18 February 2024 , 16:07
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David Puig has claimed a coveted spot at The Open Championship this summer after winning the IRS Prima Malaysian Open.
The LIV Golf star, 22, has found a way around the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) saga that has locked many players on the breakaway tour out of the majors. Former Open champion Cameron Smith has called the ongoing row "pretty ridiculous".
Puig will now make his Open debut at Royal Troon this July after his victory in Malaysia on Sunday. The Asian Tour event was part of The Open Qualifying Series, with the top three players earning a place in the field in Scotland later this year.
Puig, who is part of Sergio Garcia's Fireballs team on the Saudi Arabia-bankrolled tour, is ranked just 245th in the world by the OWGR due to the lack of ranking points on offer in LIV events. The tour is unsanctioned due to its 54-hole format, plus concerns over the team dynamic and the qualifying process.
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Many LIV players have a negligible chance of playing in the majors as a result. Although the likes of Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka have secured their places in the big four events for the immediate future with recent major championship victories, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter are among those who have had to miss out, with their move to LIV seeing them plummet down the OWGR.
Puig made a sensational comeback to win the title. He was at risk of missing the cut on Friday, but he carded back-to-back rounds of 62 to finish at 23-under-par, two shots clear of South Korea's Jeunghan Wang and three ahead of Denwit Boriboonsub, of Thailand. They also earned a place in The Open Championship with their performances.
Puig won the Malaysian Open on Sunday to qualify for The Open (ARIF KARTONO/AFP via Getty Images)"It feels great, weird feeling for sure," Puig said. "We almost missed the cut. I was kind of playing good, but I kind of messed up. We actually finished round two good, and the weekend was just insane. I mean 18 birdies, no bogeys, in 36 holes was unbelievable. And getting that Open spot is super cool, I came here for that."
The OWGR has been widely discredited by LIV players since October's decision not to sanction the tour in its current setup, forcing LIV players to take their chances in qualifying events to earn spots in the majors.
"I think it is almost obsolete now," 2022 Open champion Smith said of the decision. "We've got some guys out here who are playing some of the best golf in the world and they're outside the top 100, 200 in the world. It's pretty ridiculous."
Two-time major champion and former world number-one Dustin Johnson added: "I feel like you can't really use the world ranking system anymore. That's my take on it. Hard to use the world ranking system if you're excluding 48 guys that are good players. The rankings are skewed. It doesn't really affect me as it does some of the other guys. I want the points for the other guys."
Sunday's win was the second of Puig's professional career, both coming on the Asian Tour. His best finish on LIV so far this season was 17th place at Las Vegas Country Club last week.