Puig emulates Ballesteros with win in Australia

Australian PGA Championship final round leaderboard

-18 D Puig (Spa), -16 W Ding (Chi), -15 N Voke (NZ), M Leishman (Aus), -14 D Hillier (NZ), M-W Lee (Aus), -13 A Scott (Aus)

Other notables: -11 S. Baristow (Eng), -9 A. Fitzpatrick (Eng), and -8 M. Penge (Eng).

With a two-shot victory in Brisbane, David Puig won the Australian PGA Championship for the first time since Seve Ballesteros in 1981.

In Sunday’s final round, the 23-year-old claimed his first DP World Tour title on 18 under with a bogey-free five-under 66.

Following two victories on the Asian Tour in 2023 and 2024, Puig now holds his third professional title. His previous best on the DP World Tour was third at the January Ras Al Khaimah Championship.

Puig, who placed 10th in the 2025 Liv Golf Rankings, said, “It feels amazing.” I struggled to get through a lot of close calls in a few events this year and last year.

I was a little anxious, especially as I pondered the past a little bit and what I could have done differently. But I managed to maintain my composure.

Puig is the first European champion since 1998’s David Howell, a legendary compatriot like Ballesteros, and he also imitates legendary compatriot Ballesteros.

Ding Wenyi, from China, shot a final-round 66 to finish second overall, with Nick Voke, from New Zealand, and Marc Leishman, who is one shot further back.