LIV Golf star makes Olympic dream come true after ‘long journey’ to world ranking recognition
David Puig may well have started his professional golf career with LIV Golf, but this did not stop him from playing his way into the Olympic Games via the world rankings

LIV Golf star David Puig has opened up on his efforts to make the Spanish Olympic golf team, after the youngster turned to the Asian Tour in the hunt for Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points.

Puig will represent his nation alongside Jon Rahm at Le Golf National in Paris next month, a pairing that would have surprised many this time last year.

Puig opted to turn professional to join LIV in 2022, leaving college golf early where he representing Arizona State in the USA.

Then youngster raised eyebrows when making the leap, but less than two years on he will now become an Olympic athlete after playing himself into the vacant Spanish spot alongside former Masters champion Rahm.

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Qualification for the Olympic event is determined by world ranking position, and with LIV continuing to host events without OWGR recognition, Puig was forced to look elsewhere. Keen to earn his way in, the Spaniard set his sights on the Asian Tour, balancing his requirements with the breakaway league alongside the opportunities in Asia.

This led to a gruelling few months for Puig, playing a jam-packed stretch on the Asian Tour, with the beginning of the 2024 LIV season added to his calendar too. His efforts did however come with reward, winning twice in four months at the International Series Singapore and Malaysian Open.

In the space of a year, Puig climbed almost 900 places in the rankings following his efforts on the Asian circuit, and after making the cut at this summer’s US Open – a spot he earned after going through 36-hole qualifying – his Olympic fate was finally secured in June.

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David Puig has made it to the Olympics (
Image:
Getty Images)
“It has been a long journey over the last year or so,” Puig told Mirror Sport at LIV UK this week. “But obviously it paid off and I wouldn’t change a thing. There was lots of travel, lots of hard work, lots of weeks in a row, but I think I performed pretty well on the Asian Tour to get those points to then make the Olympic team.”

His sealing moment at Pinehurst No. 2 however was far from simple. Knowing he needed to make the cut to join Rahm in Paris, Puig endured a difficult start to the week, carding an six-over-par 76 in the opening round to leave his chances of making the weekend at the US Open slim.

Ever the fighter though, the youngster put in one of the performances of the week in round two, carding a two-under 68 in brutal conditions to ensure he would become an Olympian in August. Detailing his week at the US Open, he added: “I had it in my mind [Olympic qualification] obviously.

“But my first goal was not to make the cut, it was try to win the thing. After the first day it became pretty impossible, I even needed a very good round just to make the cut.” Reflecting on what the coming weeks will mean for him, Puig went on: “It makes me very proud to be able to represent Spain alongside Jon, it is a dream come true.”

Hailing Rahm, he continued: “He is a great guy and a great friend. We have a lot of similarities, the same swing coach and workout guy. We play together all the time, and he has helped me in a way because we have played a lot over the last year. It is a pleasure to be alongside him and hopefully we can have a good week and both contribute to the medal count of our country.”