This past weekend, Sergio Garcia and his Fireballs GC team celebrated a double sweep at LIV Golf Hong Kong 2025. Details here.
Sergio Garcia clinches double win with Fireballs GC at 2025 LIV Golf Hong Kong
There is little left for Sergio Garcia to prove on the golf course. The Spaniard has negotiated his career in a way that after more than 25 years in professional golf, the narrative expands far beyond his exploits. Those wins all around the globe and the Masters’ high are well documented in the record books, and these continue to inspire him in a way that transcends geographical boundaries.
What evokes curiosity is the impact he continues to make even after switching platforms and formats on LIV Golf. At 45, Garcia isn’t the firebrand golfer he used to be in his youthful prime. But, in his role as captain of Fireballs GC, Garcia is more than an elder statesman, his team name proving the perfect fit for his fiery persona.
With his latest episode of triumph at LIV Golf Hong Kong 2025 on Sunday, March 9, Garcia is showing the path to glory to his younger teammates. The domino effect is evident; while Garcia’s convincing three-shot win over Stinger GC’s Dean Burmester secured the team’s first individual win of the 2025 season, it was their collective effort that clinched the second successive triumph after Adelaide 2025.
Fondness for vintage
Coming from where he is, Garcia has a fondness for vintage and tradition. His first individual win on his home turf in Valderrama last season brought forth the affinity for golf courses built the classic way.
The layout of the Hong Kong Golf Club at Fanling bore many similarities, and meandering the course over three days and 54 holes reminded Garcia of the striking resemblance.
There was more to the Valderrama high than Garcia as it was a team win too, and Sunday witnessed a repeat of that episode. After emerging the individual champion of the 2025 iteration of LIV Golf Hong Kong, Garcia now sits atop the individual ranking, and the Fireballs’ consistency shines bright atop the team sphere.
Like vintage wine, Garcia’s craft took effect gradually at Fanling. By the time he teed off on Sunday, he was firmly in position to challenge for the crown. The flawless run across the final 18 holes and punching 7 birdies brought forth his love for a course that suited his play style.
“It’s an ideal kind of golf course,” Garcia said, speaking on the layout at the Hong Kong Golf Club. “It’s an old-style, traditional kind of style, which I love. It’s a similar course to what you might see in like Valderrama that I’ve always enjoyed.”
One for all, all for one
Garcia’s triumph sealed Fireballs’ stamp on Hong Kong as a fortress. Last year, however, it was Abraham Ancer, the man on top, who put on a show that exemplifies the team ethos of ‘one for all, all for one’; while Fireballs did not secure the win in 2024, Ancer nonetheless emerged on top to clinch the individual win.
Garcia and Ancer’s experiences are perfectly matched to David Puig and Luis Masaveu’s youthful yet impactful showing, and the Fireballs have emerged as a force over time. It isn’t just the coming together of four talented players, but also an amalgamation of cultures as Ancer, the man from Mexico, has fitted seamlessly into the otherwise Spanish outfit.
Time and again, Garcia has been a prominent figure by the 18th green, whether he is egging on a teammate to close a week successfully or finishing in a way that reflects positively on the leaderboard. On Sunday, his teammates took centre stage, rooting for their captain as he clinched a seamless win, capturing the top spot in the individual rankings.
Captain Marvellous
The numbers are set in stone. Garcia’s impact as captain and key contributor to the team cause proves that consistent golf with bursts of excellence pays dividends. Despite winning just twice since his switch to LIV, Garcia figures prominently in the season stats by finishing third last year, and now is the top name after just three starts in 2025.
As the action shifts to the Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore, Garcia and his band of achievers have a chance at making another piece of LIV history with a three-peat. Should that happen, the Fireballs will be the first to accomplish the feat since the League expanded its calendar to 14 tournaments in 2023.
When Garcia descended on the 18th green on Sunday, there was little to fret about his chances as the individual champion. However, there was some onus on him to ensure that his team did not go into a playoff with Stinger GC, courtesy Burmester’s charge with the final day’s low round of 8-under. Garcia did what was asked of him to complement the efforts of his teammates as the Fireballs edged Stinger GC by a shot at 37-under.
“They were keeping us there with a chance to win. Obviously when you can pull the double, it’s a lot sweeter than if it’s just one of them. Very proud of them,” said Garcia, who acknowledged the efforts of his team.
Garcia’s effectiveness at LIV stems from his fondness for the team format. His record in 11 editions of the Ryder Cup in Europe colours is unparalleled, and he has replicated that form by proving himself time and again, and by playing the guiding force.
Mentored by legends like Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal in his formative years, Garcia has slipped seamlessly into that role and is enjoying overseeing the progress of Puig, 23, and Masaveu, 22.
“I obviously love it. I do have two young ones (children) of my own that we also take care of, [me and] my wife… [I am] trying to put my arm around them (players) and give them advice if they need it or if they want it, and try to help them be the best version of themselves on another golf course.”
Checking boxes
With pathways opening for LIV golfers at the Majors, Garcia, the team man that he is, is hoping he gets a look-in from Europe Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, ahead of the buildup to the 2025 edition at Bethpage Black Course, New York.
“The only thing I can do is keep playing good golf, and I just want to help the European team like I’ve tried to do every single time I’ve been a member of that team, and hopefully he (Donald) will think I’m good enough for it,” said Garcia.
With form as rich as this, Garcia will be a serious contender at the Masters a month from now. Apart from teeing off as a former champion, the week at Augusta National will be his 100th Major, an extremely rare stat.
“It’s a milestone that not a lot of people get to achieve, so I’m super proud and can’t wait to go there and just enjoy it. Whatever happens, happens, but I’m just going to try to enjoy the week as much as possible, and then hopefully my game will show up.”
First for ‘Lefty’
While Dean Burmester is not new to the podium, having notched a win at Miami last season to go with a couple of top 3s, Phil Mickelson’s 45 wins on the PGA Tour have not found reflection on LIV. But that may all be changing, with Mickelson, or Lefty as he is known for his left-handed play, bagging his first podium by finishing a shot behind Burmester at 14-under.
Few can equal his experience, but at 54, innovation is the key for Mickelson. For him, it was relying on the textbook and ‘boring’ golf to get the task done.
“I’ve got to find another way to beat these guys because I’m not going to overpower them. So, I hit a lot of fairways this week. It lets my iron play come out, and I actually hit a lot of good putts,” said Mickelson.
Confident that he is playing good golf after missing the season opener in Riyadh due to injury, Mickelson is excited that he has the template for success.
The oldest to win a Major (US Open) at 50, Mickelson will be invoking that magic when he tees off at the Masters as a three-time winner at Augusta.
“The fact is playing some good golf… This is a building week as I continue to build into LIV and my goal of accomplishing a win as well as winning another Major or getting ready for Augusta,” said Mickelsen. The Hall of Famer is now attempting to resurrect his career and his team’s, HyFlyers GC, with a different brand of golf that allows him to shoot scores that matches the best players in the game.
(Main and featured image: Yu Chun Christopher Wong/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
