Sergio Garcia Wins LIV Golf Playoff After Anirban Lahiri Misses 2-Foot Putt for Title
Anirban Lahiri joined the list of professional golfers who missed very short putts costing them victories. Lahiri was poised for his first LIV Golf win at Valderrama in Spain on Sunday, needing just a par on the 18th hole after Sergio Garcia bogeyed his final hole in the 54-hole tournament. Lahiri reached the green of…
Anirban Lahiri joined the list of professional golfers who missed very short putts costing them victories. Lahiri was poised for his first LIV Golf win at Valderrama in Spain on Sunday, needing just a par on the 18th hole after Sergio Garcia bogeyed his final hole in the 54-hole tournament. Lahiri reached the green of the par-4 in two strokes and his first putt left him with what seemed to be an easy tap-in. But then disaster struck: Lahiri missed what was estimated to be an 18-inch putt, certainly no longer than 2 feet, causing shock among spectators and sending the tournament into a playoff.
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Despite the setback, Lahiri displayed resilience by making a challenging up-and-down with a 6-foot par putt on the 18th hole to match Garcia’s par, pushing the playoff to a second hole. Unfortunately, Lahiri stumbled with a double bogey on his third attempt at the 18th hole, while Garcia secured the win with a par, claiming the $4 million first prize.
This victory marked Garcia’s first LIV Golf title, a particularly popular win in front of his home fans in Andalucia, Spain. The 44-year-old Garcia had previously lost three LIV playoffs, including two earlier this year: to Joaquin Niemann on the fourth playoff hole in the season opener at Mayakoba, and to Dean Burmester on the second extra hole in April in Miami.
In addition to the individual playoff, LIV Golf experienced its first double playoff on Sunday as the team championship also went to extra holes. The same two teams from the individual playoff—Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs and Anirban Lahiri’s Crushers—competed. Ultimately, Abraham Ancer and David Puig of the Fireballs triumphed over Bryson DeChambeau and Paul Casey of the Crushers.