Home

Sergio García wins the Sanderson Farms Championship at first attempt

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Spain’s Sergio García has won the Sanderson Farms Championship at his first attempt. The former Masters champion chased down the tournament’s former winner, Peter Malnati of the United States, and eventually won by one shot.

García closed out the week with a five-under-par 67 at the Country Club of Jackson, where the Championship has been hosted for seven consecutive years.

It was hard to know what to make of García, who had never played the Sanderson Farms Championship before. He had missed three of his previous four cuts on Tour, falling out of the world top 50, and was coming off a season in which he recorded just one top-25 finish.

Malnati carded a nine-under-par 63 earlier in the day to post a total of 270 – 18 under par. As Malnati warmed up on the range to prepare for a potential play-off, García landed an eight iron on the 72nd hole from about 156 metres to within 3 feet.

The 40-year-old went to birdie the final hole for his 11th PGA TOUR win.

The 2017 Masters champion García, who has lost two family members to COVID-19, could not be happier with the win.

“It’s been tough because I lost two uncles because of COVID. It’s been tough for my dad and this one is for him. I think it’s about believing, keep working hard, just getting your mind right and I think that my team has always been behind me and trying to help me in every way they can. I’ve also been able to find things here and there that obviously have helped. It feels great to stand here on 18 and just hit a great shot like I did and make the putt.”

García pocketed $1.1 million and 500 FedExCup points, moving him to number four in the standings.

Author

MOST READ
RELATED STORIES