A packed LIV Golf Andalucía leaderboard included Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, and Abraham Ancer, but a victory would have meant the most to Sergio Garcia.
Garcia, a possible future Hall of Fame golfer and major champion, has watched his access to golf’s biggest tournaments—the majors—slowly dwindle as his Official World Golf Ranking has fallen and his exemptions have expired. A win at LIV Golf Andalucía would have granted him entry into The Open Championship.
With Hatton leading by one stroke with two holes to play, Garcia hit his tee shot well right on the difficult 16th hole. His approach shot came up short of the green after being stymied by a tree. Garcia bogeyed the hole, effectively ending his hopes of winning and securing a spot in The Open.
“Restricted backswing, trying to drive that low,” announcer David Feherty said of Garcia’s greenside shot.
Hatton, meanwhile, drove the ball just left of the fairway and hit his wedge approach to 18 feet. He birdied the hole to increase his lead to two strokes over Rahm and three over Garcia.
“I didn’t think if I landed on the green that I could keep it pin-high,” Hatton said of his wedge shot into the 16th hole.
Rahm made a birdie with an up-and-down from the bunker beyond the green on the par-5 17th hole to remain one shot behind Hatton. Hatton then hit his ball into the same bunker as Rahm and, like Rahm, converted the birdie opportunity.
“He is a fierce competitor,” announcer Arlo White said. “He was two over par after the first round, and he has come all the way back to make Tyrrell Hatton earn his victory.”
After a wayward drive on the 18th and final hole, Hatton punched out past the green. A beautiful chip shot to within a few feet secured the individual title for Hatton and the team title for Legion XIII.
Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Joaquin Niemann, Hatton, and Lucas Herbert qualify for The Open based on their standings in the league. With the cancellation of the event in Louisiana, there are no additional LIV Golf events remaining before the major.
Timothy is a founding member of Break80 Golf and a contributing golf and sports writer for Forbes with PGA Tour and LIV Golf media credentials. Timothy can be reached at [email protected] for inquiries or story leads.