Haotong Li (-7) is the first leader of the International Series of Macao, a tournament of the Asian Tour that counts with the presence of four Spanish golfers and that has started this Thursday. David Puig (-5) is once again the best representative of the Armada. Sensational start of the golfer from La Garriga. He has placed himself in the fifth position, only two strokes from the lead.
Puig has handed in a card of 65 strokes at the Macao Golf and Country Club, with six birdies and a solitary bogey. An extraordinary result if we take into account that he has not had his best day of long play. He has made five under par catching just eleven greens. However, in the vicinity of the hole he has offered a show.
If there is someone who can appreciate what Puig has done today and who understands the value of his round, that is Patrick Reed (-5). The American, a wizard of the short game, has witnessed the phenomenal display of the Spaniard: six out of seven recoveries, eleven greens at one putt and 25 putts in total. Fantastic. Curiously, Reed has only missed three greens and has only managed to get one recovery.
Puig is back on top on a Thursday. Another electric start. He made 66 strokes in Malaysia, 65 in Oman and another 65 today in Macao. He continues with the goal marked in fire to fight to qualify for the PGA Championship. To do this, he needs to enter or at least get very close to the top 100 in the world by May. This Thursday is another step forward, although there is still much to give.
The classification in Macao is very tight. There are no less than 28 players separated by only three strokes, a constant in the Asian Tour. One stroke behind Haotong Li, sharing the second place, are Mito Pereira (-6), Pat Perez (-6) and Yuta Suiura (-6). Special mention for Perez. The 64 he has signed is his best round of golf since October 2019, specifically from the third round of the Shriners Open of the PGA Tour, when he made 62. That was in Las Vegas and, curiously, today at the end of his day he has said that he is delighted in Macao because it reminds him of Las Vegas.
Carlos Pigem (-2) has had a more than notable start playing in the afternoon, with four birdies and two bogeys. The player from Lleida is within the provisional cut of the tournament.
On the other hand, those who will have to grit their teeth tomorrow to play the weekend are Sergio García (+2), very irregular from tee to green, and Eugenio López Chacarra (+4). They will need a very low round to not be left out of the tournament. They still have margin.
Among the most outstanding results is the -4 of Andy Ogletree, great dominator last year of the Asian Tour, and the +4 of Anthony Kim, who is playing his third tournament after his return.
