LIV Golf’s David Puig Qualifies for British Open with Asian Tour Victory
LIV Golf’s David Puig has officially earned himself a tee time at the 2024 British Open at Royal Troon.
On Sunday, the 22-year old Arizona State product captured the IRS Prima Malaysian Open title—an event which is included in this year’s Open Qualifying series.
In the months leading up to the Open, which will take place from July 14-21, 11 tournaments provide players who are not otherwise exempt the opportunity to qualify for the final major championship of the season.
Puig captured his Royal Troon spot by surging to a two-shot victory just outside Kuala Lumpur at The Mines Resort and Golf Club. Back-to-back 62s on the weekend saw him rocket up the leaderboard after nearly missing the cut. Puig made 18 birdies over his final 36 holes, remaining bogey-free on both Saturday and Sunday.
“It feels great, weird feeling for sure,” the Spaniard said. “We almost missed the cut. I was kind of playing good, but I kind of messed up. We actually finished round two good, and the weekend was insane. I mean, 18 birdies, no bogeys, in 36 holes was unbelievable. And getting that Open spot is super cool. I came here for that.”
The win is Puig’s second Asian Tour victory in five months. He won by five at the International Series Singapore in October for his first professional. The next qualifying event for Royal Troon will be the PGA Tour’s Arnold Palmer Invitational in March.
England’s Sam Horsfield was the only other LIV golfer to make the trek to Malaysia for the event. As LIV Golf continues to fight for world ranking points, its league members must find alternate ways to qualify for the four major championships. A total of 21 LIV players will tee it up at the Asian Tour’s next event, the International Series Oman from Feb 22-25, in pursuit of points to bolster their world rankings.