Josele Ballester has wasted no time in establishing himself as a contender on LIV Golf and he showed his mindset with his reaction to a brutal near miss in Chicago on Sunday
Josele Ballester had a bittersweet experience at LIV Golf Chicago(Image: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Josele Ballester has vowed to learn from the experience after the star talent came up agonizingly short of victory in just his fifth LIV Golf start on Sunday.
The former Arizona golfer rejected the PGA Tour route to follow his mentor Sergio Garcia’s lead and join the breakaway league, and he has quickly established himself as a contender on LIV. After a breakthrough seventh-place finish in the UK last month, he found himself in a three-way playoff with the title on the line at LIV Golf Chicago on Sunday.
The Spaniard held the lead down the stretch, but he was reeled in by both Jon Rahm and Dean Burmester and finished at nine-under-par at Bolingbrook Country Club. The Fireballs youngster has come a long way since making unwanted headlines at Augusta National earlier this year.
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Stinger GC standout Dean Burmester would triumph with a birdie three on the first extra hole, with both Rahm and Ballester only carding pars and having to settle for a tie for second.
Ballester, 21, was one of the best players on the amateur circuit before turning professional back in June, and he is sure to have plenty of opportunities to win in the months and years ahead.
The 2024 U.S. Amateur champion was not hard on himself after coming within a whisker of a statement win.
“Yeah, it was pretty special, he said of the experience. “I would have definitely signed up for [being in a playoff] when the day started. I had a good opportunity the last few holes to maybe close it, but I couldn’t do it, and yeah, I’ll learn from it.
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Ballester has a longstanding connection to the Garcia family(Image: Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
“When you lose in a playoff to a birdie, there’s not much you can do. I think I hit a great second shot. I executed a great putt. It could have gone in. Hopefully next time it does.
“Maybe in the moment, I still didn’t really feel that unhappy.
“Now it’s starting to kick in a little more, unfortunately, but having your teammates there, just cheering you when you were in the playoff, just to look at them and also appreciate how far my improvement has been is great, and hopefully we can play well in the last two tournaments.”
Ballester finished in third place in the PGA Tour University rankings before turning pro, earning him playing rights on the second-tier Korn Ferry Tour. But he snubbed the opportunity in favor of joining LIV.
Ballester is coached by Garcia’s father, Victor, and the youngster said last month that developing under the wing of the 2017 Masters champion is the perfect place to take the first steps in his pro career.
“Sergio has been more than a friend growing up. He’s been almost like a mentor,” he told reporters at Valderrama. “I was fortunate to start working with his dad when I was around 14 years old, and then because of that, I got to know Sergio, and the few times when he was in Spain, we would always play together.
“He would share his knowledge about the game with me, and that’s something that I’m always really grateful for. Now, kind of following in his footsteps and being here under his arm, it’s pretty special.
“I know I’m in the right place with the right people, so really, really happy that I can share this experience with him and with the rest of my teammates.”
