After battling to make the 36-hole cut at this week’s U.S. Open, LIV Golf star David Puig has secured his spot at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Puig understood prior to the competition that he would have to compete extensively over the weekend in order to represent his home country at the Olympics matches scheduled in August, and he succeeded in doing so after the first two rounds in North Carolina. He filled the open Spanish position by exhibiting his capabilities and skills, joining fellow Spaniard and LIV member Jon Rahm.
Given that Puig has played professionally for the LIV set-up, which has not yet received official World Golf Ranking approval, his qualification for the Olympics in Paris later this year is all the more impressive.
How did Puig qualify?
The top two players from each country on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) list make up the 60-man field for the Olympics. Puig has succeeded in playing his way to Paris by striking a balance between his LIV playing responsibilities and several trips on the Asian Tour.
The athlete has won twice in Singapore and Malaysia last year. Furthermore, he qualified for this week’s U.S. Open, gaining victory in the 36-hole qualifying earlier this month. Therefore, he had the opportunity to secure his Olympic spot.
After earning a tie for third at LIV Houston, the 22-year-old secured his best-ever finish on the LIV circuit and talked about the possibility of banking his Olympic spot.
Puig said: “There are two Spaniards trying to catch me because everything is pretty tight… Obviously I wish them luck, but yeah, I think the deadline is right after the U.S. Open, so I have a little chance there in case they get past me this week in Sweden [on the DP World Tour] where they’re playing. Yeah, it would be great to play alongside Jon at the Olympics. It would be a dream come true for sure.”
Source: Mirror