Since jumping LIV Golf, Sergio Garcia has candidly admitted to taking major tournaments for granted in the past. The seasoned ex-PGA Tour veteran now feels the grueling and competitive grind in the Saudi-backed league to earn a hopeful chance in majors.
On Sunday, Garcia broke a 30-tournament dry spell with a dramatic win at the LIV Golf Andalucia tournament. In a nail-biting finish, Garcia clinched victory in a playoff against Crushers GC's Anirban Lahiri, having carded a final round 5-under 66 to tie at 5-under overall.
The tension peaked as Lahiri missed a crucial short putt on the 18th hole, paving the way for Garcia’s win. The win marked Garcia’s first on the LIV Golf circuit for Fireballs GC and his first professional victory since 2020, injecting new life into his storied career.
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Despite the success, Garcia remains ranked 323rd in the world . The Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) denied LIV Golf's application for accreditation in October of 2023, leaving Garcia and his peers on the Saudi-backed tour grappling with the challenge of earning recognition and climbing the global rankings.
Though the victory was sweet, not earning any points to compete in important tournaments continues weighing on Saudi league players . "Even though you realize that the majors are super important and it's what we love to play, when you get the chance to play in so many in a row, you start forgetting how difficult it is to make it into those majors,” he said after the win.
"This last year and a half or so, I've realized how difficult it is playing qualifiers and stuff like that. One day, you hit two bad shots, and you're out. It's given me definitely a different perspective on the majors, on how much they mean, on how much harder I'm trying when I'm playing them."
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Garcia continued to explain his newfound appreciation and value of playing in Major tournaments, particularly now with LIV. "I know even more how hard it is and how important the majors are, and I still want to play as many as I can," he admitted.
“Hopefully things get better, and we start getting spots coming into some of the majors, but if not, I'll just keep playing qualifiers until my body says enough is enough, I guess.” Garcia climbed the ranks and earned OWGR points in three key participating events in 2024. His standout performance came with a 12th-place finish at the 2024 U.S. Open , catapulting his OWGR rank from 773rd to 310th.
Starting the season at 662nd, the Spanish golfer gained momentum by tying for 21st at the International Series Macau presented by Wynn, playing on a different tour to rack up those crucial points. The 2017 Masters champion enjoys a lifetime invitation to the iconic tournament, but he wrapped up his last rendition with a total score of 151 (+7), falling short of advancing to the weekend rounds.
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