BMW Australian PGA Championship
SPAIN’S David Puig is used to going locations no person’s been.
He was the primary individual to go straight from the US faculty circuit to LIV Golf, skipping his senior 12 months at Arizona State College, and the primary LIV golfer to be accepted as a member of the DP World Tour.
And, at his first begin on that tour, he grew to become the primary Spanish golfer to win the Australian PGA Championship since his hero Seve Ballesteros in 1981.
Puig, only a week in need of his twenty fourth birthday, broke away from a large number of challengers on the ultimate day at Royal Queensland to beat rising Chinese language star Wenyi Ding by a shot, with Kiwi Nick Voke a fast-finishing third.
“It means the world for certain,” stated Puig after being greeted on the 18th inexperienced by his fiancé Berta Sanchez, who has been by his aspect for the previous seven years.
“I used to be actually wanting ahead to that first skilled win on the DP World Tour. I used to be fairly shut a number of occasions all through the final couple of years, however I wasn’t in a position to get it achieved, particularly in that Spanish Open final 12 months.
“I’m actually blissful about that and excited and happy with all of the work that I’ve been placing in and, clearly, my identify being with Seve’s identify as the one two Spaniards to have received this occasion makes it much more particular.”
Puig, who joined LIV Golf in 2022, performed on the DP World Tour final season as an affiliate member. He’s a fulltime member this season, however stays a part of Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs GC on the LIV Golf League.
Due to his ties with LIV and his dedication to play LIV occasions, he could also be topic to some fines later within the DP World Tour season.
However Puig received’t care. Although he went winless on the LIV Tour this 12 months he nonetheless banked US$8.5 million in prizemoney, in addition to gathering $403,750 for his Royal Queensland victory.
And he enjoys taking part in in Europe.
“I grew up watching the DP World Tour since I used to be six or seven years outdated, watching Seve first after which Sergio and Jon Rahm,” he stated. “Fortunately we obtained a lot of gamers there so it was at all times a dream to play right here and I obtained the prospect and I’m actually blissful. Hopefully I is usually a member for plenty of years.”
Puig confirmed nice poise through the closing spherical, firing birdies on the second, third and fourth holes to arrange an early lead, then repelling the challenges of Min Woo Lee, Marc Leishman, Ding and Voke. Puig performed his closing 40 holes in 13 below par, with no single dropped shot, for an 18-under par successful whole.
Leishman, who appears to at all times contend within the Australian PGA, is aware of Puig nicely from the LIV Golf circuit.
“He’s an important participant,” Leishman stated. “He hits it very lengthy, a very good all spherical participant.
“When his head’s on his shoulders the proper means he’s harmful. He’s solely actually younger. He’s performed our charity day so I’ve obtained to know him somewhat bit.
“Yeah, actually good fella,” he stated. “Clearly blissful for him, however want it was me.”
Puig was an excellent junior, taking part in for Spain within the Junior Golf World Cup, the place he received silver in 2018 and bronze in 2019. He represented Europe within the 2018 Junior Ryder Cup, and completed third within the 2021 European Beginner behind Christoffer Carry and Ludvig Aberg.
The Australian PGA victory was his third as an expert, the others being the 2023 Worldwide Sequence Singapore and the 2024 Malaysian Open, each on the Asian Tour.
