David Puig, from Spain, recovers after the first round to make the cut at the US Open and secure a place at the Paris Olympics

PINEHURST, North Carolina – David Puig was fully aware that he needed to pass the US Open to make the Spanish team at the Paris Olympics, and he had a lot of work to do after opening with a 76 at Pinehurst No. 2.

But Puig, 22, answered the call on Friday with four birdies on the front nine, and balanced a bogey that put him back on the ropes with another birdie on the back. The result was a 68 in the second round that left him 4 points ahead of the championship and within the cut line, which became 5 more at the end of the day when Brooks Koepka stumbled on his final hole.

“There was no mentality. I hit terrible yesterday and, you know, I worked the range. The mentality was just trying to hit it well,” 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 exuded relief at the end of a difficult day in extremely hot Pinehurst.

Scottie Scheffler, the best player in the world by a wide margin, followed a 71 in the first round with a 74 to make the number cut. Cameron Young, Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry – and Koepka – were also 5 plus going into the weekend.

Sahith Theegala had perhaps the most impressive rally after an opening 77 with a round of 68 on Friday.

There were a lot of big names coming home too.

Viktor Hovland shot 68 on Friday but still missed the cut by one. So did Max Homa and former champion Justin Rose. Tiger Woods was in the group, another counterattackand said afterwards that he doesn’t know what the future holds for him at the US Open.

“To win a golf tournament, you have to make the cut. I can’t win the tournament where I’m at, so it’s certainly frustrating,” Woods said after his 13th straight round without breaking par in a major. “It just didn’t work out. As for my last Open or US Open, I don’t know what it is. It may or may not be.”

Justin Thomas, who got some halftime advice from Woods after his opening 77, fared slightly better with a 74 that left him 11 up for the championship. The two-time PGA champion has missed the cut in five of the last seven majors.

There were three amateurs among the 74 players eliminated. Gunnar Broin, who plays collegiately at Kansas, was 3-over after a second-round 68. Neal Shipley was also 3-over and Luke Clanton was 5-over.

Ludvig Aberg maintained his lead over the weekend. He was at 5 under, a shot ahead of Bryson DeChambeau, Thomas Detry and Patrick Cantlay.

As for Puig, the decision to turn pro and join LIV had some ramifications.

Olympic teams are decided by world rankings, but these rankings do not award points for the results of the Saudi-backed tour. And LIV players are not eligible to play in PGA Tour events, the simplest way to accumulate them.

Puig had a plan, however. He could still play the Asian Tour on weekends outside of LIV. So he began a worldwide march in which he played almost everywhere, from Malaysia and Oman to Hong Kong and Macau. Along with a string of good results, his victories at the International Series event in Singapore and the Malaysia Open elevated him in the world rankings.

With two-time major champion Jon Rahm already guaranteed one of Spain’s places at Le Golf National, Puig had to make the cut to overtake Jorge Campillo, who started this week one place ahead in the world rankings, but did not qualify for the United States Open United. .

“You know, at some points I was thinking about it,” Puig said of his round on Friday. “These little thoughts come and go, and at the end of the day, you know, if you’re thinking about it, it’s good, because it means you’re doing the right thing.”

Puig did enough at Pinehurst on Friday. And now he can call himself an Olympian.

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