Once contemplating WD due to back problems, Fireballs’ Puig responds with gutsy even-par 71

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Two days before striking his opening tee shot at this week’s PGA Championship, David Puig thought he was done. A back injury that cropped up late in his final round during LIV Golf’s most recent tournament in Korea had forced him to contemplate withdrawing from the year’s second major.

Given that these starts in golf’s biggest events are highly precious for the young Fireballs GC star, it was going to be a cruel blow.

Fortunately, with constant therapy, Puig managed to play the front nine on Wednesday during his only practice round of the week. Until then, he had basically not swung a club. Despite the lack of prep work, Puig felt good enough to make his tee time Thursday morning at 7:11 a.m. ET.

And despite the back problems, 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.

Since then, he basically stayed away from his golf clubs and let his physiotherapists work their magic. The results weren’t immediate, but his body finally started to respond. He wouldn’t have been able to play this week without their help.

“They did a great job,” he said. “All the team I have behind me, no one ever talks about them. I think it’s important for me to make sure to say they were there for me.”

For most of Puig’s round, adrenaline replaced any kind of pain he was feeling. He bounced back from his first bogey with consecutive birdies at holes 7 and 8, making the turn at 1 under.

He then went to a part of the course that he’d never seen before – the back nine at Quail Hollow – and promptly birdied holes 10 and 11. At that point, he was 3 under and tied for the early lead.

“I didn’t even know where the holes were going, how the greens were,” Puig said. “It’s shocking. … Total trust in my caddie. He was like, just aim here and hit it there. At the end of the day, you just need to trust him and just try to make the best swing.”

Puig held up until hitting Quail Hollow’s famed Green Mile – the three difficult finishing holes consisting of the 535-yard par-4 16th, 227-yard par-3 17th and 496-yard par-4 18th. Puig bogeyed the 16th when he couldn’t get up-and-down from the greenside bunker, missed the green at 17 and had to scramble for par, and doubled the 18th after finding trouble off the tee.

Puig didn’t blame his injured back on the disappointing finish but did say he was a bit tired at the end of his round, understandable given his situation.

“I feel I drove the ball very good today besides that last hole,” said Puig, who averaged 324 yards off the tee. “It could have happened in any other hole, and it happened on 18 and it obviously sucks, but overall pretty happy.”

As he stood near the clubhouse after his round, Puig definitely seemed pleased with his effort. He’s hoping therapy will prevent any relapses with the back problems and that the warm weather will prevent any stiffness.

Beware the wounded animal? Perhaps that will come into play the rest of the week and he’ll continue to make noise on a course that seems suited for his big-hitting game.

If nothing else, he’s now familiar with Quail Hollow’s back nine.

“At least tomorrow,” he smiled, “I know where to hit it.”