David Puig made an early run at Patrick Reed on Sunday in Dubai,but his tournament came crashing down with a back-nine slide that included a costly penalty after his round.
The young LIV Golf star cut Reed’s lead to two at the turn, but a bogey at the par-5 13th and another at the par-3 15th ended his Hero Dubai desert Classic title hopes. He was still in line for a top-three finish when he reached the final hole.
Puig tapped in for a closing par to finish in a tie for third, but then received some bad news. His approach shot landed in the greenside bunker, and he accidentally grounded his club before his third swing. Puig didn’t realize he’d made the mistake, but tournament referee Graeme Storm spotted it on the television broadcast.
The two-shot penalty dropped Puig into a tie for seventh place. Instead of earning $508,500, he pocketed $232,200. That means Puig’s accidental club grounding cost him $276,300.
