As LIV Golf prepares to begin its next season in February, two of the breakaway league’s young stars have racked up impressive international wins during the fall.
Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin won the Hong Kong Open to punch his ticket to the 2026 Masters and Open Championship. On Sunday, David Puig joined his idol Seve Ballesteros as the only golfer from Spain to win the BMW Australian PGA Championship.
The 23-year-old Puig never got to watch Ballesteros play in person, but the Fireballs GC member noted that Seve’s influence has been passed down through generations of Spanish golfers, and Puig has watched his highlights and learned important lessons from Ballesteros that he passed on to Sergio Garcia and Jon Rahm.
“My name, being with Seve’s name as the only two (Spaniards) … makes it even more special,” Puig said. “I never saw him play in person, which sucks to be honest. I watched replays of every major he won and all he did. He’s such a big figure for Spanish golf. His presence and everything he accomplished; it’s marked in Spanish players and in a way we try to be like him.
“Play with that freedom … attitude, behavior and how much he cared and hopefully we’re kind of on the right path.”
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Puig was brilliant over 72 holes at Royal Queensland. The Arizona State product made just two bogeys during the tournament and didn’t drop a shot over the weekend. He entered Sunday tied for the lead with Ricard Gouveia and Anthony Quayle. But he quickly separated himself on Sunday, making three straight birdies on the front nine starting at No. 2. That hot start was good enough for Puig to coast to a two-shot victory over China’s Wenyi Ding.
With the victory, Puig became the first non-Australian to claim the title since Harold Varner III did so in 2016. The win was also Puig’s first on the DP World Tour. His previous victories came on the Asian Tour.
“It feels amazing. I’ve really had a lot of close calls in a few events throughout this year and last year and I kinda wasn’t able to pull it through,” Puig said. “I was definitely nervous but I think I kinda kept my composure pretty well and obviously that start (to the final round) helped a lot.”
And now, David Puig’s name sits next to Seve’s.
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