Garcia finally converts in Spain
BY Bruce Young | European PGA Tour | 2008 Castello Masters Costa Azahar | Round Four | 27 Oct 2008
Sergio Garcia gave his local fans plenty to smile about when he held off a determined challenge from Sweden’s Peter Hedblom to win the Castello Masters at the Club de Campo del Mediterráneo. The victory was made even more special by the fact that this was a golf course on which Garcia played much of his childhood golf and where his father is still the host professional.
Garcia has been runner up in four of his last eight starts worldwide and this finish converts that good form and moves Garcia to 3rd in the world ranking.
Garcia appeared to control the tournament when he took a four shot lead into the final round but four consecutive birdies to open his round by Hedblom ensured this would be no walk in the park for Garcia.
By the time the pair had reached the 6th hole they were level but Garcia responded with birdies at the 7th and 8th and eventually won by three.
Alexander Noran continued his very solid second season on the European Tour, staging a late round rally to secure third position just ahead of Simon Dyson, David Lynn and Soren Kjeldsen.
As Alvaro Quiros had done when winning last week’s Portugal Masters, Garcia was quick to dedicate his victory to the ailing Seve Ballesteros who is battling the greatest fight of his life against a cancerous tumour of the brain. While 23 years Ballesteros’ junior, Garcia has benefitted from the profile Ballesteros provided the game in Spain and the self belief that he provided for the Spanish golfers who followed.
Like Greg Norman has done for Australian golf, each and every one of the modern era of Spanish golfers has, to a lesser degree, Ballesteros to thank for their involvement in the game and for the level of prizemoney being played for in Europe at present. Garcia was quick to do just that as he acknowledged arguably Europe’s greatest ever golfer following his victory.
The only Australian in the field was Peter O’Malley who finished 65th and has finished 115th on the European Tour money list.
Next week’s Volvo Masters brings the 2008 European Tour season to an end with the leading 60 money winners teeing it up at the Club de Golf Valderrama in Sotogrande in Cadiz, Spain. Only two Australians will play the event, namely Scott Strange and Richard Green as although Adam Scott is eligible it appears he will not be in the field.
Scott is playing in the Kiwi Challenge in New Zealand early this week.
