David Puig made an early run at Patrick Reed on Sunday in Dubai, but his tournament came crashing down with a back-nine slide that included an extremely costly post-round penalty.
The young LIV Golf star cut Reed’s lead to two at the turn, but a bogey at the par-5 13th and another dropped shot at the par-3 15th ended his Hero Dubai Desert Classic title pursuit. However, the young Spaniard was still in line for a top-three finish when he arrived at the final hole.
Puig tapped in for a closing par to finish in a tie for third, but then he was given bad news once he walked off the green. Puig’s approach shot landed in the greenside bunker, and he accidentally grounded his club before his third swing. Puig was unaware that he had made the infraction, but it was spotted by tournament referee Graeme Storm on the television feed.
The two-shot penalty dropped Puig into a tie for seventh place, meaning that instead of earning $508,500, he pocketed $232,200. That means Puig’s accidental club grounding cost him $276,300.
In Dubai, a different LIV Golf question looms large
That money won’t put a big dent in Puig’s wallet, as the 24-year-old has already earned over $20 million since joining LIV Golf. However, that is money that Puig could have put toward the DP World Tour fines he will incur once the LIV season begins. Puig has said that while the fines will be costly, he has no issue paying them so that he can remain a member of the tour he grew up watching.
“In my case, I want to be part of the tour, so I’ll do everything I can to keep being part of it. If that makes paying whatever amount, I’ll do it,” Puig told reporters on Friday, via bunkered.co.uk.
“It’s expensive, obviously, but I’m willing to do that. That’s why I joined the tour. We’ll see what happens. I don’t really know what’s going to happen, but in my case, I’m willing to do as much as I can to be part of this tour.”
Puig’s bunker mishap didn’t play a factor in the outcome of the tournament, as Reed cruised to a four-shot win over Andy Sullivan.
Afterward, Reed revealed that while he plans to play in LIV’s season-opening event in Saudi Arabia, he is currently not under contract with the breakaway league.
“We’re still finalizing the [LIV Golf] contract. We’re not complete on that yet,” Reed said in his winner’s press conference.
Reed said that he still plans to be in the field for the season-opening event, but he is currently a free agent.
“Not that I know of. Not right now. Really just all kind of depends on everything,” Reed said. “I mean, I haven’t talked to the team back home or anything like that. But at the moment, I plan on teeing it up there in Riyadh, and I’d be surprised if we’re not.”
Reed will tee it up next week in Bahrain alongside Puig’s Fireballs teammate Sergio Garcia.
The LIV season starts in Riyadh on Feb. 4.
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