'Return of the Masters Champ' Garcia '11th Career Win'... "After 3 Years and 6 Months"

Sanderson Farms Final Day 5-Under Par '1-Stroke Victory', Malnati 2nd, Korea's Im Sungjae Tied 28th

Sergio Garcia is cheering while holding the trophy immediately after winning the Sanderson Farms. Jackson, Mississippi, USA = Getty Images / Multibits Photo by Multibits

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] "After 3 years and 6 months."

It was the perfect comeback shot by Sergio Garcia (Spain), the '2017 Masters Champion.' On the 5th (Korean time) at Jackson Golf Club in Mississippi, USA (Par 72, 7,461 yards), he surged with a 5-under-par on the final day of the PGA Tour Sanderson Farms Championship (total prize money $6.6 million) to claim a 1-stroke victory (19-under-par 269). This was his first win of the 2021 season and his 11th PGA Tour victory overall, with a winner's prize of $1,188,000 (1.38 billion KRW).

Garcia won the 2017 Masters, entering the ranks of 'Major Champions,' but had been frustrated by a lack of wins since then. He consoled himself with 3 European Tour victories. This year, he struggled, making the 'Top 10' only once in 12 tournaments. The new season also saw him miss the cut at both the US Open and Safeway Open last month, bruising his pride. However, starting the day tied for the lead, he collected 1 eagle and 5 birdies (with 2 bogeys).

The eagle on the 14th hole (Par 5) was the highlight. From 260 yards, his wood shot landed just 1 meter from the hole, seizing the advantage, and he sealed the win with a 0.8-meter birdie putt on the final 18th hole (Par 4). It is interesting that Garcia benefited greatly from the 'eyes-closed putting' effect. He explained, "I can putt more freely than when I focus by looking directly with my eyes." In fact, he boasted an average of just 1.57 putts per hole, a 'stingy putting' performance.

Peter Malnati (USA) posted a daily best of 9-under-par but had to settle for 2nd place (18-under-par 270). J.T. Poston (USA) finished 3rd (16-under-par 272). Among Koreans, Im Sung-jae (22) surged with a strong 6-under-par finish to climb to a tie for 28th place (9-under-par 279). Kim Si-woo (25, CJ Logistics) tied for 37th (6-under-par 282), while Lee Kyung-hoon (29, also CJ Logistics) dropped one stroke to tie for 46th (4-under-par 284).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.