This Friday, early morning Spanish peninsular time, the third tournament of the 2025 season kicks off in Hong Kong at LIV Golf. An event where the four Spanish representatives will seek victory and continue climbing positions in the overall circuit standings. But first, one of them, David Puig, participated in one of the official pre-event press conferences where he revealed that both Sergio García and Jon Rahm are, in a way, an inspiration for him, a statement corroborated by other young talents on the tour like Caleb Surratt and Tom McKibbin, both members of the Legion XIII.
The golfer from La Garriga, questioned about the importance of sharing a team with the champion from Borriol and being able to spend time during the year with the one from Barrika, was full of praise: “It’s very important. Sergio is a nice guy off the course. For me, it’s very important to see how he plans his weeks and what he does outside of competition, how relaxed he is, how he helps us to be calmer and what things to do when we’re not playing or just spending time together. On the course, it’s more or less the same, I try to learn from him, I ask him a lot of questions. It’s been an incredible journey having him by my side.”
For Surratt, Jon’s teammate, the experience is also indescribable: “It’s exciting, really. Being able to go straight from college to being surrounded by Jon Rahm or Tyrrell Hatton every day… it’s hard to beat, I never stop learning. I’ve learned so much from them, I’ve been able to become a better version of myself, a better player, improve my work ethic and my habits… It’s very valuable information for someone barely 20 years old that I know will help me a lot in the future, now I’m still in a kind of learning phase. But I’m very excited about the future and very motivated.”
For Caleb, Jon is a source of inspiration: “The best thing about being with Jon now is that you’re enjoying a player who could be said to be at the peak of his career or maybe hasn’t even reached it yet. Seeing him continue to compete in major tournaments and being one of the greatest, if not the greatest… I couldn’t choose many better than Rahm to learn from. He’s been very good to me, I’m very grateful to him, a guy who has every right to follow his own path, who owes nothing to Tom or me, but who dedicates a lot of time to helping us become better players and better people. Having him with us and being able to learn from him… it’s learning from the best.”
McKibbin thinks similarly: “I’d say I haven’t received any deep advice, but as Caleb says, the fact of being able to learn and observe things these guys do, how relaxed they are… Caleb and I are similar, we love golf, sometimes it’s taking it very seriously, as if it were a matter of life and death, and seeing them with the calmness they approach it, how they enjoy their time, helps me understand why they are so good. Sometimes it feels like they don’t care too much, that they’re out there having fun, and I think that can contribute to playing very good golf. Caleb and I sometimes take it too seriously, seeing them like that helped me relax and made me a bit better.”
Surratt also wanted to talk about the advice: “I agree with what Tom said. It’s the value of simplicity. David I think experienced it when he first came. It’s easy to come out of college and try to have everything under control, that makes you end up stressing about things you shouldn’t, seeking a perfection that isn’t possible. Jon is undoubtedly the best I’ve seen in that aspect, in his ability to make things simple. He does the same thing every day and in every round in an absolutely routine way. You learn that sometimes less is more, I always wanted to control everything and now by his side, I see that this is the best advice I could have.”
David Puig didn’t hesitate to join the debate: “Yes, I would say consistency. Sergio is probably one of the best ball strikers in the history of this sport, and he always tells us to try to hit more greens in regulation. If the tee shot isn’t good, you have to try to get the ball back in position, try to get it to the green, and that way it will be easier to score. It’s something I always keep in mind, I try to hit as many greens in regulation as possible in the simplest and most consistent way possible.”
The one from La Garriga also revealed his special relationship with Rahm: “In Scottsdale I’m lucky to spend a lot of time with Jon, when I’m at home, and see him a bit. Seeing what he did in Spain, along with Sergio and other guys… waking up and working out with him or playing golf with him, or when I come to the LIV tournaments, playing with Sergio… I keep thinking about it all the time, I’m playing with two guys I only saw on TV a couple of years ago and now I could say they’re my friends. It’s unreal. Every time I share a day, a few holes, a dinner, or anything with them, it’s incredible. I’m still learning from that, I guess in a few months or years it will change a bit, but for now, I’m very grateful for everything they do for me.”
And finally, he spoke about Sergio‘s advice, who, at his age, was a prodigy of world golf: “We talk about it all the time. He explained what he did back in the day and what he does now. He always tells me I have the game to be here. Sometimes things don’t go as you want and other times you can have a very good streak and think you’re one of the best, you just have to find that balance and work ethic off the course or even at home. You have to work as hard as possible, not show your emotions too much, and try to stay relaxed. And, again, be as consistent as you can.”
