Sergio Garcia makes ‘impossible’ comeback, wins LIV Golf and $4m thanks to rival’s grotesque blunder | Relief
Valderrama –The Sotogrande course is always a spectacle, and this Sunday it couldn’t be any other way. In this great event that will take place this year, with the arrival of the stars (and millions) of LIV Golf, The famous Andalusian countryside offered all the challenges needed for a heart-pounding final day. despite the fact that the day before, Indian Anirban Lahiri had taken a big bite in the classification. However, his rivals had something to say.
And they weren’t leaders on Friday. Players of the caliber of Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Cameron Smith mixed big hits with other big mistakes. Their irregularity has made them keep their distance from the Asian golfer. Not so with the Basque’s teammate Tyrrell Hatton, who arrived in Valderrama after winning in Nashville, and Sergio Garcia, one of the best players (or the best) in the history of the field.
Because Borriol’s first nine holes were close to perfection. Five birdies and four pars nothing had changed with Lahiri, who went to bed six ahead of the Spaniard and who saw the gap at the halfway point of the race just one stroke. Same with Hatton. It seemed that the final triumph would be among the three of them. Meanwhile, Ram fell in the classification with two bogeys. and again felt uncomfortable on the grass.
The one from Barrique, of course, accidentally starred in one of the jokes of that day, when, just before the start of his route, He met Brooks Koepka, wearing an English football team jersey. The American just wanted to joke, which brought a smile to the faces of Ram and Sergio. The two Spaniards met again in the same match.
The margin was reduced to zero when, with seven holes remaining, Garcia moved into a joint lead with Lahiri.Valderrama had seven in front, which was very long, but the trend was in the Spaniard’s favor. The Indian soon responded with a counter-punch to regain a minimal advantage, and Hatton was a little further off the hook. Chacarra, for his part, tried to “survive” in a field that was suffocating him today. to give yourself bird-like capabilities.
The lead is back with four holes remaining. after bogeying the Indian, who was nervous throughout the course and made many tee mistakes. Despite Sergio, who kept his mistakes to a minimum and completed the last three holes of the course without a single bogey.which is really difficult to achieve in the Andalusian countryside.
The ending was not for the faint of heart. It was on the 16th hole that the Borriola man took the lead alone after another Lahiri error, this time from the tee. But the Indian solved it on the next hole with a wonderful birdie from five metres. Sergio then missed an even shorter one, leaving him with the title on his plate.which he wasted on the 18th when he missed a simple putt less than half a metre long.
A failure that could have cost him much more than the tournament.The winner of each tournament in Saudi Arabia takes home $4 million, with the runner-up leaving with “only” $2,250,000 million. And because of this extra pressure, I had to play one-on-one with the Spaniard.
In the tie-break The Borriol native used his experience at Valderrama to win his first LIV tournament. and sign their fourth victory in this field. In addition, Sergio’s team also won their category, so the prize they earned exceeds the $4 million they received for only a partial victory. And finally, adds another win for Spain this Sunday after Alcaraz and the team’s expectations.