Arizona State Golfer Forgoes Senior Year to Join LIV Golf

LIV Golf has convinced another top amateur to turn pro.

On Monday, David Puig announced via Instagram his intention to forgo his senior season at Arizona State and become a professional golfer.

While he did not say in the post where he would play his professional golf, Puig is listed on the official field list for LIV’s Chicago Invitational, teeing off this Friday.

The 20-year-old Spaniard — ranked as the No. 9 amateur in the world by WAGR — had previously played in LIV’s London and Bedminster tournaments as an amateur, but reportedly did not accept any winnings from them, nor did he accept any NIL deals to recoup that lost value.

Puig had an accomplished career at ASU: He won both the 2021 and 2022 Southwestern Invitationals, and was part of a team that played in the NCAA Championship match.

He’s not the first high-profile amateur to go pro with LIV — nor is he the first Spanish one to make the jump.

In June, the upstart golf league secured Eugenio Chacarra — at the time, the second-ranked amateur in the world — who then made his debut in Portland.

Chacarra has been playing for Fireballs GC — LIV’s team made up of all players representing Spanish-speaking countries. The squad’s Boston roster also included:

• Sergio Garcia (Captain, Spain)
• Abraham Ancer (Mexico)
• Carlos Ortiz (Mexico)

Puig played for Fireballs in London, but was chosen for Cleeks GC — a more general European squad — at Bedminster. It remains to be seen what team he’ll play for in Chicago.

The guaranteed money Puig is receiving to come over to the Saudi-backed golf startup has yet to be reported. But the allure of that cash was surely a factor in his decision to make the leap.