– David Puig finishes the 18th hole of the Dubai Invitational with a par and is fuming. “What a robbery, what a robbery,” he exclaims indignantly at the lethal right turn his ball made when it was heading straight for the hole to finish the tournament with a birdie. The top 5 was assured, but the Spaniard was thinking of something else: he was thinking of winning. He finished -8 and Shane Lowry was at -10. With the birdie, he knew he had a chance. Even more so after seeing the Irishman’s tee shot. Puig predicts what is going to happen. He approaches the bridge that separates the 18th green from the scorecard tent and says, “That second shot isn’t easy, it’s tricky, be careful…”. And indeed… Lowry finished with a double bogey.
This anecdote is just an example of the mindset that dominates Puig’s game. He values finishing among the top three highly, especially when tied with two Ryder Cup men like Lowry and Rory McIlroy, but he thinks about winning. That’s what drives him. That’s why he went for the birdie on the 18th. He wasn’t thinking about preserving that top 10 he had earned with a great round of 67 strokes; he wanted more.
This is David’s seventeenth tournament on the DP World Tour. His record is one win, three top 3s, and seven top 10s. Every two and a half tournaments, he finishes among the top 10, and his stroke average is just over 68. His numbers are still incredible. This third place is the best way to get rid of the bad taste left by missing the cut at the Australian Open after winning the previous week. It was his first missed cut on the DP World Tour.
Beyond numbers and feelings, Puig leaves the Dubai Invitational very satisfied and proud. He fought hard during the week, playing with an unconventional preparation and finishing with the best golf on Sunday. His practice session of about 25 minutes on Saturday afternoon paid off. He already has the Dubai Desert Classic in his sights, one of the tournaments he was most eager to play because of the history Spanish golf has there.
– The same goes for Ángel Ayora. What a pair. Two of a kind. Spanish golf has two diamonds there. For their game, ambition, attitude, and yes, for being good people. Ayora is also eager to play the Desert Classic at the Emirates. In fact, last year he was left disappointed: he was one of the last reserves. The Andalusian is clear: Scottish and Desert Classic are the ones he is most eager to play, beyond the Majors, of course. Ángel finished with another great round of golf of 67 strokes, like David. He just missed the top 10, but he left one of the best shots of the week for the memory. He hit an enormous bomb on the 3rd hole, a short par 4 that could be reached in one, although it wasn’t easy. He hit a stratospheric drive that bounced 282 meters, already on the green, and left it for eagle just over three meters away. No one left it closer. In fact, only he and another player managed to reach the green in one. Do you know who the other was? Exactly: David Puig. Although the one from La Garriga left it a bit further away.
– Eugenio Chacarra finished with another round under par and signed a sensational eagle on the 4th. In fact, the key to his golf today was the par 5s. He signed a four-under-par score. He shot 69 and finished in the top 20. Four Spaniards among the top 20. A magnificent balance at the start of the year on the DP World Tour.
– Daniel Gavins finished in 38th place. His performance won’t go down in history, but at least he managed to sign his first round under par since March last year in Singapore. He hasn’t played much since then, but at least he got rid of the horrible taste left by the Nedbank, with three rounds over 80 strokes.
– McIlroy debuted new clubs this week. A radical change. He switched from playing blades to using cavity models, theoretically more forgiving of errors. However, this week he seemed quite off with the distances. We’ll see if he sticks with those clubs or goes back to the originals. Rory doesn’t give much importance to that matter, although he admits he hasn’t been sharp in that area. He needs to get used to the novelty. In his opinion, the key to his week is that he hasn’t hit many fairways. “I’ve hit a lot of drivers, more than probably necessary, but I wanted to practice. That was the goal,” he says. Next week’s event at the Emirates is a different story. McIlroy won’t be going to the Desert Classic with blanks.
– By the way, Elvira and Lowry are the only ones leaving the Dubai Invitational with four rounds under par… That’s why they were the two clear contenders for victory in the final holes.
