Rory McIlroy is animatedly chatting with several friends, family members, and part of his team right outside the clubhouse at Oakmont. It’s quite a small space. The immense infrastructure required for a tournament like the US Open encroaches on the area with tents, fences, stands, portable gyms, field hospitals, or physiotherapy units. It’s barely a narrow corridor that forms an L-shape connecting the green of the 18th hole and the 9th. Right there is also the area where players hand in their scorecards.
As you can imagine, there’s a lot of movement of players, caddies, agents, coaches, family members, and other personnel that circulate in this type of tournament. Everyone greets each other. In the midst of this, a Spaniard appears. He timidly approaches Rory. He knows him very well, but it’s been a long time since they’ve seen each other, and he’s not entirely sure if he’ll be recognised. McIlroy looks at him and his expression changes. A broad smile. “Lluis, it’s been a while, what are you doing here,” he asks, pleasantly surprised by his presence.
It’s not common for the greats of golf to be approached by people outside their close circle, especially not during a Major week. That’s why those witnessing this affectionate encounter at Oakmont wonder who this Spaniard is that Rory McIlroy is greeting. Well, let’s clear up the mystery. He was one of the best amateur players of his time and shared a locker room and room with McIlroy at the Junior Ryder Cup in 2004.
He is Lluis García del Moral, an outstanding golfer from Castellón who won a lot when he was an amateur. No one is gifted a place in a Junior Ryder Cup. He played in European championships, was recruited for the prestigious Jacques Leglise, and achieved many victories in Spain. In the 2004 Toyota Junior World Cup, held at the Paw Country Club in Minakuchi, Japan, he finished sixth tied with Patton Kizzire. Spain was third as a team behind the United States and South Africa.
Lluis and McIlroy know each other very well because they competed together many times. They faced each other in countless tournaments. “He was a spectacle. From the beginning. He was different. I remember at a European championship walking along a hole, looking to my right and seeing a small, somewhat chubby player hitting the driver on a tee and saying: what is that! He hit it very long from a young age, and what caught my attention the most was that he was very straight. Then, beyond what he did on the golf course, he was a great guy, very down-to-earth. Today he showed me again with the affectionate greeting,” García del Moral explains to Ten Golf. The chat at the clubhouse doors lasts a couple of minutes. Lluis congratulates him on his successes, including the Grand Slam completed at the Masters, they ask about their families, and wish each other the best.
Lluis is at Oakmont to follow and watch Josele Ballester. He has known him since he was very young. He is a coach at the Costa Azahar course in Castellón and helped him with putting for several years. “However, to be clear, Josele’s first coach was Antonio Mas, also from Costa Azahar,” he clarifies. Give credit where credit is due. He walks the course alongside José Luis, Josele’s father, and Alberto Ballester, a close friend of the Spanish champion, an avid statistics lover, and his caddie at the US Amateur where he made history.
Lluis remembers that Junior Ryder Cup very well. He didn’t play as a pair with McIlroy, but they connected very quickly and very well. It was held at the Westfield Group Country Club course in Ohio, and Europe dominated with a score of 8.5 to 3.5. Back then, it was a mixed competition. Representing Spain were Lluis himself, Carlota Ciganda, and Belén Mozo. Our protagonist won the two points he played, the first with Zach Gould, a Welshman now specialising in golf-specific fitness, and the second with Carlota. By the way, in both matches, he defeated Tony Finau, who was part of that American team. “Back then he was Anthony Finau,” Lluis jokes.
The twists and turns of golf and sport in general. In that junior Ryder Cup team were also Oliver Fisher, Florentyna Parker, and Marius Thorp. Not all reached the elite level. In fact, very few did. The leap from the amateur world to the professional is always very challenging. Lluis’s great career faded for a very specific reason. At least, he’s clear about it. “I went crazy with technique, gave it too much importance. I thought more about making a beautiful or perfect swing, about where the clubface should be, than about playing golf. I got lost because of that, I’m sure. Fortunately, Josele Ballester is not like that. He’s more about feeling and knows that technique should be given just the right amount of importance,” he assures. You see, another warning for players like Viktor Hovland, involved in the fight to win this US Open.
By the way, Lluis is the brother of Jordi García del Moral, a professional who played on the DP World Tour and is now a coach for Ángel Hidalgo, Iván Cantero, Mario Galiano, Mimi Rhodes, and Pablo Alperi, among others.
