David Puig didn’t have much time to celebrate his great second round at the US Open, the cut surpassed and the Olympic qualification. A hat trick of note in just five hours of golf at Pinehurst. He was happy and excited, just like his family and girlfriend, but the parties will have to be postponed for later. He finished playing very late and had to be ready for the next battle, the third round of the US Open. Plenty of rest, time to lower heart rates, recover and sleep well. However, the congratulatory messages came pouring in.
Puig admits that all are special and he has tried to respond to each one that has come his way, but without a doubt there is one marked in red. Who else could it be from, if not from the one who is precisely going to be his teammate in the Paris Games and roommate this week in Pinehurst. We are obviously talking about Jon Rahm. The golfer from Barrika, left foot raised, with a special bandage and watching the US Open on TV, sent him a message to his mobile phone that will be remembered. You can’t say more in less: “Fucking master, great war, well done”. Concise, but direct. No beating around the bush.
It should be remembered that Rahm and Puig have become very close in recent months, specifically since David turned professional and decided to establish his residence in Scottsdale, very close to Rahm. They often train together, both on the Whisper Rock course and at Silverleaf, they also share gym sessions and, of course, they coincide in each and every one of the LIV Golf tournaments. In addition, both have a Sun Devil past, trained at the Arizona State University, so both by generation, although Puig is seven years younger, and by affinity and common elements they have become very close. With all this context, logically, Jon was very happy with Puig’s qualification.
It should be remembered that they flew together from Houston on Rahm’s private plane and that they had planned to share a house during the US Open, as Jon travelled alone since Kelly decided to stay in Arizona due to her pregnancy. In fact, they lived together until Jon decided to withdraw due to the unfortunate injury to his left foot. “It was a shame that Jon left the tournament, first obviously to see him compete and give himself a chance, but also because it would have been a great experience for me, to see first-hand how a great champion like Rahm prepares for these Grand events. It was a shame,” Puig explained at the end of his round.
Now, Puig already knows that he will be able to share this experience first-hand at the Olympic Games. There they will indeed be together night and day.
