Retrospective Two-Stroke Penalty Costs LIV Golfer Vital Dubai Desert Classic Prize Money And OWGR Points

The final round of the Dubai Desert Classic was not a day which will live long in David Puig's memory, it could be assumed.

Puig began Sunday's action at Emirates Golf Club four strokes behind eventual champion Patrick Reed and set about trying to reel in the 2018 Masters champion.

However, it was clear from the outset that Puig did not have his A-Game in tow with several instances of wayward driving and approach shots threatening to cost him dear.

The 24-year-old was putting wonderfully, though, and maintained his chances courtesy of multiple clutch putts early on before halving the deficit around the turn.

Yet, a horrible back nine that featured multiple mistakes from the Fireballs GC pro saw Puig's chances of victory go up in smoke.

To make matters worse, moments after Reed's crowning moment, Puig was retrospectively assessed a two-stroke penalty for grounding his club in a bunker.

The LIV golfer was playing the 18th when his approach from the fairway ended up crashing into the back-right bunker - an area which had been regularly frequented by the field on Sunday.

However, while trying to clip his ball out of the sand and down the slope towards the usual Sunday pin at the front of the putting surface, Puig was adjudged to have violated Rule 12.2b which relates to restrictions on touching sand in a bunker.

Rule 12.2b states: "(1) When Touching Sand Results in Penalty. Before making a stroke at a ball in a bunker, a player must not:

"Deliberately touch sand in the bunker with a hand, club, rake or other object to test the condition of the sand to learn information for the next stroke, or...

"Touch sand in the bunker with a club:

"In the area right in front of or right behind the ball (except as allowed under Rule 7.1a in fairly searching for a ball or under Rule 12.2a in removing a loose impediment or movable obstruction), in making a practice swing, or in making the backswing for a stroke."

According to the DP World Tour, the former Arizona State University player did not notice his mistake at first, but once presented with the evidence by officials afterwards, Puig admitted the error and agreed to the penalty.

Instead of making a par 5 at the last and signing for a one-over 73 which would have left him in a share of third place, Puig ultimately recorded a double-bogey seven to shoot a four-over 75 and finish T7th on seven-under for the tournament.

The mistake will be felt more intensely by Puig due to most of his golf being played in the LIV Golf League, where OWGR points are not currently available.

He is currently 99th in the OWGR but could have moved much closer to the top-50 with a high finish - necessary for invites into all four Majors later this year.

It will also mean that Puig earns a significant amount less money than he would have otherwise after dropping four spots on the Dubai Desert Classic leaderboard.