'I came here for that'

It was mission accomplished for David Puig after he stormed to victory in the IRS Prima Malaysian Open and sealed his place at Royal Troon in July.

The Spaniard was dangerously near the cut line at The Mines Resort & Golf Club but he enjoyed a remarkable weekend – finishing with back-to-back 62s – to claim his second victory on the Asian Tour inside four months.

It also ensured he will tee it up at The 152nd Open in the summer – his number one aim at the beginning of the week.

Puig said: “It feels great, weird feeling for sure. We almost missed the cut. I was kind of playing good, but I kind of messed up.

“We actually finished round two good, and the weekend was just insane. I mean 18 birdies, no bogeys, in 36 holes was unbelievable.

“And getting that Open spot is super cool, I came here for that.”

Puig will be joined at The 152nd Open by runner-up Jeunghun Wang and Denwit Boriboonsub, who took the final qualifying place courtesy of his higher position in the Official World Golf Ranking after finishing in a tie for third place with John Catlin.

It will be a first taste of golf’s original major for Puig and Boriboonsub, while Wang has featured twice before, in 2016 – also at Royal Troon – and 2017, though he missed the cut on both occasions.

The next event in the Open Qualifying Series is the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, which will take place at Bay Hill from 7-10 March.