Sergio Garcia heads into the final round at Trump National Doral with a spring in his step and a two-stroke lead, eyeing his first taste of victory in the LIV Golf League.
Having practically grown up on the Blue Monster, Garcia’s hoping his deep well of experience will finally pay off.
His Saturday heroics, a smooth 4-under 68, nudged him to a comfortable 9 under for the tournament.
But lurking not too far behind are some serious contenders: Talor Gooch, Tyrrell Hatton, Matthew Wolff, and Dean Burmester are all hungry for their own slice of glory.
At the top of the team leaderboard, Legion XIII is holding court at a solid 21 under, thanks to stellar performances from Kieran Vincent, Tyrrell Hatton, and team captain Jon Rahm.
They’ve got their eyes set on their second team victory this season, aiming to leave the RangeGoats in their wake.
Despite his seasoned tenure on the course, Garcia isn’t taking anything for granted.
He’s been in the heart-wrenching drama of playoffs before and is determined to seal the deal in regulation this time around.
“At the end of the day, you’ve just got to keep giving yourself chances,” said Garcia, who has 36 career professional wins, the last one in 2020.
“I’m trying my hardest out there every time. I’m trying my best. Sometimes my best is really good, sometimes my best is not quite as good.
Hopefully tomorrow, my best will be really good, and we’ll be able to get it done. If not, we’ll just keep working at it.”
Dean Burmester is right on his tail, just two strokes behind. But Garcia’s got a special bond with Doral, dating all the way back to his rookie year in 2002. He knows every nook and cranny of the course like an old friend.
“Guess we’ve seen it throughout all these years, so we know a little bit more or less what to expect,” Garcia said.
“But it’s the kind of golf course that you have to hit good shots. If you don’t, it’s tough.”
While Gooch may have a few LIV Golf trophies in his cabinet, he’s not resting on his laurels.
“It’s nice to have won that much recently,” said Gooch, who is seeking his first LIV Golf win on American soil after all three wins last year overseas. “That’s confidence-boosting for sure.”
Burmester and Wolff, the relative rookies, have shown they’re not to be underestimated, especially with their booming drives on the lengthy fairways.
“It’s not called the Blue Monster for nothing,” Burmester said. “It’s tough. There’s not one golf shot you stand there and think, man, I’ve actually got a chance.”
“Winning is really hard to do,” Wolff said. “Anytime you have the opportunity to be in contention or win is definitely something to be proud of.”
As the final round looms, the tension is palpable. It’s a shotgun start at 1:05 p.m. ET, and you can bet every player is itching to make their mark on the leaderboard.
With everything to play for, it’s shaping up to be an electrifying finish to a nail-biting tournament.
ROUND 2 STATS LEADERS
Driving accuracy: Ben Campbell, 92.86% (13 of 14 fairways hit)
Driving distance: Brendan Steele, 331.2 yards avg.
Longest drive: Brendan Steele, 346.7 yards, 8th hole
Greens in regulation: Dean Burmester, Adrian Meronk, Marc Leishman, Martin Kaymer, 83.33% (15 of 18 greens)
Scrambling: Joaquin Niemann (5 of 5), 100%
Putting: Abraham Ancer, 1.39 putts per hole
Bogey-free rounds: Joaquin Niemann (69)
TEAM COUNTING SCORES
Standings and counting scores for Saturday’s second round of the team competition at LIV Golf Miami. The three best scores from each team count in the first two rounds while all four scores count in the final round. The team with the lowest cumulative score after three rounds wins the team title.
1. LEGION XIII -21 (Vincent 66, Hatton 67, Rahm 70; Rd. 2 score: -13)
2. RANGEGOATS GC -18 (Pieters 69, Wolff 69, Uihlein 73; Rd. 2 score: -5)
3. STINGER GC -13 (Oosthuizen 68, Burmester 69, Grace 71; Rd. 2 score: -8)
4. CLEEKS GC -12 (Meronk 66, Bland 67, Samooja 73; Rd. 2 score: -10)
5. FIREBALLS GC -10 (Garcia 68, Ancer 69, Chacarra 72; Rd. 2 score: -7)
T6. TORQUE GC -9 (Niemann 69, Ortiz 69, Pereira 71; Rd. 2 score: -7)
T6. 4ACES GC -9 (Reed 69, Johnson 71, Varner 74; Rd. 2 score: -2)
T8. CRUSHERS GC -7 (Lahiri 70, DeChambeau 70, Casey 71; Rd. 2 score: -5)
T8. SMASH GC -7 (Gooch 70, Kokrak 72 McDowell 73; Rd. 2 score: -1)
T10. HYFLYERS GC E (Tringale 70, Mickelson 72, Steele 72; Rd. 2 score: -2)
T10. RIPPER GC E (Leishman 69, Campbell 71, Jones 75; Rd. 2 score: -1)
T10. IRONHEADS GC E (Na 72, Lee 72, Vincent 74; Rd. 2 score: +2)
13. MAJESTICKS GC +4 (Stenson 71, Horsfield 71, Poulter 74; Rd. 2 score: E)