Although the moves were announced Tuesday afternoon at the same time, it is not a trade since both players were free agents and able to sign with new teams.

Ortiz had been a member of Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs team ever since joining LIV Golf for the second event of the beta-test 2022 season. This year, he was the Fireballs’ top performer, ranking 15th in the season-long Individual points race.

Since Ortiz finished the season inside the top 24 Lock Zone, he was guaranteed a contract extension by the Fireballs. But the 32-year-old from Mexico rejected the offer in order to become a free agent, with Torque Captain Joaquin Niemann inking him to a new contract.

The consistent Ortiz joins a team that includes Sebastián Muñoz of Colombia and Mito Pereira of Chile. Last year, Torque won a league-high four regular-season tournaments but finished a disappointing third at the season-ending Team Championship.

Puig, who turns 22 on Thursday, was the youngest player on any LIV Golf team roster in 2023. His results improved in the second half of the season, with three top-12 points finishes in the last seven regular-season events, and he began making more appearances near the top of the leaderboard.

“Excited about this news,” Garcia posted on his X account. “David brings all the charisma and power to his golf.”

The big-hitting Spaniard, who ranked fifth in driving distance in 2023, broke through with his first professional win in October at the Asian Tour’s International Series Singapore. It was a dominant performance, as he went wire-to-wire and held a nine-shot lead through three rounds before cruising to a five-stroke victory.

Puig ended the season ranked 31st in LIV Golf’s individual standings, leaving him in the Open Zone as a free agent.

By adding Puig to the lineup, the Fireballs now have LIV Golf’s two youngest players along with 23-year-old Eugenio Chacarra. With Garcia as the captain, the Fireballs’ lineup consists of three players from Spain along with Mexico’s Abraham Ancer.

Image: LIV Golf

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The first time I decided I could play golf as a job was probably when I was around 10 or 11 years old. I used to play football as well and I used to split my time on both of those sports. It was when I was that age that I found out I didn’t have enough time to do both at a serious level, so I decided to stick with golf, and that became my life — practising and everything the sport requires. When I went to high school, my final four years, I played pretty good and that allowed me to get my scholarship in the US. So I made the good decision to head to the States and I played pretty good over there as well.

● ● ●

I have always enjoyed playing golf and I am glad I made that first decision to take that route. 

When you play in college, it is very similar to what we have here at LIV Golf. In college you play for yourself for amateur ranking points and college ranking points, but you are also playing for your team and your college. If you are not playing great individually, you still want to do well for your team and college. It is the same here on LIV Golf. 

● ● ●

There are differences too. In college, I used to live with the guys I played with. We would do everything together — go to classes, eat together, practise together — every day. In LIV, a lot of the time you do your own thing then come together and work together for each event. You can be a little more on your own off the course at LIV, but that team element at college, for sure, helped me play better here. 

● ● ●

I also played a lot of team golf before I started college, representing Spain in the European Boys’ Team Championship, European Amateur Team Championship, Junior Golf World Cup,  

● ● ●

Eisenhower Trophy and the Youth Olympics. I played for Spain for around seven years in these events and you would come together before an event — usually Madrid — then you would travel and stay together at the tournament. It was cool, and it is a good thing they do that in Europe, because when you go to college or even here in LIV Golf, you are used to that environment on and off the course from an early age. 

● ● ●

I was invited to play at Centurion in the first LIV Golf event as an amateur last year. It was great. It was not a difficult decision — with everything that was going on at the time — and I think I made a pretty good decision playing there as it gave me a lot of experience, as indeed all the other tournaments since. I knew and I know that I belonged here, but I still learn things every single day — things that a lot of these guys here already know. It was great to play Centurion and see a course that was pretty tough and play against some of the best players in the world, share the course with them and see how they score and how they play. 

● ● ●

There were a couple of things that made up my mind to cut short college and go professional. Having somewhere to play with LIV for a full year was unbelievable. It was a chance people from college don’t normally have. At the time, that was a super big deal because you are good as an amateur but you are nothing as a professional — nobody knows you, you don’t have anywhere to play and you have to start at the beginning like everybody else. Here at LIV, they gave me the chance to start against the best players in the world. That was the main influence in my decision to join LIV. You come from nearly nothing, avoid Q-Schools and all of that and you get straight in to play against the best in the world. It was a pretty easy decision to make.

● ● ●

I won my first professional title at the Asian Tour International Series event in Singapore in October. I feel I have played a lot of quality golf recently and I knew that the victory was going to come at some point. I had a couple of rough finishes when I had been in with a chance of winning — especially in the UK International Series events at St Andrews and Close House, plus two top-10 finishes in LIV this year — but you just keep doing what you are doing and get the job done. I think I have always been good at that and I think I play well under pressure. I didn’t get over the line in the other events but I am glad to finally get that win. 

● ● ●

I am not sure what the future holds, but I love LIV and [team] Torque, and I love the job the League are doing, so I can hopefully stay here for as long as I can.

Main image: David Cannon/Getty Images

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The Spaniard is enjoying a rich vein of form, one which led him to his first win as a professional in last week’s International Series Singapore tournament on the Asian Tour.

Puig raced to 20-under par in his first three rounds and was leading by nine shots going into the final round at Tanah Merah course. He shot a “disappointing” one-over 73 on Sunday but still won by five shots.

The Arizona State University alum was trending towards the win, leading four times at some stage during his last five tournaments. That included the International Series England at Close House, where a romp was brought to a halt with a lost ball on the 12th hole in the third round, leading to a momentum-stopping triple-bogey.

Undaunted, he was at it again the week after at St Andrews Bay Championship and led at the halfway stage with rounds of 66 and 64 before another lost ball and another triple-bogey on Saturday cost him a run at the title.

Now that Puig is a winner, he has set his mind on winning in LIV Golf, and Jeddah is going to be a big chance for him.

With age on his side, there is a feeling that he will be best placed to battle against the intense heat and humidity that players face at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club, and something that a majority of players have pointed out as a key factor this week. Puig also grew up in Spain and played his college golf in Arizona and is used to the heat.

“Maybe I have an advantage against some of the older guys, but … we’re all struggling,” Puig told LIV Golf. “Even though I’m 21, I am pretty tired after every round. Hopefully, it doesn’t affect my game and maybe I have some advantage, but I don’t know if it really is an advantage.”

Puig is currently 30th in the LIV Golf League Individual Champion standings with 40 points. He has two top-10s this season, with his best result being a fourth place in Greenbrier. And he is focused on making it to the Top 24 and get himself into the Lock Zone after Jeddah, the final tournament of the regular season before next week’s season-ending Team Championship in Miami.

The top 24 players in points after Jeddah will lock down their spots for the 2024 LIV Golf League season.

“It’s a big tournament, it’s the last tournament of the regular season and obviously, one of my objectives at the start of the year was to finish inside the Top 24 and I want to accomplish that. I think I need to be in the fourth place or better to do that,” said Puig.

“I will probably need a few players to play worse than me, but at the end of the day, that’s not something I can control. All I can control is how I play. I think it’s a good course for me. It’s kind of open and I think I have some advantage on that. While I am happy to win my first professional tournament, I would definitely like to win here on LIV for sure. That’s been one of the objectives this year.”

Puig said his first full-schedule year on LIV has been a huge learning experience and something that has helped him win the Singapore title. A naturally attacking player, he admitted that he is now trying to strategise more on the golf course, play a bit more conservatively at times — and not get frustrated if he hits a bad shot here and there.

“I have learnt a lot playing against all these players in LIV. I have learned, maybe, not being that aggressive on the course,” said Puig.

“Everybody has their own plans, and I am never going to change my strategy off the tee because I think I have a big advantage there and when you have it, you need to use it. I probably will not be as aggressive in some approaches, because you need to weigh whether it can give you shots, or take it away.

“And one big thing I have learned is transmitting more positive words and thoughts to myself. Even after bad shots, it’s important to tell yourself good things, or just blank your mind and not say anything. My body language hasn’t been the best after a bad hole and when I’m getting frustrated. Getting angry might work for a couple of times, but it won’t most times. That’s another thing I have learned for sure.”

Puig has certainly learned a lot about winning in 2023. His Torque team has won four times this season, most of any team in the league. And now he’s won for the first time as a pro. It should be the first of many for LIV Golf’s youngest player.

Main image: Asian Tour

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The Spaniard dominated The International Series event for the third successive day, reaching 20-under, with Korean Jaewoong Eom leading the chasing pack after shooting a 69.

Thailand’s Atiruj Winaicharoenchai returned a 68, and Australian Jack Thompson a 69, to sit in a tie for third, one shot back – on another incredibly hot and humid day on TMCC’s Tampines Course.

Puig’s 64 on day one gave him a three-shot lead, and after a 66 yesterday he moved six in front before more big drives, precision iron play and a hot putter today saw him extend the gap.

The 21-year-old, who also plays on the LIV Golf League, attacked the front nine with three birdies and an eagle to take a firm grip of the event before eight successive pars on the back was fittingly capped off with a birdie on the par-five 18th.

“Yeah played very good again, hit a lot of fairways and greens and made some putts on the front nine,” he said. “I think I missed some on the back but overall played very good, very steady and pretty happy.”

His 54-hole score is the lowest of the season on the Asian Tour, while he also has the biggest three-round lead of the year.

Despite his exceptional performance he did admit he still has concerns.

“You know, I always get frustrated. It doesn’t matter if I’m leading like this week or if I’m playing pretty bad, I always get frustrated because I always want to make the best score I can,” he said.

“But again, I know I was hitting good putts, they dropped in the front nine and they didn’t on the back, so I think it was pretty average overall. But again, very happy with the way I’m playing, and it was good to finish with a birdie on 18.”

Main image: Asian Tour

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The 21-year-old Spaniard has a commanding six-stroke lead over Korean Jaewoong Eom, who returned a 67 — in the seventh International Series event of the season.

Australian Jack Thompson, this year’s Qualifying School winner, shot a 68 and is a further shot behind, while Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho (67) and Austrian Bernd Wiesberger (69) are in group of nine players tied for fourth, another stroke back.

Puig has been knocking on the door of a first Asian Tour victory since turning professional just over a year ago and looks like having his best chance this week.

He started the day with a three-shot lead after a sublime 64 on Thursday and made light work of the Tampines Course here at Tanah Merah Country Club once again on Friday.

He started on 10 with a bogey but bounced back with birdies on 11, 14, 15 and 17 and swept through the second half with four more birdies, including on the last, and one dropped shot.

“Two awesome days. Played very good,” said Puig.

“I think I even played better today than I did yesterday. You know, it was pretty hot at the end, and I had a couple bad shots on holes seven and eight to finish, but overall, very happy.”

This is not the first time he has been out in front on the Asian Tour: he led after three rounds of the International Series Morocco last year, in his first event on Tour, before finishing third, and he had a three-shot margin after two rounds of the St Andrews Championship in August but ended in a tie for fourth.

About those performances he said: “It’s experience you know, and kind of learning from the past. I mean, I think I already learned a lot in this last month, on seven for example, or eighth, I hit a couple bad shots and instead of trying to be a hero and try to even make birdie or par, where sometimes you make like six or seven, I played steady and had two fives. I knew I was going to get two fives, but you know, I think I’m ready.”

He has also been competing full-time on the LIV Golf League playing for Torque — the dominant team this season, having won four times. His best finish individually came in Chicago in August when he was fourth and next week he heads to LIV Golf Jeddah.

His six-shot advantage is still some way short of the Asian Tour’s record after two rounds. England’s Lee Westwood holds that as he had an 11-stroke lead at the 2011 Thailand Golf Championship.

Eom, who shone in the New Zealand Open earlier in the year when he finished in a tie for second, made five birdies and was one of the few players to go bogey free.

“I think everything was good today, from tee shots to iron-play to putting,” said the Korean, who as well as being a fine golfer, also speaks Mandarin fluently.

“Everything was good, and I am pleased with the way I played. This is actually my first time in Singapore. The golf course looks great and the greens are in good conditions. It was really hot out there. That’s the toughest part. I’m not used to playing in this heat. We never get this in Korea.”

Kho is clearly still on a high after claiming the gold medal at the Asian Games last week in China and shot up the leaderboard making six birdies before dropping his only shot of the day on the last.

He said: “I felt like I had some issues with strategy and bit of focus yesterday, but I was able to clean that up really nicely, so I was able to attack the golf course like I thought I could. And overall, a really good day.”

The 22-year-old made history in March by becoming the first player from Hong Kong to win an Asian Tour event after he recorded a hugely popular and significant victory at the inaugural World City Championship presented by the Hong Kong Golf Club.

“I think I have a mixture of confidence and a little bit of fatigue, but I feel like it almost works to my advantage because I’m just out here playing golf,” said Kho, who finished 27-under at the Asian Games.

“And that’s all it really feels like, there’s no added pressure or anything like that. So, yeah, overall, I’m just trying to play golf and just try to get a little bit better this week. But other than that, there’s a lot of confidence from my ability to go low from the previous week, and hopefully that can help me this week and in the future as well.”

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The Arizona-based Spaniard shot a scorching bogey-free eight-under-par 64, on the intimidating Tampines Course at Tanah Merah Country Club on a hot and humid day.

Chinese-Taipei’s Chang Wei-lun and Thais Rattanon Wannasrichan and Itthipat Buranatanyarat returned 67s  in the seventh International Series event this season.

Puig is due a win on the Asian Tour having consistently been in the running since turning professional in September last year, including in his last three appearances: he tied for fourth in the International Series England, ended equal 14th in the St Andrew Bay Championship, and came home in a tie for 11th in last month’s Shinhan Donghae Open, on each occasion threatening to win.

And he made the perfect start on Thursday with three birdies on the front side, and five on the back, including three in the last four.

“Tough course, tough conditions,” said the 21-year-old, who plays for Torque — the dominant team on the LIV Golf League this season having won four times.

“It is true that some holes were a little shorter today, but still a tough course, firm greens. I hit it very good, and I think the front nine I played very good. I putted three times for eagle, and shot three-under with 17 putts, I missed one green. On the back nine I played solid as well, I hit good shots, and made more putts, so yes very happy.

“I have been hitting it pretty good off the tee this year and this is a long course and there are some holes where you need to be accurate and precise but there are others where they kind of open and with my distance I have a little bit of an advantage to that.”

In his very first event on the Asian Tour last year, the International Series Morocco, he came home in third having been the overnight leader, and that set the tone for a consistent run of high-quality golf.

He added: “I have played good these past couple of months. I have had a lot of good rounds and couldn’t get it done in all of these tournaments, but you know I keep learning. I know I am a good player and that’s why I am here and why I play on LIV, I know that, and also the scores tell that. I practise hard and I think I am doing all the things right, with my team as well.”   

Chang is in-form at the moment — he tied for fifth in the Mercuries Taiwan Masters last week — despite carrying an injury.

“I injured my right ankle last week,” said Chang, a winner on the Asian Development Tour in 2019, at the Charming Yeangder event.

“I am not limping, but I felt uncomfortable through the round today. I hurt my ankle during the third-round last week, and I just played through it on the final day.

“Didn’t think much of it and I played well to get a top-five finish on Sunday. That gave me a lot of confidence coming to this week. I brought the injury into this week but it’s my third time playing here now so I am familiar with the course. Just play shot by shot. My ankle’s injured and I can’t do much about it. So just play the best I can.”

He began on hole 10 and turned in two-under thanks to back-to-back birdies on 15 and 16.

He added: “Those back-to-back birdies there got me going. The course is in great condition, as always. There is nothing I can nitpick about the course.”

He dropped a shot on the second, but rallied with gains on three, five, eight and nine.

Asian Tour Order of Merit and International Series OOM leader Andy Ogletree came in with a 68, along with Japan’s Tomoharu Otsuki, Koreans Bio Kim, Meenwhee Kim and Taehee Lee, New Zealander Ben Campbell and Thailand’s Suradit Yongcharoenchai, Suteepat Prateeptienchai and Atiruj Winaicharoenchai.

Defending champion Nitithorn Thippong from Thailand returned a 71, as did former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel and Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho — winner of the individual gold medal at the Asian Games last week.

Jaco Ahlers, winner of last week’s Mercuries Taiwan Masters, fired a 72, while Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell signed for a 74.

Singapore amateur Ryan Ang finished the day as the leading local player after carding a 70. Ang was the joint leading Singaporean in last week’s Asian Games, along with James Leow, in a tie for 12th. Leow shot even par on Thursday.

Main image: Asian Tour

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David Puig put himself in pole position for a first professional title at the St Andrews Bay Championship on the Asian Tour International Series on Friday.

The Spaniard opened up a three-shot lead at the halfway point of the sixth International Series event of the season thanks to a spectacular eight-under-par 64 — the lowest round of the week so far — to reach 14-under, with South African Jaco Ahlers in second place, following a 67.

Australians Matt Jones (65) and Andrew Dodt (68), Eugenio Chacarra (66) from Spain, England’s James Wilson (66), American Micah Lauren Shin (67), Korean Seungtaek Lee (67) and Chile’s Mito Pereira (68) are in a tie for third, four behind Puig.

Players took advantage of the bright and calm conditions at Fairmont St Andrews, where the Torrance Course is being used, to shoot low scores, with Puig once again excelling, making nine birdies, to go with the 10 he made yesterday.

Six of those birdies today came on the back nine, including the last four.

“Played pretty good again,” said Puig. “Didn’t start that good on the first five holes swing wise, but yeah, after number five, the par- three, I think I played very well and hit it very good off the tee. And almost made every putt I needed to make, so yeah, I’m very happy with my game.”

He’s come close to winning before on the Asian Tour, at last year’s International Series Morocco, where he was third, and last week’s International Series England, where he tied for fourth.

He has, however, enjoyed phenomenal team success on the LIV Golf League this season, winning four team titles with Torque — the franchise also consisting of captain Joaquin Niemann, Sebastian Munoz and Pereira.

Puig says he is reaping the rewards of many hours of practice and preparation.

“Off the tee I got a lot better for sure. I got longer and straighter with pretty much every club, which obviously helps a ton especially on courses like this one where you need to get to fairways,” he said,

“I would say because of focusing too much on that, maybe I am not that good, or as good as I want to be, or as good as I was with the wedges, but it’s a work in progress. I know it’s the best part of my game, it just didn’t show up yet the way I want it. But yeah, I mean working with Dave Phillips, who is my coach, we’ve been working hard, swing wise, setup wise and also in the gym, so very, very happy with the improvement.”

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There were storms brewing ahead of Sunday’s final round at LIV Golf’s 10th event of 2023 at the Greenbrier, both on and off the course.

Due to the potential for inclement weather, Sunday’s final round of LIV Golf Greenbrier was brought forward to a shotgun start at 9.05am local time in West Virginia.

Meanwhile, David Puig, LIV Golf’s youngest player at age 21 is locked in a battle with Matthew Wolff for the individual title this weekend.

They shared a lot of laughs Saturday playing in the same group at LIV Golf Greenbrier. And now they share the lead going into the final round at The Old White course.

Wolff followed up his LIV-record tying 61 in the opening round with a three-under 67, while Puig shot 65, leaving both players at 12-under through the first 36 holes. That’s one stroke better than the trio of Bryson DeChambeau, Richard Bland and season-long points leader Talor Gooch, with four more players another stroke back.

Wolff and Puig will be paired again in the leading group that tees off on hole No. 1.

“I’m excited to play with him tomorrow,” Wolff said of the young Spanish star. “I’m excited to be tied for the lead. I’m going to go out there and give it my all, and we’ll see what happens.”

“The age helps probably to enjoy more … or have fun, maybe,” Puig said. “Looking forward to tomorrow.”

The third member of the lead group is Bland, who at 50 years old is the second oldest LIV Golf player.

“I’m trying to keep us oldies still relevant,” said Bland.

As a team, Puig’s Torque certainly had plenty of fun, with a cumulative second round score of 19-under with Mito Pereira’s 62 and Sebastián Muñoz’s 64 counting with Puig’s 65. That leaves Torque at 34-under and four shots ahead of Stinger. Four other teams are eight shots behind.

Torque are seeking their fourth team title of the season while hoping to close the gap with the league-leading 4 Aces, who are in 11th place after managing just even par on Saturday.

Bryson DeChambeau. LIV Golf

Meanwhile, Bryson DeChambeau might have had the most fun of any individual player on Saturday, shooting his lowest score in a LIV Golf tournament (61) to get to 11-under. His bogey-free round was fuelled by a hot putter, as he converted three birdie attempts of 27 feet or better, including a 47-footer at the 14th hole and a 32-footer at the fourth.

Add increased confidence with the new driver he put in his bag this week, and the Crushers captain is feeling good about his game. He took second place last month at LIV Golf Andalucía when Gooch birdied the final hole for his third win of the season.

“Obviously the putting was more important because that’s what allowed me to shoot that far under par,” said the 2020 US Open champ. “But the driving was on par if not better than that. Having this confidence off the tee is crucial to me playing well, and that’s what it’s provided me so far.”

Puig will be looking for his first professional win since turning pro last year. Wolff’s last pro win came in 2019 in just his third start after becoming a pro. Both players are just outside the top 24 in points who receive guaranteed spots at the end of the regular season for next year’s LIV Golf League.

Sunday at Greenbrier could be a big day for the two youngsters.

“I know we’re young but we’re here for a reason,” Wolff said. “I don’t really think anyone else is looking at us like, oh, we’re young. I think they all know we’re going to give it our best. There’s a reason we’re in the lead.”

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By GolfDigestME.com
There was no hiding Richard T Lee’s look of disappointment at the moment after he let victory narrowly slip from his grasp last Sunday but a trip to the Pyramids on Tuesday morning ahead of this week’s International Series Egypt, at Madinaty Golf Club in Cairo, has certainly helped to put a smile on his face.

“Egypt has been on my wish list since high school, I just wanted to come here and check out the Pyramids. It was amazing just to see it, right there in front of my eyes,” said the Canadian, who visited the iconic and world-famous Giza Pyramids in Cairo with American Sihwan Kim, Korean Jeunghun Wang, and local player Isaa Abuo El Ela.

Lee was on the brink of winning the International Series Morocco two days ago but made a costly bogey on the driveable par-four 17th and lost by a shot to Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond — who finished sensationally with an eagle and a birdie.

Added Lee: “To be honest I got a bit unlucky on 17 as my second shot was blocked. I pulled my tee shot slightly and it ended right behind a tree so I could only advance it forward a little bit.”

He was attempting to claim his third title on the Asian Tour, to add to his wins in the Solaire Open in 2014 and the 2017 Shinhan Donghae Open.

Nevertheless, it’s has been a big season for the 32-year-old so far as he also finished joint-second in the International Series Singapore in August.

“I just want to take the good things from there [Morocco] and have a good week this week and play my best,” he said.

“I am just going to play my game; I feel my game is pretty solid right now; I am playing smart golf. Hopefully I can get that win.”

Last year he was dogged by injuries to his shoulder and knee, which he feels might have been the result of COVID-19 treatment.

He said: “I am not completely sure what caused the injuries, I think it could have been something to do with the vaccines. I didn’t have any injuries playing golf, it’s just that all of a sudden they came.

“I have been eating well and doing a lot of work outs. It’s getting better, my body is getting back into shape.”

Rising Spanish star David Puig competes this week having also come close to winning in Morocco — which was his first event on the Asian Tour and second as a professional.

He led by two at the start of the final round before finishing in solo possession of third, two back from Jazz.

“Obviously, leading going into the final round my main goal was to win, but at the end of the day it’s golf,” said the 20-year-old, who opted to not complete his final year on the Arizona State University golf team in order to play for pay.

He added: “I think I was pretty steady the whole day, I played pretty good. I just didn’t hit the ball as close as I would like, but I hit it very good and didn’t putt my best as well. But I hung in there and I had a chance until the last hole so as I said overall I’m pretty happy with my result.

“As I said last week I don’t like tight courses, but my driving accuracy as well as my driving distance was pretty good during the whole week. So not seeing trees and instead seeing big fairways, it’s gonna be good because you’re more relaxed sometimes. But at the same time, at the end of the day, it’s just golf. You just gotta try to make birdies.”

His fine performance allowed him to secure his Asian Tour card for next season.

This week’s tournament marks the first time the Asian Tour has visited Egypt. The $1.5 million event is the third from last event of the season with just the Bangabandhu Cup Golf Bangladesh Open and Indonesian Masters, which is part of the International Series, remaining.

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The post Lee raring to go once again for Asian Tour International Series Egypt appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

He carded a four-under 69 at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam to lead on 10-under by two shots from overnight leader Richard T Lee from Canada, who carded a 74.

Another LIV-er, Scott Vincent, has familiar company as his brother Kieran is tied alongside him for third, one stroke further back, along with Australian Scott Hend, who came in with a 72.

Puig, who played for Arizona State University, turned professional in September to compete in the LIV Golf Invitational event at Chicago, and this week’s Asian Tour event is only his second tournament as a pro. 

“You know, I played pretty good overall,” said the 20-year-old. “Obviously I hit it pretty good to not make any bogeys, but the whole day I played pretty steady. I’m hitting fairways and greens, and I made all the short putts that I needed to make. I’m excited and looking forward for tomorrow.

Kieran Vincent’s was the latest victim to the airline crisis. Not only did his clubs not arrive with him when he landed on Tuesday from New York, but he only received them on Thursday morning just hours before he teed off after he went to pick them up at Casablanca airport, which is well over a one-hour drive from the golf club.

“I didn’t even know my clubs were there [at the airport on Thursday]. I was lucky enough that they were coming on that flight from JFK, so I picked them up and got here just in time for my tee off time,” said the Zimbabwean.

“I had arrived here on Tuesday morning and was club-less. So just came up to the course and thought at least we’ll see the course and do a little bit of practice. I think I was using someone else’s wedge, and a putter from who knows when.

“One of the guys from here I was lucky enough for him to lend me a set for Wednesday too, if I was able to just go out there and play a couple of holes. So, I was lucky enough to do that. But the main reason was we had some clubs to play and practice with.”

He made an eagle, and seven birdies and will play in the final pairing on Sunday with Puig and Lee, with his brother Scott in the penultimate group.

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The post LIV Golf jump paying dividends for David Puig and a new Vincent emerges at International Series Morocco appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.