Sergio Garcia hopes for Ryder Cup selection boost after winning LIV Hong Kong
Double delight for Sergio Garcia at LIV Golf Hong Kong after the Spaniard wins the individual title by one and leads his Fireballs GC to a narrow success in the team competition to boost his Ryder Cup selection hopes
Sunday 9 March 2025 12:22, UK
Sergio Garcia completed the double by winning both the LIV Golf Hong Kong individual title and leading his Fireballs squad to the team championship.
The Spaniard fired a final round 63 at Hong Kong Golf Club to finish at 18-under par and clinch a three-shot victory over Stinger GC's Dean Burmester, who ended second at 15-under after a 62.
Phil Mickelson of HyFlyers finished third at 14-under after a final round 64 as the six-time major champion continues his quest for a first LIV Golf title.
Garcia said he hopes his performance caught the eye of European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald as he pushes for a spot on the squad that will defend its title in September at Bethpage.
The 45-year-old rejoined the DP World Tour in November as he seeks a European record-equalling 11th appearance in the Ryder Cup.
Garcia, who is already the event's record points scorer, wants to match Lee Westwood and Sir Nick Faldo's European benchmark by playing against the United States.
Asked if he hoped Donald was paying attention to his victory, Garcia said: "I think he's watching.
"We've been in touch, so I know that he's keeping an eye.
"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 will think I'm good enough for it."
In order to be eligible, Garcia had to settle the outstanding substantial fines - reported to be over £1million - imposed on him for playing LIV events without permission and is also having to serve a suspension before playing in DP World Tour events and attempting to earn Ryder Cup qualifying points.
A final round of 64 gave Phil Mickelson his first individual top-three finish since joining LIV.
"My game is getting sharp," the six-time major winner said. "My short game is back. I had a rough couple of years. My short game is really sharp now.
"My iron play is back, and my game is starting to really come around, and I'm also playing differently. I'm playing a lot less stressed, and it's coming.
"This is a building week as I continue to build into LIV and my goal of accomplishing a win in LIV as well as winning another major, getting ready for Augusta [the Masters]."
Garcia's Fireballs GC topped the team leaderboard at 37-under-par to edge out second-place Stinger GC by one shot.
Watch the The Players Championship - live on Sky Sports. Coverage is live on Thursday, March 13 from 11.30am. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.
Get the best prices and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK & Ireland
