(Houston, Texas) - Carlos Ortiz of Mexico won his first LIV Golf title this weekend, winning the individual competition in the league event in Houston. However, Ortiz's victory was bittersweet because it occurred when he was ineligible for next week's U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort.

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Ortiz carded a final round of 4-under 67 to finish at 15-under par, one shot clear of Poland's Adrian Meronk. Both players were in contention down the stretch, but Ortiz managed to hold on for the win even as Meronk rattled the cup with a birdie attempt on the final hole that would have forced a playoff.

In his post-round interview, Ortiz spoke of both his joy at the LIV win as well as lamenting his absence from the year's second major championship. He cited narrowly missing the U.S. Open qualifier in Dallas a few weeks ago as the reason for his ineligibility.

"It's a shame I doubled the last hole to miss the qualifier; it hurt a lot," Ortiz said. "I've been playing great. But I think with time, we're going to get back into the majors because I know that I'm one of the best players in the world right now, and I deserve to be there.But the way things are happening right now, it's kind of hard.”

Ortiz's outlook was buoyed by recent comments from USGA chief John Bodenhamer indicating they may create a pathway for LIV players to gain entry into future U.S. Opens and other majors. 12 LIV golfers did receive exemptions into next week's field at Pinehurst, however Ortiz did not make the cut.

With the future uncertain, Ortiz said he will focus on trying to qualify for The Open Championship and represent Mexico at the Olympics next month. He will now set his sights on continuing his strong LIV Golf play and adding more wins to his resume on the controversial new league.

“I'll do my best to get into the British Open, and I also have the summer Olympics, too, other than the LIV tournaments coming up,” Ortiz said. “I'm looking forward to the rest of the season.”

But for at least one more week, Ortiz can only wonder "what if" as he watches the game's best tee it up at Pinehurst without him, while he continues his career outside of the world's top golf Tours.

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What specific steps is Carlos Ortiz taking to improve his game for major tournaments?

Carlos has really dug in on fine-tuning his short game. He knows having razor-sharp skills around the greens is so crucial at major events, where everything is amplified. So he's been dedicating extra time to really sharpen up his chipping and putting. That focus seems to be paying off too - it helped him crack the top 20 on the FedEx Cup list.

Qualifying for The Open is a massive goal of his as well. Carlos is aiming to play well enough to earn a spot at golf's original championship. And representing Mexico at the Olympics would be a freaking dream come true. He's on track to do that in Paris this year, which would be such a thrill and valuable experience.

After taking home the W in Houston, Carlos and the guys on Team Cleeks have their eyes on an even bigger prize now. They want a top three finish in the LIV points standings to lock up an extra competitive advantage going into the team finals. It shows how hungry they are to keep that momentum rolling.

Carlos is committed to staying consistent through the rest of the LIV season too. He'll be sticking diligently to his practice routine between events to just keep leveling up all aspects of his game. If he can maintain this kind of form, it may help him snag a spot in some other huge tournaments down the road. Carlos truly believes that with more time, he's gonna prove he deserves to be playing against the best of the best.

References: https://www.golfdigest.com/story/carlos-ortiz--wins-fhis-first-liv-golf-tournament--laments-that-

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