If the previous week it was Jon Rahm who took the Spanish golf flag to the top of the world golf with his victory in the American Tour, now it has been the turn of Sergio Garcia, who achieved his twelfth victory in the European Tour and the 36th of his career by winning the Omega Dubai Dessert Classic offering a great lesson of strength, consistency and talent.
Where Severiano Ballesteros (1992), Chema Olazábal (1998), Miguel Ángel Jiménez (2010), Álvaro Quirós (2011) and Rafael Cabrera-Bello (2012) have already won, Sergio García has returned to where he usually goes, to triumph. And in what a way.
The Levantine approached the last round in the lead after three rounds -the second and third were completed on Saturday after play was suspended on Friday due to a storm-, in which no one had been able to beat him. His rounds of 65, 67 and 68 strokes, and his birdies on the 17th and 18th of his third round left him in a very advantageous position for Sunday.
His main rival, however, was the Swedish Henrik Stenson, who started the final round three strokes behind the Spaniard. Behind, with -11, were Ian Poulter and Prom Meesawat.
Well, Sergio Garcia managed from the first moment the income, with two birdies for the first nine holes that forced Stenson to look for the feat. The Olympic runner-up took a risk to put the Spaniard in trouble, but on the 15th hole his chances practically vanished: his bogey and Garcia’s birdie left the lead at four strokes.
Sergio Garcia’s birdie came on a par 3 in which he missed a one-meter putt with a sensational tee shot. Thus, his last holes were relatively easy, just enough to enjoy a new victory in an already triumphant career.
It is also worth mentioning the good performance of other Spaniards at the Emirates. Rafael Cabrera-Bello and Nacho Elvira shared the eleventh place with -9 in another great performance, one more, from both of them.
Return to the world Top-10
With this victory, the Spaniard adds 36 victories to his list of winners, 12 of them in the European Tour, in which he completed 250 participations this week. With this triumph he is third in the Race to Dubai, returns to the top ten of the world ranking and succeeds Seve Ballesteros (1992), José Mari Olazábal (1998), Miguel Ángel Jiménez (2010), Alvaro Quirós (2011) and Rafa Cabrera-Bello (2012) in the tournament’s list of winners.
Since his last European victory – 2014 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters – he has finished second twelve times including the Open Championship and Bridgestone Invitational, both in 2014, and has seven top ten finishes in the last nine European Tour scoring tournaments since April 2016.
Sergio Garcia: “I am happy. I have started the year very well and I hope the streak continues. It has been a complicated but great and very positive week, I have played very well and I have made some good putts. I feel very proud of the way I won: I gave everything.
“I stayed calm and very focused during the 18 holes, especially in the crucial moments. I’m very happy, I played well, without making mistakes. It wasn’t as easy as it may seem, Henrik (Stenson) is a great player who never gives in and doesn’t give you anything for free.
“I didn’t see myself as the winner until the third shot on the last hole. The birdie on the 15th was very important, but almost as important or even more so the par I saved on the eighth hole, which was also crucial.”
TRACK RECORD SERGIO GARCÍA
12 VICTORIES EUROPEAN CIRCUIT
1999 Murphy’s Irish Open, Linde German Masters
2001 Trophée Lancôme
2002 Canarias Open de España
2004 Mallorca Classic
2005 Omega European Masters
2008 Castelló Masters Costa Azahar
2009 HSBC Champions
2011 Castelló Masters, Andalucía Masters
2014 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters
2017 Omega Dubai Desert Classic
15 INTERNATIONAL VICTORIES
2001 Master Card Colonial, Buick Classic, Nedbank Golf Challenge
2002 Mercedes Championship, Kolon Cup Korean Open
2003 Nedbank Golf Challenge
2004 Byron Nelson, Buick Classic
2005 Booz Allen Classic
2008 The Players
2012 Wyndham Championship, Iskandar Johor Malaysia
2013 Thailand Golf Championship
2015 Ho Tram Open Vietnam
2016 AT&T Byron Nelson
Ryder Cup: 1999, 2002 (Europe win) 2004 (Europe win), 2006 (Europe win) 2008, 2012 (Europe win), 2014 (Europe win), 2016.
Dunhill Cup: 1999 victory for Spain
Seve Trophy: 2000 (Continental Europe victory)
OTHER VICTORIES
1997 Catalan Professional Amateur Championship of Catalonia
2002 Gary Player Invitational presented by Coca-Cola with John Cook
Good performance of Jon Rahm in Arizona
On the other hand, there were plenty of spotlights on Jon Rahm, whose life continues after the California triumph. This week he returned to the place where it all began, to his second home in Arizona. To the same Waste Management Phoenix Open where in 2015 he made his name with a masterful performance when he was still an amateur.
And he has not done badly at all. The Basque finished in fifteenth place with a -10 total, a remarkable result based on a 65 on the third day. Six birdies in eight holes left him very close to the lead with the round in play. A warning of what Jon Rahm was capable of doing.
Many things have changed in these two years for Jon Rahm. The first, that in the first two rounds he has shared a stellar match with Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth, no less.
Finally, last week two more rounds of The Gecko Pro Tour were played . The first one, held at Marbella Golf, ended with the victory of the Englishman Steven Jones (-7). Marcos Pastor, eighth with -2, was the best Spaniard.
The second event was played at The Westin La Quinta Golf Resort, and this time the winner was Fraser Moore (-5), being the best Spaniard, Leonardo Axel Lilja (+1), thirteenth.
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