Spain's David Puig rallied after a poor first round at the U.S. Open with a second-round 68 on Friday, which allowed him to make the cut and earn one of his nation's two spots at the Paris Olympics
PINEHURST, N.C. (AP) — David Puig was fully aware that he needed to make the cut at the U.S. Open to make the Spanish team for the Paris Olympics, and he had a whole lot of work to do after opening with a 76 at Pinehurst No. 2.
But the 22-year-old Puig answered the call Friday with four birdies on the front nine, and he balanced a bogey that again put him on the ropes with another birdie on the back side. The result was a second-round 68 that left him at 4 over for the championship and inside the cut line, which moved to plus-5 late in the day when Brooks Koepka stumbled on his final hole.
“There was not a mindset at all. I hit terrible yesterday and just, you know, worked on the range. The mindset was just try to hit it good,” said Puig, who left Arizona State to turn pro and join the LIV tour. “I think I did a good job today.”
Puig wasn't the only one who exhaled in relief at the end of a tough day at brutally hot Pinehurst.