Latest news with #DavidPuig
Telegraph
a day ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
Ian Poulter's son with huge chance to qualify for Open after outscoring his dad
Luke Poulter has put himself in with a huge shout of qualifying for the Open after he outscored his father, Ian, by five shots in the first round of the 36-hole shoot-out here at Royal Cinque Ports on Tuesday morning. Poulter Jnr, the amateur who missed out by a shot from securing a berth at last month's US Open, fired a five-under 67 at this famous Kent links to stand in a tie for third in the 72-man field, with five set to advance to Royal Portrush in a fortnight's time. Poulter Snr, 49, is not yet out of it, after recovering from early dropped shots to post a level-par 72 and stand just outside the top 20. Spaniard David Puig set the pace on eight under with American Maxwell Moldovan two behind in second. However, the former world No 5 will be just as interested – if not even more so – in the progress of his 21-year-old heir, who in recent months has been carving himself quite the name. After recovering from career-threatening back surgery last year, the student at the University of Florida won his first event on the US College circuit and has recently been picked for the England senior team. He has a different character to Ian – far less flamboyant and with a much calmer temperament – but he obviously has inherited the battling qualities of the Ryder Cup legend. And indeed the confidence. Not only is Poulter Snr in his rear-view mirror here, but another Europe colossus in Graeme McDowell – in a tie for 13th on two under – and other European Tour winners in Matthew Southgate and Tom Lewis are also playing catch-up with Poulter Jnr. Of course, the dream for the Poulter family is for both to earn their way to the Dunluce links and so follow in the Open's grand father-and-son tradition, which first featured Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris, as well as Willie Park Snr and Willie Park Jnr in the championship's formative years. The last father-and-son combination to appear at the same major was Craig and Kevin Stadler at the 2014 Masters. Poulter Snr's LIV team-mate Lee Westwood is playing at Dundonald Links as he also seeks a start in the Open for the first time since 2022, and at the halfway stage, the 52-year-old is in a tie for fifth on two under, three behind fellow Briton Jordan Sundborg. However, another member of the Majesticks team on the Saudi-funded circuit walked off the course at West Lancashire mid-round. Sam Horsfield was seven-over after nine holes when he effectively disqualified himself by making a sharp exit at the Liverpool links.
Fox News
2 days ago
- Sport
- Fox News
Sergio Garcia Secures LIV Golf Open Championship Exemption
Fireballs GC captain Sergio Garcia secured the coveted LIV Golf Open Championship exemption with a gritty 2-under-par 70 on Sunday, edging out a handful of competitors including his Fireballs GC teammate David Puig. Although Garcia did not earn any points in Dallas, finishing tied for 25th at 3 over, he was the highest-placed LIV Golf player inside the top five through the season's first nine events without an exemption. Garcia is fifth in the season-long Individual Championship points race behind Joaquin Niemann, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Dallas winner Patrick Reed, each of whom already have an exemption into the Open. Garcia will make his 26th Open appearance and 102nd major championship start at Royal Portrush next month. "It's going to be my second time playing at Royal Portrush, and it's obviously nice," Garcia said. "It's one of the goals that you have at the beginning of the year, to try to play as many majors as you can with the limitations that we have. "I didn't help myself very much the last three months, but I'm glad that I got enough work done in the first third of the year, I guess, in the first part of the season. I'm excited about it, and hopefully I'll play well." This piece is courtesy of and in partnership with LIV Golf. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
Daily Mail
04-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Jose Luis Ballester, who stunned fans with disgusting act at the Masters, makes shock career move
Jose Luis Ballester has signed a major career contract just two months after going viral at Augusta National. The reigning US Amateur has signed a multi-year deal with the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit, forfeiting his shot at making it on the PGA Tour. The 21-year-old will join fellow Spaniard Sergio Garcia's Fireballs team, joining Abraham Ancer and David Puig. He is set to make his professional debut this week at LIV Golf's Virginia event at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club outside Washington, D.C. 'We are very excited about Josele joining the team,' Garcia said in a statement. 'Personally, I have known him since he could pick up a golf club and he has worked with my father as his coach throughout his golf career.' Ballester just wrapped up his senior season at Arizona State - the alma mater of LIV Golf stars Phil Mickelson and Jon Rahm. He finished third in the PGA Tour University standings, which earned him full status on the Korn Ferry Tour, the PGA Tour's top developmental circuit. However, according to Golf Channel, Ballester declined the offer, instead opting to snub the Tour in favor of its rival breakaway. LIV Golf players have been banned from the PGA Tour for their defections as the truce negotiations between the two circuits drag on. The PGA Tour rejected a $1.5 billion reunification offer from the Saudi Public Investment Fund - which bankrolls the LIV breakaway - in April. Despite missing the cut, Ballester made headlines at The Masters in April when he left the patrons of the hallowed Augusta National stunned. He stirred controversy during the first round when, playing alongside world No 1 Scottie Scheffler, he sported a cap with 'Sun Devils' written upside down on the front. An apparent fashion faux pas among golf's traditionalists. He truly horrified Augusta's most orthodox patrons when he took relief of a very different kind at one of the course's most famous landmarks. Ballester urinated into Rae's Creek at the 13th at the risk of facing punishment from the powers that be at the church of golf. Fans flocked to his girlfriend's Instagram her boyfriend shot to fame at The Masters 'I completely forgot that we had those restrooms to the left of the tee box,' an unrepentant Ballester explained after he was caught in the act. 'I really needed to pee. I didn't really know where to go…I'm like, I'm just going to sneak here in the river and probably people would not see me that much, and then they clapped for me.' However, he appeared to have avoided the wrath of the Augusta officials over his unscheduled pit stop when he was permitted to return to tee it up for the second round alongside Scheffler and Justin Thomas. Ballester defeated Noah Kent 2 up in the 36-hole U.S. Amateur final at Hazeltine last August. Although he is turning professional, he keeps his spot in next week's U.S. Open at Oakmont as the reigning champion of the USGA's top amateur event. Ballester is the son of two Spanish Olympians with his mother Sonia Barrio winning a gold medal in field hockey at the 1992 Barcelona games. Meanwhile, his father, Jose Luis Ballester Sr., was an Olympic swimmer, who also competed at the University of Florida. Ballester, who hails from Castellón, Spain, has one sister, Julia, who is also a collegiate golfer as a sophomore at Kansas State.
Fox News
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
LIV Golf at 2025 PGA Championship: Highlights from Jon Rahm, David Puig, more
The 2025 PGA Championship, the second major of the year, is in full swing at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina, and this year's field features 16 LIV Golf players — Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Joaquin Niemann, Jon Rahm, Phil Mickelson, Cameron Smith, Sergio Garcia, Tyrrell Hatton, Dustin Johnson, Tom McKibbin, Patrick Reed, Martin Kaymer, Richard Bland, Dean Burmester, John Catlin and David Puig. Some made the field based on current world rankings, while others qualified with recent major wins or by finishing in the top 15 at the 2024 PGA Championship. There are some special cases too, as past PGA champions earn a lifetime exemption for the tournament, and a handful of LIV golfers received invitations to play in this year's tournament. Here are the highlights after Round 1. Despite a back injury that cropped up late in his final round during LIV Golf's most recent tournament in Korea, Puig produced a gutsy even-par 71 that leaves him in good position to make the cut. Even though his round ended with a double bogey, the 23-year-old from Spain was pleased, given the circumstances he faced. "If I'm telling the truth, I think it was a great day overall," Puig said. "Especially without practicing and with having some sort of back pain. I think I competed very well." Puig said his back cramped up on him the last five or six holes in Korea, although he managed to overcome it by finishing eagle-birdie-birdie on his final three holes to slip inside the top 20 of the leaderboard. Starting his round off the 10th tee, Rahm played his opening nine holes in a bogey-free 2 under, including three consecutive pars through the dangerous Green Mile. Things went awry from there, with Rahm making bogey-birdie-bogey-bogey-birdie-bogey on his next six holes that undid all the good scoring on his first nine. Fortunately, a birdie at the short par-4 eighth left him with a 1-under 70 and in a good spot to make an impact going into Friday's second round. "It's funny because I made bogeys but didn't necessarily make horrible swings," the Legion XIII captain said about this six-hole adventure. "It was just missed it on the wrong places." Rahm is used to starting with a 70 in the PGA Championship – it's the fifth time in nine career starts that he's opened with that number. That includes his first PGA start in 2017 at Quail Hollow. His opening 70 left him tied for 15th but a second-round 75 dropped him out of contention entering the weekend. Eight years later, he'll have a chance to make a more positive move. There were plenty of non-LIV golfers who had strong outings on Thursday as well. Smalley was on the putting green at Quail Hollow, going through his drills and looking like any of the other 156 players at the PGA Championship. But he wasn't. On the eve of the major, Smalley wasn't sure he would have a tee time. And then, in a span of about 20 hours, the North Carolina native went from first alternate to a 4-under 67 that kept his name around the top of the leaderboard on Thursday. "I really prepared just like any other week," Smalley said. "Obviously, it's interesting being first alternate. I was losing hope after every passing hour. And you know, you hear about everybody's ailments being first alternate." In this case, it was Sahith Theegala, who had to withdraw during the Truist Championship last week at Philadelphia Cricket Club. And his neck injury never got better for the Californian to play the PGA Championship, a major he finished in the top 15 a year ago. So he was out. Smalley was in. He had three birdies in a four-hole stretch on the back nine (after starting on No. 10), dropped a pair of shots on tough par 4s on the front nine and then shot his way back into the mix by holing a 70-foot putt across the green on the par-5 seventh for eagle. Smalley made a short birdie putt on the short par-4 eighth, managed par on the brutal par-4 ninth hole and had his lowest score in his third appearance at the PGA Championship. Donald and Bradley turned the opening round of the PGA Championship into their own little Ryder Cup competition Thursday. Shortly after Donald carded a surprising 4-under-par 67 — his best opening round at a major in 21 years — Bradley checked in with a 68, leaving both Ryder Cup captains in contention at Quail Hollow with 54 holes remaining. "If it's tied 14-14, are you talking a playoff? I'll grab the trophy and go back to Europe," joked Donald, whose European team bested the Americans 16 1/2 to 11 1/2 at the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome, meaning they will retain the trophy if they tie or beat the Americans this September at Bethpage Black. Bradley got a chuckle out of Donald's comments and said he planned to text his counterpart and let him know he was "pumped" for him. "It's unique," Bradley said of having both Ryder Cup captains in the top 10. "You know, one of the interesting things about becoming captain, only other captains can understand what you're going through, and the day-to-day process and the pressure and everything that comes with that. Parts of this piece are courtesy of Mike McAllister in partnership with LIV Golf. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
USA Today
14-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
David Puig odds to win the 2025 PGA Championship
David Puig odds to win the 2025 PGA Championship PGA Championship details and info Date: May 15-18, 2025 May 15-18, 2025 Course: Quail Hollow Club Quail Hollow Club Location: Charlotte, NC Charlotte, NC Previous Winner: Xander Schauffele How to watch the PGA Championship Thursday: ESPN, The Golf Channel ESPN, The Golf Channel Friday: ESPN, The Golf Channel ESPN, The Golf Channel Saturday: CBS (KBAK-Bakersfield, CA), ESPN, NBC (WBGH-Binghamton, NY) CBS (KBAK-Bakersfield, CA), ESPN, NBC (WBGH-Binghamton, NY) Sunday: CBS (KBAK-Bakersfield, CA), ESPN, NBC (WBGH-Binghamton, NY), NBC (WBIR- Knoxville, TN) Watch golf on Fubo! Puig odds to win the PGA Championship PGA odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Wednesday at 3:01 AM ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub. Puig odds to finish in the top 5 at the PGA Championship Puig odds to finish in the top 10 at the PGA Championship Other betting markets for Puig at the PGA Championship Puig recent performances Puig participated in three tournaments over the last 12 months, with zero top-10 finishes. Puig has not finished inside the top 20 in his past four tournaments, with an average finish of 47th.
