A rules violation on the final hole cost David Puig nearly $275,000 and some valuable world-ranking points on Sunday at the DP World Tour’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
Puig was assessed a two-stroke penalty for grounding his club in a greenside bunker on Emirates Golf Club’s par-5 18th hole. The breach of Rule 12.2b turned Puig’s closing par into a double bogey, his final-round 73 into a 3-over 75, and a two-way T-3 into a three-way T-7.
The 24-year-old Spaniard was unaware of the violation until shown a video of his clubhead touching sand as he addressed his ball in the bunker. Puig reportedly agreed with the penalty, even though he went from pocketing $508,500 to $234,000.
Puig, who joined LIV Golf full-time in 2023 and is entering his third season with Fireballs GC, started this week at No. 99 in the OWGR, largely thanks to recent play on the DPWT. He won the Australian PGA in November and was T-3 in last week’s Dubai Invitational.
He’s sure to climb, though not nearly as much as if he’d avoided that two-shot penalty.
While Patrick Reed won by four shots on Sunday, Puig had closed the gap to two shots after birdieing Nos. 8-10. But he then bogeyed three of his next five holes to end the threat.