LIV Golf star Sergio Garcia has heaped praise on rising star Josele Ballester, who became the first Spaniard to win the U.S Amateur Championship at the weekend.
The world No. 10 amateur marked his 21st birthday in style at Hazeltine in Minnesota on Sunday, overcoming a stacked field of the best young talent on the planet to earn arguably the most prestigious prize in amateur golf.
Ballester, a senior at Arizona State, outlasted Iowa's Noah Kent in the final, defeating him one-up in their 18-hole match to lift the Havemeyer Trophy. In the process, he became the first player from his homeland to win the title, succeeding where the likes of Garcia and Jon Rahm came up short.
Garcia's best result at the U.S. Am came in 1998 – the same season he won The Amateur Championship at Muirfield in Scotland – when he reached the semi-finals. Former Masters champion Garica paid homage to the youngster after a life-changing, posting on X: "Incredible win by Josele, couldn't be more proud."
Garcia's LIV Golf counterpart Rahm also shared his delight. "Vamos," he wrote on Instagram in a nod to Ballester's history-making performance.
Ballester and Garcia, 44, have a close bond, with the former world No. 2's advice coming in handy throughout the week at Hazeltine. The pair traded text messages throughout the tournament before Garcia made a phone call to Ballester on Saturday evening as he prepared for the final.
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“The most important one was to continue to be myself,” Ballester told Golfweek of the advice Garcia offered. “That was key for today. And the other one was how to deal with the crowd, right? He’s been in that position multiple times, especially on this course, in the Ryder Cup 2016 playing against Phil (Mickelson), one of the best Ryder Cup matches ever. So he told me just stay patient in your game, and the best way to demonstrate to the other fans, it’s with your game.”
Ballester continued: "Super thankful to have the opportunity to live this moment. We have many great Spaniards, many great legends, and being able to add my name to that history, it’s pretty sweet.”
Ballester became the fourth Arizona State player to lift the coveted Havemeyer Trophy, following in the footsteps of six-time major champion Phil Mickelson, Billy Mayfair and Jeff Quinney.
The program's coach Matt Thurmond was thrilled for his student. He said: "The opportunities that are going to open up for him are amazing. But the best part is, no matter what, he’s going to be an 80-year-old man on the southern coast of Spain, and they’re still going to know him as the U.S. Amateur champion."
With his victory, Ballester has earned invites to the Masters, U.S. Open and The Open Championship in 2025.
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