Teen titan Tabuena eyes birthday gift

The teen titan will have his family out in full force at the stunning Macau Golf and Country Club this week which he hopes will help him bounce back from a recent run of poor form on the region's elite circuit.

Tabuena, who turns 18 on Saturday, will be amongst a strong line-up of stars who have gathered for the Venetian Macau Open. Three-time Order of Merit winner Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand will headline the championship along with 48 Tour champions, including Masters Tournament winner Ian Woosnam of Wales while 14 of the top-20 players from the Merit list will also be in the elite field.

Chinese Taipei's Chan Yih-shin is back to defend his crown while two-time Macau Open winner Zhang Lian-wei of China has also returned for another crack at the title.

"One maiden win, that's what I want for my birthday hopefully," said Tabuena. "I love Macau. It's just a short flight from the Philippines. It's also a special week as it's my birthday on Saturday. A lot of my family members will be here and it'll be exciting. If I make the cut, a lot more will come from the Philippines. Hopefully I will still be playing on Saturday!" said Tabuena.

Ranked 71st on the Merit list, Tabuena is feeling the pressure as players jostle for positions on the rankings. At the end of the season, the top-60 players will earn full playing rights for 2013 and Tabuena does not want lightning to strike twice after missing his card last season by one rung on the rankings.

"I think I'm in the same position again as last year. I guess it's part of the process and I need to just go out there to play. it's putting pressure on me which isn't good," said Tabuena.

"There are some big tournaments ahead and hopefully I can play well. I'm not going to look at the Order of Merit over the next few weeks. Hopefully that will help me play better. This week, I'll need to hit fairways and greens and just stick to my game plan."

With the Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel title sponsoring the popular Asian Tour event for the first time, players have enjoyed the privilege of being hosted at the lavish resort. "It takes 15 minutes to get to your room from the lobby!" said Tabuena. "It's a five-star hotel and I'm really happy. It's huge and there are so many shops."

A return to the tournament which launched his career in Asia brings back happy memories for Australia's Scott Barr. In 2003, he led into the final round but was caught by Scotland's Colin Montgomerie before losing in a play-off.

"I was just thinking that I played really well here and I was really sharp mentally and focused that week. It's good to get those thoughts back and hopefully it'll come through this week," said the Singapore-based Barr.

"I remember catching a helicopter back to Hong Kong after the play-off. I had a good feeling as I kind of felt that I accomplished the job although I didn't win. It certainly got me back on to the Tour as I was teaching at that time. I can still remember the shots during the final round.

"I've been hitting the ball reasonably well recently but in some weeks, it's been good in one area and not so good in another area. Hopefully, it'll all come together this week."

A week's break at home has recharged the batteries for Anirban Lahiri, who arrived in Macau sporting a new look with a French beard. The Indian star, a two-time Asian Tour winner, said he needed to fine-tune his game after several inconsistent weeks on Tour.

"I caught up with my coach. I wasn't very happy with the way I was hitting it but it seems to be moving in the right direction now," said Lahiri. "It was a bit of a shocking start with a great round and a bad round. It's been up and down, hot and cold all the way through.

"It's such a beautiful golf course here. It's in the best shape that I've ever seen it. My first year on Tour in 2008, I played with David Gleeson in the leader group during the third day. I've got good and positive memories of playing here. It's a layout that is quite challenging but it suits my eye. It's a lot of judgement and how you gauge the winds.

Thailand's Prom Meesawat will be aiming to extend his good run of form where he chalked up two top-15s in his last two starts. "I've had a good few weeks in a row. But I still have to work on my driver although it is getting better. I'm still hitting it left and probably need to work a bit on my swing. There are a lot of tricky holes here and if it's windy, it will be difficult," said the Thai, who is ranked seventh on the Order of Merit.

"I've had one top-10 in Macau and I'm always making the cut here, top-20 and top-30 finishes.  The greens are very small out there, so you need to have everything perfect. Driving, short game and putting must be on."