Anirban Lahiri had yet to seal a putt Two-handed, one of those routine ones, one of those that he makes in 99 out of 100 attempts. With that he took the glory, the LIV Andalucía laurel. From the stands, however, they were not happy. “Let’s go Sergio García! Let’s go Sergio García!” they chanted with enthusiasm because the Spaniard, superb and magnetic, had signed a round of -5, just one stroke behind the Indian. Then the drama happened. Knock and there was no chofa poor shot that went over the balcony of the hole, a tie that he will never forget and that the fans celebrated by taking off their shirt and waving the flag, far from what golf etiquette proclaims. Lahiri smiled nervously and accepted the error – although five minutes later he was still practicing putt – perhaps using the Vipassana technique, a meditation that his mother discovered for him and that helps him maintain his heart rate when the adrenaline is activated. He needed it urgently because Sergio, who had had to tell his daughter Azalea to wait – “Dad has to play” – was already waiting for him on the 18th hole to play the playoff. It didn’t last long: two holes. It took Sergio just a while to clarify that he was playing in his garden, Valderrama, where he had already won three Andalucía Valderrama Masters (2011, 2017 and 2018). Now he is the LIV Andalucía after finishing second in Mayakoba and Miami this year, after Lahiri missed the putt most expensive in history; it went from earning four million to 2,2500,000.
The nerves were already noticeable early in the morning in Sotogrande, as the golfers arrived earlier than ever to the putting green already the area of approach in search of sensations, concerned about giving a final push to their game that would allow them to look up and not down in the table, also to fatten the checkbook; 20 million prizes were distributed in the individual classification and another five for the three best teams. The heat, as on the opening day, was again scorching, a condition that did not dent the enthusiasm of the thousands of fans who packed the route, happy to shake hands with any of them when they passed through the asphalt corridors, happy to see swings and high-quality hits. Niemann chatted with some, Dustin Johnson signed his gloves and handed them out, Sergio García smiled and joked with his teammate David Puig, and Rahm stopped his routine because Greg Norman -CEO of the Saudi league- and the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport of Andalusia, Arturo Bernal, asked him for a little chat. “The practice field is closed,” they announced over the loudspeaker as everyone headed towards the field, where the game is played and won. And there was no one better than Sergio García.
The four-stroke lead at the start of the day for Lahiri was a more than juicy advantage because the course was permissive, as the wind was not whipping and the greens They had already lost firmness after two days of competition. But behind them lurked several coconuts: like DeChambeau, winner of the last US Open; like Hatton, winner of the last LIV in Nashville; like Niemann, leader of LIV in the general classification; or like Kaymer, winner of two Grand Slams and last partner of Valderrama because he moved to live in Marbella. Also, of course, the Spaniard Chacarra, concentrated to such an extent that before the putts I closed my eyes to draw the imaginary line to the hole, in the purest style of the movie The Legend of Bagger Vance starring Will Smith and Matt Damon. But none pushed harder than Sergio Garcia, who started the day seven strokes behind and who again explained that he is the king of Valderrama, even though Koepka tried to tease him when he got to the end of the day. tee from 1 -Rahm was also there- with the England shirt for the Euro Cup final.
The crowd soon gave themselves over to Sergio García and his golf, a very personal version, one in which he never misses a fairway even by chance, brilliant with the irons, reliable with the chip and the putt. Thus, to follow his game you had to take out your elbows if you wanted to see him in the foreground, a Spanish crowd. “Come on Sergio!” they encouraged him before any blow, energetic applause when he got green of two, excited cheers when he sealed the birdie. And there were quite a few, as on the first nine he shot a astronomical -5 (that’s how he finished the 18th). But the course turned upside down when he reached the 12th hole and didn’t make any difference. hole in one (hole in one) by chance, as the ball hit the flag five times and landed millimetres from the hole, with Bernhard Langer’s record of 62 strokes (in 1984) already in sight. Although there were seven holes left.
Lahiri regained the lead on the 11th hole, a birdie On the easiest par 5 on the course, a putt that the ball went around the world – that’s what it’s called when it goes 360 degrees – before going into the hole. But he was already out of balance because he made a mistake bogey in the 14th because the putt It fell short. Arms dropped and regret contained, two golfers for a crown, three holes to complete, a world in Valderrama. Sergio could have sealed it on the last par 3, but he made the childish mistake of making three putts. A respite for Lahiri, who in the 17th minute had the ball on a divot but used a wedge to leave it in greento achieve a birdie five meters that put him ahead. But the 18th hole arrived and that putt The Bengal tragedy was two-handed away. Two holes later, after the playoff, Lahiri shook hands with his rival, a gentleman in defeat, and received consolation from his teammates, DeChambeau in the lead. Sergio, a few meters away, celebrated with his wife, with the caddy and with his children Enzo and Azalea until his Fireballs teammates -David Puig, Ancer and Chacarra, who also won the team playoff (3 million more) – they showered him with champagne. Glory to the king of Valderrama who thus closes his lack of titles since October 2020, then in the Sanderson Farms Champions of the PGA Tour. But the LIV Andalucía is his, even if Lahiri touched it.
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