David Puig is one of five LIV Golf players in the field for this week’s Saudi Open on the Asian Tour as he attempts to qualify for next month’s PGA Championship.
After the excitement of The Masters, the year’s second Major is now just a month away. The PGA Championship takes place between 16 and 19 May at Valhalla in Kentucky, a venue that has hosted the event three times before.
The tournament also has a reputation for producing the strongest field of all four men's Majors, as former champions, recent holders of the other three big events, PGA Tour winners from the past 12 months and successful qualifiers among members of the PGA of America book their spots automatically.
While it’s not an official way to qualify, typically, anyone in the top 100 in the world rankings the week before the event also receives an invite. That was the case in 2023, when 99 out of the top 100 were named in the field, with Will Zalatoris, who was recovering from back surgery, the only absentee.
There is no indication that this year’s edition will be any different, and that leaves a window of opportunity for LIV golfers not otherwise qualified to claim a place.
The circuit is famously unable to offer world ranking points, leaving its players facing the almost inevitable prospect of slipping down the rankings over time. However, one player who has bucked the trend is Puig, despite having been on the circuit since the outset.
That’s thanks to some excellent performances elsewhere, including his first two professional victories at last year’s International Series Singapore and the Malaysian Open in March, both on the Asian Tour.
Puig, who also finished runner-up at the International Series Macau later that month, is currently ranked 108th, just three lower than his career high, and another strong performance this week at Riyadh Golf Club would go a long way to helping secure his invite. If Puig does reach the tournament, it will be just his second Major appearance after he finished T39 at the 2023 US Open.
Joining Puig at the Saudi Open are fellow LIV Golf players Andy Ogletree, Henrik Stenson, Eugenio Chacarra and Peter Uihlein. However, of those, the highest-ranked is Ogletree at 206th. It’s not just low world rankings that could scupper the chances of some LIV Golf players making the Major. Time is also not on their side, with two LIV Golf events to come before the PGA Championship.
That means Puig is currently by far the most likely of those yet to secure a spot via the world rankings to do so, and he’ll be hoping to all but get there this week.
Last week, another LIV Golf player relying on his world ranking to reach the PGA Championship jumped into the top 100. Patrick Reed finished T12 at Augusta National, meaning he moved from 112th to 85th.
