While many of the biggest names started to fall away as Sunday unfolded at LIV Golf Miami, Sergio García was able to take the tournament down to the wire ahead of The Masters.
Ultimately, Sergio García was unable to secure his second win of the season on LIV Golf. The Spaniard teed off on the final hole at Doral one shot adrift of Marc Leishman after the Australian had managed to make an impressive putt on the last to remain at six under par.
A wayward drive left Garcia with plenty to do. And when his approach found the water, it confirmed that he was going to come up just a little short in Miami.
Nevertheless, his performance will give Garcia great confidence heading into The Masters. The 2017 champion has been playing extremely well over the last couple of years, so it should come as no surprise to see him in contention once again over the coming days.
Sergio García outlines his plans ahead of The Masters
It will be interesting to see how the LIV stars’ preparation sets them up for the challenge of Augusta National. Many big names on the PGA Tour were not in action at the Valero Texas Open as they look to get themselves in the best condition for the first major of the year.
And following the finish in Miami, Garcia outlined his plans once he arrives in Georgia.
“Leaving tomorrow morning. It looks like a wash out tomorrow and rest. It is going to be important to rest. It was a great week but it was a hard week. Very hard. Not only physically but mentally so rest up nicely on Monday then nine holes on Tuesday and nine holes on Wednesday. Little par three contest with the family and then let’s have some fun,” he said.
The shot which ended Sergio Garcia’s hopes of winning LIV Golf Miami
Garcia had a lot of momentum heading to the final tee following an outstanding three on the previous hole. A birdie would have been good enough to put him in a playoff with Leishman once the Ripper man holed his putt up ahead.
Unfortunately for the Spaniard, his drive left him in the trees. And while he had a fairly clear path to the green, he faced the task of keeping the ball low enough initially before clearing the water. And ultimately, he did not quite get the ball far enough to prevent it from rolling back into the hazard.
Garcia explained what went wrong at the final hurdle.
“The shot was there. It wasn’t the easiest shot in the world. It just came out a little too straight, I was trying to hit a fade and the wind was from the right. Three or four feet further right and it would have been perfect. But I gave myself a shot and that’s all you can do. I just wish I would have hit a bit of a better drive,” he added.
Despite the disappointing finish, Garcia appears to be in a very good place with his game right now. That could be crucial given the questions that Augusta National is inevitably going to ask.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
