Monday 22 October 2018 14:37, UK
Sergio Garcia celebrated "a dream come true" after winning the Andalucia Valderrama Masters for the third time in a row following a weather-disrupted week in Spain.
Garcia completed an impressive four-shot victory over Shane Lowry in a tournament reduced to 54 holes by a series of suspensions in play due to thunderstorms, which also prevented the title being decided on Sunday.
The home favourite first won the trophy in 2011 and made it two wins out of two when the event returned to the European Tour schedule last season, and he has now become the first player since Ernie Els in 2004 to win the same event three times in succession.
Garcia led by three overnight and still had 11 holes remaining when play resumed on Monday morning, although his advantage was reduced to a single shot when Lowry birdied the first three holes of the back nine before Garcia bogeyed the 13th.
But as the Ryder Cup record-breaker bounced back with a birdie at 14, Lowry ran up a double-bogey six at 15 and Garcia added extra insurance with a birdie at the 17th en route to the 34th professional victory of his career, and his seventh on home soil.
"It's amazing to be able to win here at Valderrama three times, it's a dream come true," said the 38-year-old, whose win was his first since lifting the same trophy at one of his favourite venues 12 months ago.
"It's so difficult. This golf course is so challenging and for me to be able to go out there in the conditions we played in all week and shoot three rounds under par means a lot. I'm very proud of that and really excited about the week.
"I knew the guys were going to be going after me and this golf course is the kind of course where if you're a little bit off you can struggle, but if your game is on it gives you a lot of birdie opportunities.
"And obviously Shane was playing well - he got close to me - then unfortunately he doubled 15 and that gave me a little bit of an extra gap, with his double and my birdie on 14 opening it to four, and we kept it there until the end so that was nice."
Lowry admitted his "worst shot of the year" left him with too much to do to keep the pressure on the leader over the final three holes, and the Irishman had to settle for outright second and his best result of a disappointing season.
"I was going well yesterday but I came back out this morning on fire as well," said Lowry. "I birdied ten, 11 and 12, flying, lipped out on 13 and 14 and then hit the worst shot I've hit all year on 15. Made double there, but the positive is that it's probably the only bad shot I hit in that round.
"A 66 around here and being in contention is pretty good. I'm just disappointed I didn't put a bit of pressure on Sergio. I had it to within one at one stage and then I made double and he made birdie. That was it.
"But it's my best week of the year, serious positives to take from it, and I've got a great four weeks coming up now to finish the season."
