The 108th Philippine Open is going ahead — and the stakes have risen. Scheduled for 12–15 November 2026 at the Masters Course of Manila Southwoods Golf & Country Club in Carmona, Cavite, the championship will now conclude the Asian Tour season. A revised sponsorship arrangement put the historic event under pressure, but support from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) has helped secure it with an officially confirmed US$1 million prize fund.
How the championship was secured
Dating to 1913, the Philippine Open is regarded as Asia's oldest national open championship. It was originally promoted within The International Series, but the commercial arrangements subsequently changed and the event faced uncertainty. Reporting on 28 October, The Philippine Star revisited the PSC's role in ensuring the competition could take place. The Asian Tour had formally confirmed on 9 October that the PSC was on board as presenting partner and that the purse would reach a record $1 million for the Philippine Open.
The updated Asian Tour announcement is the relevant source for the current purse and tour status. Earlier promotional material describing a different International Series prize fund should not be mistaken for the present arrangements.
A season finale, not just another national open
On 16 October, the Asian Tour confirmed the postponement of the PIF Saudi International, normally the last stop of the season. That change makes the Philippine Open the 2026 Asian Tour finale, where the season's Order of Merit champion and final standings will be decided. Golfers fighting for leading ranking positions or hoping to strengthen their playing status for next season now have a particularly consequential final opportunity.
No first-round scores are available yet, because play does not begin until 12 November. Pre-tournament rankings are not Philippine Open results, and no player should be described as leading the event before an official round has been played.
Defending champion and home contenders
French professional Julien Sale, the 2025 Philippine Open winner, is expected to defend his title. Local attention is likely to focus on Miguel Tabuena, a two-time winner of the national championship, alongside Justin delos Santos and Carl Corpus. These names have been identified in organiser statements and local sports reporting; the final field, withdrawals and tee times should be checked against the official entries nearer the event.
Manila Southwoods will host the tournament for a second consecutive year. Officials have described preparations designed to make the Masters Course a sterner test, including narrower fairways and deeper rough. On a stroke-play course set up this way, placement off the tee may matter as much as raw driving distance. Actual scoring trends, however, can only be evaluated once competition begins.
Key details
When: 12–15 November 2026. Where: Masters Course, Manila Southwoods Golf & Country Club, Carmona, Cavite, Philippines. Tour: Asian Tour. Purse: US$1,000,000. Significance: 2026 season finale and decisive event in the Order of Merit race. There is no completed-round leaderboard yet.
The central story is therefore twofold: public-sector backing preserved an important national championship, while a change to the international schedule turned it into the final test of an entire tour season.
