Sergio García achieved his second victory in LIV Golf this Sunday in Hong Kong. A triumph built on solidity, precision, intelligence, and talent, but also thanks to a mental shift that the golfer from Borriol initiated last year, just before the US Open, and which is gradually proving to be worth its weight in gold.
The extremely high level of self-imposed pressure throughout his career seemed to prevent the Spaniard from fully enjoying certain moments. But at Pinehurst, in an event for which he qualified as the first reserve after the preliminary round, he decided that the most important thing was to savour every moment to the fullest, not to put too much pressure on himself, and to live in the moment.
It was a good week for the golfer from Castellón, who finished very close to the top 10. But beyond the result, the learning experience has helped him to free himself on the course, not to overthink things when he makes a mistake, and to try to bring out the great golf that, at 45 years of age, he still has within him.
His way of celebrating each birdie or the final victory in Hong Kong has been a demonstration of his new mentality. But also the way he handles mistakes, like that completely crossed tee shot on the 15th that ended up with his ball on the adjacent fairway, which Sergio took with humour, smiling despite it being a shot that could have complicated his victory with Burmester pressing from behind.
It is not surprising, therefore, that the man from Borriol, questioned about the proximity of the Masters during a great personal moment, responded by saying: “It’s still early, there’s a month to go with two major tournaments in Singapore and Miami. But Augusta will be a very special week, it will be my 100th major, I am very proud of that, it’s not a number many people reach. But there I just want to have fun no matter what happens, that’s my goal.”
Sergio, physically privileged and able to avoid injuries throughout his career and always stay in shape due to his passion for sport, not just golf, revealed after his triumph in the Chinese LIV Golf event how much the mental aspect has helped him: “I love the game, I love competing and that’s the most important thing. I’ve been lucky to have a body that seems not to get injured, that helps because it keeps pushing you all the time without having to take long breaks to recover or anything like that, I like to stay active, but obviously, I’m doing a good mental job…”
“I’m trying to see things differently, trying to make sure I love myself much more on the course, even when there’s not a good shot or something like that. That has helped me a lot. And it’s something I try to pass on to my teammates. Ancer is much better at that than Puig and Masaveu, but we’re working on it and they’re doing well.”
Sergio, happy with his double individual and team victory, took the time in his appearance to reveal that he will call his caddie “King Kong“, Ben James, after winning in Hong Kong a year ago with Ancer and repeating today with him, and how much he enjoys helping his young Spanish teammates from Fireballs as they did with him in his day: “It’s a pleasure for me. When I was a kid, Seve and Chema were my idols and they helped me a lot, between the ages of 16 and 20, and even when I was a bit over 30.” This new version of Sergio seems much more powerful, with the Majors just around the corner (he currently has the Masters and the PGA secured) and the Ryder waiting at Bethpage Black in September.
