Josele Ballester managed to create his first big opportunity to lift a trophy as a professional yesterday in Chicago. The Castellon native will head into Sunday at the Bolingbrook Golf Club tied for second place on the leaderboard, two strokes behind the leader, Dean Burmester, and sharing the featured group of the penultimate individual tournament of the season in LIV Golf with the South African and his compatriot and global golf star Jon Rahm. A key moment he hopes to turn into the first title of his career in the elite, provided he maintains his good level from yesterday off the tee and on the greens, and improves his short game.
“Pretty much everything went well. I started the day on two tough holes and holed a couple of long putts. It’s always good, especially at the start of the round,” he said yesterday after signing a round of 66 strokes that put him right in the mix for the win. A great performance based on his usual excellent handling of the driver, aiming for long, low shots to navigate the challenges posed by the wind: “I’ve been working a lot on the drive in recent weeks and it’s paying off. With the wind we’ve had, keeping the ball low and in position has been key.”
Josele was left with a thorn in his side from the bogey he made on the 18th, a hole where he had launched a real ‘missile’ from the tee but couldn’t resolve as expected: “It was a bummer to make that silly bogey on the 18th, especially after a huge drive. With a 410-yard drive and leaving myself 20 from the green, I took four shots from there. Maybe I need to improve my discipline even with a short wedge.” A problem in his game he identified as soon as he arrived at LIV: “The professional world exposed me in areas where I wasn’t as good, especially around the green and in bunkers. I’m learning and gradually improving my short game.”
For the Spaniard, being in a position to win in his fifth appearance on the Saudi tour is very special, but it hasn’t been easy: “Perhaps there were external expectations I didn’t manage well, and I had to return to my roots, to what made me the player I am.” He also values very positively the fact that on the tour, in addition to individual prizes, there is also team competition at each event, which reminds him of his university days: “The good thing about LIV is that we play for something bigger than ourselves. It’s something I learned at university and that we continue to apply here.”
Trying to set aside that short game where he knows he has room for improvement, Josele is excited to fight for his first win this Sunday in a very special match: “Sharing the final match with Jon is going to be a lot of fun. When I came to university in the United States, I always admired him. These are the moments I practice so much for, and being able to lift my first trophy tomorrow would be very special.” To achieve this, he will try to make the most of one of his weapons, the driver, because as he himself acknowledged in his official press conference, “when I’m good off the tee, as a friend once told me, I’m dangerous.”
