Puig completes wire-to-wire win in Singapore, Kho closer to LIV promotions spot

David Puig completed a stunning wire-to-wire win in the International Series Singapore, and the size of his overnight lead meant that not even a one-over-par 73 was going to spoil his day.

Nine shots clear at the start of Sunday’s final round, Puig won by five shots, finishing on 19 under overall, with South Korea’s Jae-woong Eom’s 69 leaving him alone in second.

Order of merit winner Andy Ogletree finished in a tie for third – alongside Thailand’s Poom Saksansin at 12 under – and will take some catching at the top of the rankings.

Puig’s win, the first of his professional career, rocketed him into second on the money list, largely guaranteeing him a spot in the LIV Golf promotions event later this year.

Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho is closing on the top 32, which earns a place in the Q-school-style tournament. His final round of 71 at Tanah Merah Country Club left him at 10 under overall and in a tie for sixth alongside Berry Henson and Miguel Tabuena.

That lifted the Hongkonger to 33rd in the series order of merit, less than US$2,000 behind Ben Leong, and with stops in Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Jakarta to come.

Matthew Cheung slipped into a tie for 51st after a two-over 74 left him one under, and at 76th on the money list would need a good week to get him within sight of the LIV slots.

Puig, who is playing LIV Golf events as well as the Asian Tour, has had several chances to win already in his fledgling professional career, but always came up short.

“I think I deserved a win probably two or three months before this day,” he said. “But, yeah, it’s awesome, it’s the best feeling in the world. That’s why I practice so hard and, yeah, very happy.”

Eom matched his best finish on the Asian Tour, after he tied for second in the New Zealand Open in March.

“I’m very pleased with the way I played this week,” he said. “It feels good to finish runner-up in a big tournament like this. It’s also going to help me keep my card for next year.”

The Asian Tour heads to Macau this week for the Macau Open, the first time the event has been played since 2017, when India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar won for a second time.