For the second time in his LIV Golf career — and the second time in as many tournaments — Sergio Garcia has won both individually and as a team captain. The Spaniard improved each day of LIV Golf Hong Kong with rounds of 65-64-63 to reach 18 under for the tournament and claim a three-stroke victory over Dean Burmester with Phil Mickelson rounding out the podium just one further adrift.
Garcia’s individual title was accompanied by a team triumph as his Fireballs eked out a close victory over Stinger GC. Garcia’s group tallied 37 under while Louis Oosthuizen’s all-South African squad fell one short at 36 under. Cameron Smith’s Ripper GC and Mickelson’s HyFlyers finished at 34 under.
“I played very well. I gave myself a lot of chances throughout the whole day,” Garcia said. “I only made a couple bad swings, but I got away with them and recovered nicely. It was nice to see not only that I was doing well and leading the tournament, but my teammates were playing great. They were keeping us there with a chance to win. Obviously, when you can pull the double, it’s a lot sweeter than if it’s just one of them. Very proud of them.”
Garcia entered the final round in Hong Kong among three tied for the lead at 11 under. While co-leader Peter Uihlein struggled to keep pace, Garcia jumped head first into his round with an eagle on the par-5 3rd, the same hole that Dean Burmester eagled to begin his round.
The South African surged into Garcia’s rearview mirror with five birdies across the back nine at Hong Kong Golf Club, but it proved to be too little too late as the Fireballs captain kept his foot on the gas pedal. After a string of pars, Garcia rattled off four straight birdies on Nos. 8-11 to seize a five-stroke lead and full control of the tournament.
One last birdie on the par-4 16th was just icing on the cake for his individual endeavors but much needed for the team competition. His teammate Luis Masaveu snagged a birdie on final hole to secure the team title and allow Garcia a stress-free walk up the last.
“It’s still early. We still have a month to go,” Garcia said regarding major championship season. “We still have two big tournaments coming up in Singapore and Miami, so we’ve got to focus on that, and when we get to Augusta, then we’ll focus on that.
“Obviously, it’s going to be a very special week for me because it’s my 100th major, so I’m super proud of that. It’s not a number that a lot of people get to achieve. I just want to have a lot of fun there no matter what happens, and that’s my goal. But first, we’ve got next week and then we’ve got Miami, and then we’ll focus on Augusta.”