Asian Tour Book 2024

PUIG EXTRACTS ASTONISHING WIN AT THE MINES FLYING START TO 2024 ASIAN TOUR CAMPAIGN David Puig [left and right] became the first Spaniard to have his name inscribed on The Seagram Trophy. W ith four holes of the second round remaining in the IRS Prima Malaysian Open, David Puig sat two shots the wrong side of the projected cut line. His prospects of qualifying for the weekend in the opening event on the 2024 Asian Tour schedule, never mind contending for the title, appeared slim at best. Over the ensuing 48 hours, not only did the rising Spanish star confound the odds to survive the 36-hole axe by the skin of his teeth, but he then, improbably, completed one of the most astonishing turnarounds in Asian Tour history. Three-under-par for his first 32 holes at The Mines Resort and Golf Club, Puig went on to cover the final 40 holes of the tournament in 20-under. From a perilous position on day two, he made birdies at the 15th and 17th holes for an even-par 71, enabling him to squeeze through on the cut-off mark of five-under 137 in equal 50th place. Eight strokes behind the half-way leaders, Puig headed into the third round with nothing to lose and promptly fired a bogey-free, nine-under 62 to soar all the way into joint fourth, just three strokes adrift of Canadian pace-setter Jared Du Toit. Now ‘in the zone’, Puig continued his weekend birdie spree, sweeping to a second successive flawless 62 that took him all the way to the top of the leaderboard in what was the 55th edition of Malaysia’s national championship. Despite hitting the summit early on the back nine, the LIV Golf League player, who captured his maiden Asian Tour crown at the International Series Singapore four months earlier, knew he couldn’t afford to let his guard down. “I had to be careful on those last four or five holes. Even holes before that, there’s a lot of water on the back nine. You have to keep steady because birdies can come very fast … but so can big numbers,” said Puig, the first Spaniard to have his name inscribed on The Seagram Trophy, joining such luminaries as Vijay Singh, Louis Oosthuizen, 32 I R S PR IMA MA L AYS I A N OPEN T H E M I N E S R E S O R T A N D GO L F C L U B F E B R UA RY 1 5 - 1 8 , 2 0 2 4 | P R I Z E MON E Y: U S $ 1 M I L L I ON