LIV Greenbrier Preview: Puig ready to provide the spark for Fireballs

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W. Va. – The equation for Fireballs GC is simple – six days of hard work in LIV Golf Greenbrier and Chicago could lead to a day of well-deserved rest at the LIV Golf Team Championship in Dallas next month.

The all-Spanish speaking team made a stunning clean sweep at LIV Golf Andalucia, where both the individual and team titles went into a playoff and resulted in double glory for Captain Sergio Garcia and his team. They are currently placed 6th in the season-long Team Standings with 100.83 points. Despite numerous runs this season, they only have Andalucia triumph to show on their profile.

Last tournament in UK was a similar story for Fireballs. They started Sunday in tied 6th place, five shots behind Legion XIII and Smash GC, but a hot start saw them close the gap and at one stage, they were within one shot of the Jon Rahm-led Legions XIII, the eventual champions.

“We are always looking for a win, but it is difficult in LIV Golf as the format is quite volatile. Being one of the top-three teams would be nice, but I don’t mind playing an extra round in Dallas either. Knowing the conditions and having experienced the course in a competitive round will give us some edge over those who have a day off,” said Garcia, who is himself placed 4th in the Individual Standings and one of only six players who have a mathematical chance of winning the season-long Individual Championship.

However, David Puig, who was having a stellar round and was 6-under par through 15 holes in UK, made three straight bogeys coming in as Fireballs dropped eight shots late on the back nine. That denied him a deserving top-10 finish and a chance to improve his Individual Standing.

Currently, the 22-year-old who represented Spain in the men’s Olympic Golf alongside his hero Jon Rahm, is 28th and just outside the Lock Zone.

Greenbrier was where Puig had the best finish of his LIV Golf career when he was 4th in 2023. He improved that with a tied 3rd in Houston this season, and is hoping to have another good outing this week at the Old White course.

“That finish at JCB was very disappointing because I was playing so well that day. I had played a lot of golf before that and was heading to Paris for the Olympics. So, a week of rest after that was good,” said Puig, who rated his Olympic experience as one of the most memorable ones in his short but stunning career so far.

“I have some very good memories of Greenbrier from last year and the course suits me well,” added Puig, one of the longest hitters on the League despite his wiry frame.

“I have some success playing internationally, and I desperately want to add a win on LIV Golf to that. Of course, I would love to secure my place in the League by getting inside the Lock Zone, but winning is the No.1 goal.”

Captain Garcia begins his campaign in Greenbrier alongside Iron Heads Captain Kevin Na and Stingers skipper Louis Oothuizen on Hole No.18, while the other three members - Hong Kong champion Abraham Ancer, Puig and Eugenio Chacarra – will start on 11th tee at 13:15 local time.