Golfers need to stay focused. In a game where everyone playing at the highest level is extremely skilled, minor margins matter a lot. David Puig is suffering a bit because of this lack of attention to detail. But he is not alone in this. There are big names who have made silly errors, because they weren’t able to focus properly. Bryson DeChambeau had one such incident. At Quail Hollow itself.

It was the 2020-21 Wells Fargo Championship. DeChambeau carded 2 over par across two days and thought he had missed the cut and was flying back to his home. “I thought I missed the cut and I was flying back, and halfway through—this is the last time I played.” The two-time Major winner recalled.

Midway through the flight, DeChambeau realized the cut was 3 over par and that he in fact did make the cut. He ended up returning for the next day, and secured a 9th placed finish. What could have been if he hadn’t realized that. “So I landed, I stayed the night at my house in Dallas and flew at 2:30 in the morning back to go get my tee time, and I finished seventh that week or something like that, I think a top 10 that week.” DeChambeau stated.

Young golfing sensation David Puig is in a detail-oriented pickle at Quail Hollow himself. Although it is a far cry from what happened to DeChambeau, nonetheless it is a clear indicator of what heppens when you do not focus on the details.

Lack of practice and details bothering David Puig

David Puig came into Day 1 of the PGA Championship with little to no practice. The Spanish pro could not practice after his LIV Golf Korea event because of a back injury. “You get to those last three, four holes, and you see this finish, and obviously with me even without practicing, too, you’re over the ball and it doesn’t feel right. There’s definitely some discomfort and obviously some things to improve. But I guess it’s normal, obviously, without being able to practice.” The Spaniard stated.

What was even more surprising is that he did not walk across the course to understand the holes. Especially the back nine. That proved to be extremely important, as after a strong start which saw him take the lead, Puig struggled. He carded a bogey on the 16th hole and a double bogey on the 18th hole, making him finish the day on even par. “I didn’t actually see the holes. You kind of have an idea on the last, yeah, three, four holes, but 10, 11, 12, 13, holes that I’ve actually never even watched on TV I don’t think. It was a total trust in my caddie. He was like, just aim here and hit it there, and at the end of the day you just need to trust him and just try to make the best swing.” The 23-year-old explained.

It makes you wonder what could have been if the young golfer was a bit more prepared heading into what is only his fifth major. In all probability, the back issue had pushed his performance and preparation behind a notch, leading to this missed detail.

Back issues plague David Puig’s second PGA Championship start

The back issue started during day 3 of the proceedings at LIV Golf Korea. Puig had finished day 5 with a comfortable 5 under par score, but struggled mightily on day 3, which was when the problem first appeared. “Tuesday morning I thought for sure that I wasn’t even going to tee off today, and somehow I managed to play nine holes yesterday.” The LIV Pro claimed.

In fact, his back issue was bothering him so much that he had his physiotherapist be with him during the whole round of golf at Quail Hollow. “I’ve been having a lot of physical therapy the last 10 days, actually, and they’ve helped me a lot. Obviously I didn’t see the results right away. It took a while to actually see my body respond. But yeah, they did a great job,” Puig added further.

Do you think the young Spaniard can, one, overcome his back issues, and two, use the experience from day 1 to push for a better finish on the back nine tomorrow?