Excited and with a grin from ear to ear. That’s how Josele Ballester was holding the enormous champion’s trophy of the PIF Saudi International. It’s his first victory as a professional. The can is already open for the US Amateur champion. He lives it, enjoys it, and celebrates it, but he’s already glancing at the next target. That’s how this super golfer of 22 years thinks.
“First of all, I’m super happy. This is everything. I’ve dreamed a lot about this moment, about winning your first tournament… This is why I work so hard every day. So it’s very nice to have finally achieved it. Surely this will make me keep working even harder to reach all the dreams I have. But right now I’m very happy and grateful to all the people who have been there supporting me,” says the golfer from Mediterráneo Golf.
There are many who think this is just the beginning of what should be many victories in his career. He is preparing for it. He thinks the same way. “I will have to sit down with my team and think about it. I’m quite an ambitious guy, so I’m sure I’m going to dream big and set my expectations very high”.
Josele now focuses on those first weeks as a professional, just after entering LIV Golf. They weren’t easy days, but he managed to turn it around. That fills him with almost as much pride as this Saturday’s victory. “These last few months have been incredible. I’ve learned a lot. When I entered the league, I wasn’t playing very well, and it was a learning process on how to improve. And it’s been really cool to see that, in such a short time, I’ve improved so much and that I can compete at the highest level with the best players in the world”.
Finally, a message to his captain: “Sergio, the first one, mate. Thank you very much. Let’s go!”.
