four days using the fourball and foursomes format, Tabuena thinks it can be anybodyâs week.
âI guess the format will be a big factor. I was leaning towards Tony (Lascuna) as my partner as Iâm close to him but I wanted to go to the World Cup with a chance to compete and I think Angelo offers the best chance to our team. We both hit it about the same length and our games are very similar,â said Tabuena.
âAngelo has been playing well in Japan and if we can keep our momentum, who knows what can happen. In fact, weâve played together in a domestic team event and weâve never lost as a pair in three years. So weâre comfortable with the format.â
2016 has been a breakout year for Tabuena, who won his national Open last December. He subsequently earned a first Major appearance at the U.S. Open and also qualified for the Olympic Games in Rio.
âItâs the best year so far. I guess the Philippine Open win told me I can compete at the highest level. Itâs nice. My game is in a stable place, I know where my game is,â he said.
âThe World Cup is not a regular event and itâs going to be a fun event as weâll be playing very aggressively. When you see the names on the trophy, itâs really impressive. Itâll be cool if our names can be up there as well.â
Although Que will be making his fourth World Cup of Golf appearance, he feels it is still an honour to represent his nation. âItâs a big deal. Representing your country is something good, especially the World Cup of Golf which is truly a team event. Youâre not playing for yourself and itâs something different,â said Que.
âItâs great to be picked by Miguel. Heâs a good player, heâs in form and itâs going to be fun playing with him. I didnât think he would go for me, so Iâm honoured and grateful. We both can make a lot of birdies in the best ball format and in alternate shots, weâre pretty much the same distance off the tee and pretty much play the same style of game.â
Que featured in the last World Cup of Golf at Royal Melbourne in 2013 but he did not enjoy the format then as players competed individually and combined scores with their partners.
âWe didnât feel like a team,â he said. âIâm looking forward to going to Kingston Heath as Iâm told itâs one of the best courses in Australia. I enjoyed Melbourne during my last visit and the courses there are really nice. On a lot of the Australian courses, you need to work the ball and create the shots which I enjoy doing. Itâs not just hitting it long and being in the right spot.â
Que wasnât born when Arda and Lavares finished behind winners Seve Ballesteros and Antonio Garrido of Spain in 1977. Both Filipinos are household names and Que is hoping to have a run at the title with Tabuena.
âWhen we are there, we want to compete with the big boys. When you have this opportunity, you want to take advantage of it. Itâs a team event, anything can happen. We want to try and contend, try to be as good as these players. Itâll be nice if we can win,â he said.
The 2016 World Cup will be the 58th staging of this event. For ticket information and to follow all of the news, player features and more as the event approaches, the ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf web-site is http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/isps-handa-world-cup-of-golf.html
