Several up-and-coming golfers have put the world on notice. Karl Vilips, who clinched his first-ever PGA Tour title this year at the Puerto Rico Open, is one. Then there is Nicolai Hojgaard, who was part of the winning team at the 2023 Ryder Cup. And David Puig is another prodigy in the making. Puig plays in the LIV Golf Circuit and, despite his age, has been putting forth impressive performances on the global stage. However, the world started noticing him after his impressive performances on the DP World Tour. He finished in the top 4 in his last five appearances on the Europe-based tour, including a 3rd-place finish at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship and a T4 finish at the Bahrain Championship. These outstanding performances were the reason why Puig got invited to the PGA Championship. And so far, he is holding his own.
David Puig battles back issues on day 1 at Quail Hollow
The first day of proceedings at Quail Hollow was difficult for several players. Players like Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, and Xander Schauffele failed to make par across eighteen holes. It is under these difficult circumstances that Puig raced to a 3-under-par score after 15 holes, carding 4 birdies in the process. And this was while battling a back issue that is compromising his ability to a great extent.
“My back hasn’t felt okay for the last nine or ten days, and obviously no practice at all since the last day of Korea, basically. I haven’t hit a ball since the last day of Korea, pretty much. Overall, if I’m telling the truth, I think it was a great day, and overall, especially without practicing and having sort of back pain, I think I competed very well. The finish kind of sucks in a way, but I think overall, I’m pretty happy with the score, pretty happy with how I got it around. Hopefully, tomorrow I’ll score a little bit better,” Puig explained after his first round at the 2025 PGA Championship. He carded a bogey on 16 and a double bogey on 18 to finish on even par, but he is still happy with his strong start.
Puig’s last event, LIV Golf Korea, was of a similar vein. He finished with a score of 5 under par after two days but struggled mightily on day 3, carding a 1 over par, to register a T20 finish, his lowest this season. He had particularly struggled from holes 8 to 13, where he carded two double bogeys and two bogeys, which effectively saw his lead slip. This was also where his back first started displaying signs of bother. That eventually prevented him from getting any real practice before the major.
“Tuesday morning I thought for sure that I wasn’t even going to tee off today, and somehow I managed to play nine holes yesterday. But yeah, I gave it a try today, and it actually responded quite nicely, and I was able to lead the tournament for a while. So obviously, again, that finish kind of sucked because of two bad swings on 17 and 18, but overall a pretty good day.” His 2024 PGA Championship also went a similar way when he carded a 1 over on day 1. However, he did not have the strong start he had today, and he will be looking to have more of that on day 2 and make the cut at the PGA Championship for the first time.
The injury is a legitimate concern for Puig, so much so that his physiotherapist has been walking with him on the course. During the whole round. “I’ve been having a lot of physical therapy the last 10 days, actually, and they’ve helped me a lot. Obviously I didn’t see the results right away. It took a while to actually see my body respond. But yeah, they did a great job,” the Spaniard further added.
VERY early, but should be noted that David Puig is tied for the lead in a major for the 1st time in his career at the @PGAChampionship! @fireballsgc_ @livgolf_league pic.twitter.com/m1Ar3ZuihA
— Pro Golf Critic (@ProGolfCritic) May 15, 2025
Injury or not, Puig will have expectations set for himself that he will need to achieve. Despite his age, the Spaniard has been known to hit above his weight class.
David Puig’s major results
Puig is competing at only his fifth major at the PGA Championship. He debuted at the 2023 US Open, where he finished an impressive T39. The Spaniard followed that with a 55th-place finish in the 2024 edition. He failed to make the cut at his only previous appearance at the PGA Championship last year. He also failed to make the cut at The Open Championship in 2024 as well.
Despite his so-so record at the majors, Puig has been making steady waves in the LIV circuit as well as the DP World Tour. He is currently ranked seventh in the standings in LIV Golf and has two top 5 finishes to his name. He is yet to finish outside of the Top 20 this season, something that he shares with Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau. An impressive list to be a part of.
What do you think of David Puig’s chances at the PGA Championship? Can he register a top 10 finish and make a statement to the rest of the golfing world?
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