Sergio Garcia’s last professional victory came 1,379 days ago as he prevailed over Peter Malnati at the 2020 Sanderson Farms Championship. As he played the final hole of LIV Golf Andalucia, it looked as though that drought would continue.
Anirban Lahiri held a one-stroke lead over Garcia as the field played their final hole at Valderrama Sunday afternoon, and after three solid shots, just 18 inches separated the 37-year-old from his first LIV Golf victory. Then, the unthinkable happened.
.@anirbangolf misses this winning putt on No. 18…
— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) July 14, 2024
This sends us to a double playoff for the individual and team titles 👀#LIVGolf @Crushers_GC pic.twitter.com/gCY70JX3Nn
After Lahiri’s potential winning putt spun out of the hole, he quickly tapped in for bogey and chuckled to himself as he plucked the ball out of the cup.
“That was nothing but nerves,” said LIV analyst Jerry Foltz.
Lahiri’s loss was Garcia’s gain. With Lahiri making bogey on the final hole for a final-round 73, the two men headed to a playoff to decide the individual crown.
After each man made par on the first sudden-death hole, Garcia made par (with Lahiri carding double) on the second hole to claim the title.
“I love this place,” Garcia said. “I love these people. So thankful to everyone for what we were able to achieve today.”
The win is Garcia’s first on the LIV Golf circuit and erases his winless record in playoffs on the Saudi-backed tour. He had previously lost in all three prior sudden-death playoffs, most recently at LIV Golf Miami back in April.
This victory also marks Garcia’s fourth at Valderrama as he had previously won the Andalucía Valderrama Masters in 2011, 2017 and 2018.
“I’m very lucky, I feel it every time wherever I go, but obviously on my home turf and here at Valderrama where I’ve done so well, I always feel it,” Garcia said. “That’s one of the main reasons why I love playing here. Not only the difficulty and the beauty of the course but the support that we get here, it’s amazing.”
