Sergio Garcia continued his march towards a sixth European Tour victory on home soil after the local hero moved into the outright lead heading into the final day of the Andalucia Valderrama Masters hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation.

The reigning Masters Champion’s most recent home victory came the last time this tournament was played, in 2011 – also at Valderrama – and he moved one step closer to a third title of the season courtesy of a three under 68 to move to an eight under par total.

The 37 year old tournament host, who was this week awarded with Honorary Life Membership of the European Tour as well as of Real Club Valderrama, was followed by throngs of Spanish fans at the sun-kissed venue and he did not disappoint, starting strongly with birdies at the second and third.

While back to back bogeys pegged him back at the fifth and sixth, Garcia birdied the eighth to reach the turn in one under before further gains at the 11th and 14th, along with a bogey at the 15th, kept him in a share of the lead.

The 13-time European Tour winner had the crowd in raptures, however, on the par five 17th as a two-putt birdie earned him a one-stroke overnight advantage over Englishman Daniel Brooks, who significantly boosted his hopes of retaining his European Tour card for 2018 with a stunning seven under 64 to sit in second place outright.

Sergio García 68(-3) Total -8

“I think it was pretty solid. Got off to a great start with two, almost three, birdies in a row. Then I unfortunately I missed a couple of shots and made a couple of bogeys, but I stayed patient and made a good birdie on 8 and almost a great birdie on 9. On the back nine a couple of good saves and then a couple of nice birdies to finish with.

“I’m pleased with my patience; even on the tough moments I’m staying patient and waiting for my things to happen, and that’s what I want to keep doing.

“I’ll go out there tomorrow and try to post another under par round and see what happens. Brooks today shot 7 under, so good rounds are possible, but they have to be spot on. We know what Valderrama has in hand. I guess the way it’s playing you could go low, but everything has to go your way; you have to be spot on, and the couple of shots you miss you have to get lucky and have guts or have really good lies in the rough – it’s not easy.

“Five wins in Spain would be a great achievement, but it’s still a long day ahead tomorrow and I can’t get too much ahead of myself. I’m excited to be up there, that’s where I want to be and I’ll try to do my best tomorrow.

“To see so many people follow was amazing. You have to give it up to the Spanish people to come out here and support and cheer us on.”

Daniel Brooks: “It’s possibly the best round of my life. There’s a lot of birdies out there and I played some really nice golf. It’s been quite similar all week, but I had a few silly bogeys. Today I managed to keep them off the card and ended up with a minus 7.

“I got to a quick start as I’ve been doing all week, but today I just kept it very steady. I hit a lot of good shots; it’s been like inside like six feet, eight feet all day. I’ve been hitting it a good distance off the tee, giving me a lot of wedge chances and my distance control has been really good, so hopefully I can go on like that.

“On this course you need to play aggressive to get into good positions off the tee, and then it’s a lot easier to attack. I f you play quite conservative it does becomes trickier and longer. This week I’ve been playing quite aggressive, I’ve been attacking pins, I’ve been playing nice golf.

“Around here, the moment you start hitting a few trees your head starts to go all over the place. Today was a lot calmer for me and I kept it in play.  If I shoot anything under par tomorrow I will be quite happy.

“Coming here I knew that I needed a good week and I sort of accepted that I would probably have to go back to Q-School, so it’s a big bonus if I have a great day tomorrow.” 

Fotos cedidas por Real Club Valderrama

Joost Luiten carded the first ever albatross in tournament play on Real Club Valderrama’s 11th hole to move into the halfway lead at the Andalucia Valderrama Masters hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation.

The Dutchman’s incredible feat - the fifth albatross on the European Tour this year and just the third in tournament play at this venue - was almost made even more remarkable when he came to within inches of finding the cup for a hole-in-one on the following hole.

In the end, Luiten signed for a one under par 70 to move to a six under total, moving a shot clear of Scott Jamieson, Robert Rock and the tournament host Garcia.

The Masters Champion shared the first round lead with Luiten but could not follow up his opening 66 with an under par second round, carding a level par 71 to give the home crowds plenty to shout about at the weekend.

Scotsman Jamieson had three birdies in the space of four holes on the front nine to thank for his impressive three under 68 in breezy conditions on the notoriously challenging course, while Rock boosted his hopes of a third European Tour title with a one under 70.

Joost Luiten

“On 11 I had a good drive at 209 meters to the flag, sitting up nicely on the semi rough. Wind was helping a bit, perfect number for a 4 iron. I hit it good and it pitched a couple of yards on the green and then released, and I heard the crowd go crazy. I couldn’t see it from down there, but we knew it was in. An albatross is always special, and I am pleased to have the first albatross on that hole.

When you are hot you want to keep it going, so I hit a 5 iron straight at the pin on the next hole, and it pitched like 3 feet short and I rolled that in for a birdie, so two twos. That’s what you want; when you are in the zone like that you want to go at flags.

I saved a couple of good pars at 13 and 14; unfortunately I missed on 15 and was a bit unlucky on 17 with the drive ending in a plugged lie in the bunker, but I got lucky today a couple of times so you when you get unlucky you can accept it easier, I guess.

That’s Valderrama, you can make birdies but you can make bogeys just as easy.

I like this place, I’ve been second here, so hopefully we can have a good weekend and we can win and open the champagne Sunday night. But there’s still a lot of golf to be played.

I think the course will play a bit shorter off the tee but a bit harder to keep it on the fairways. It’s still fairly soft, so you can be aggressive into the pins, but you must keep it on the fairway. I think 10 under would be a good number”.

Sergio García

“I think I could have shot 2 or 3 under, but it was tough out there this afternoon; a little breezy, the fairways were firming up, some of the pins were difficult to get to. Because of all the rain the greens in the afternoon got a bit bumpy and I struggled with the speed on some of the putts. At the end of the day, even par is not a bad round here with a bit wind, and we are still there. Two up-and-downs on 17 and 18 to finish with a better feeling, and hopefully we can keep going in that direction tomorrow.

“I could have seen someone finishing 7 or 8 under today, but Valderrama is Valderrama, there’s always some breeze, the greens are very small, the pins are tucked in, and even though the greens are soft, you still have to hit a lot of good shots, and if you don’t, you have a fight. It happened to both Andrew and Shane on the last; they both played beautifully all day and finished with doubles. It is tricky, and that’s why we love this course.

The winning score is difficult to say. I think the course is going to get firmer and tougher as the week goes on; anything between where we are and 8 or 9 under could have a chance, but it depends very much on the weather conditions. 

As for my wrist, I felt a couple of pinches on 13 and 14, so I will ice it and put the anti-inflammation pads, but unfortunately, I guess that it gets worse just by playing”.

Jon Rahm

"It hurts. It was such a special week I wanted to play well, and it’s a shame that one of my three bad weeks this year had to be this one.

I believe the problem has been mainly mental – too much pressure on myself, too big expectations.  I was playing well coming into this week and I was very much looking forward to playing for the Spanish public. I tried too hard on every shot and didn’t allow my swing to flow. Once I got to +3 or +4 I kind of relaxed and started hitting good shots both days.

I put too much responsibility on myself to give a good show instead of playing within myself; but the public has been great to me and I felt their support all along the way.

Such is golf, and it will be over in half an hour. It’s neither the first nor the last missed cut in my career. You can’t play well every time, an this kind of experience is part of the learning curve. Next week is also important and hopefully I will play well. This is not my last visit to Valderrama, and I will be more experienced next time for sure

Valderrama has not been tougher for me than for the rest. The only thing I can say is that I belive the European Tour's decision of no preferred lies on Friday was unfair, because having had preferred lies on Thursday, the course was still wet for the morning groups. I actually got two mud clots on 7 and 17 that affected my shots badly. But those were only two shots, the rest were my own doing.

I don't think the pins were trickier today – all Valderrama pins are difficult."

Fotos cedidas por Real Club Valderrama

 Sergio Garcia got off to the perfect start as the tournament host of his home European Tour event as the Spaniard moved into a share of the first round lead at the Andalucia Valderrama Masters hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation.

The 37 year old is making his first appearance in his native land since claiming his maiden Major Championship title at the Masters Tournament in April and he delighted the home crowds upon his return with a five under par 66.

That marked his best ever start on a Real Club Valderrama course upon which he has already enjoyed one victory and three runner-up finishes, and he was joined at the top by Joost Luiten of the Netherlands, who carded five birdies on the front nine – his back nine – en route to a 66.

Another local favourite, Pablo Larrazábal, backed up Garcia's home charge as he signed for a four under 67 to share second place with Englishman Robert Rock, while Andrew Johnston – who won on this course last year – was two shots further back in a share of sixth.

World Number Five Jon Rahm, meanwhile, got off to a disappointing start in his first professional appearance on home soil as he struggled to a three over par 74.

Sergio García

“Unfortunately, it’s very wet after the rain, but the course is holding well. Towards the end of the round the ball wasn’t even picking up mud on many spots on the fairway. It’s the kind of course that only needs a little bit of sun and it dries quickly. Obviously it was gettable because it was soft, but you still have to hit good shots. I was able to do that most of the day. Except the drive on 8, I was pretty much spot on, hit some good putts here and there – overall I’m very happy.”

“It’s not the first time that Valderrama plays soft, but I wouldn’t say that it was at its easiest because we had some breeze, and you still need to put the ball in the right place. It was not easy to two putt if you hit the wrong side of the green.”

“Today I made some putts and missed others. We had some tricky pin positions. We could barely touch some of the putts and it’s hard to hold the line even with a slight breeze. I normally drive well and I enjoy driving here because the fairways open up bit more than with an iron or a wood. Using the driver has always been my strategy at Valderrama and I see no reason to change. My game today has been a blend of good ball striking, some nice chips and good putting”.

“I don’t remember birdieing all the par threes – four twos. I may have done it with an eagle on a par four, but I don’t think I have ever made four twos on the par threes.”  

“It was great having so much support. If we don’t get support in Spain, I don’t know where we are supposed to get it (laughs). So many people came round early in the morning with a lot of kids and it was great.”

Pablo Larrazábal

“I had a horrible start with two wild drives. I bogeyed the first, but I managed to save par on the second with a great 3-wood between the trees, and there I started believing in myself. I played solid from there giving myself options and waiting for my chances. The first birdie was on 9 and then two more in a row gave me the momentum I needed. I kept being patient and two more came: a lucky flyer on 16 that finished close and a great shot on 17.

I feel comfortable at Valderrama. I much prefer to play on a difficult course where shooting around par is good. I don`t like to tee it up thinking that I need a round of six or seven under to be up there. Here four rounds just under par will put you in contention on Sunday. The other factor is the greens. I love fast greens, and these greens together with Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the French Open are probably the best on tour.

It is a real luxury for us to play on a course like this. Not many courses on the European Tour are set up to this standard and we do appreciate it.

My game is in good shape, but the results have not been coming lately. Only two cuts in the last ten starts is a bad performance, but I am working well and doing the right things for a long time, so the results will come sooner or later”.

Jon Rahm

“It’s been a pretty bad day to say the least. I don’t really know what happened between 2 and 8 – nothing good besides the birdie on 6. Holing the putt on 12 has settled things a bit but I never got into it. It’s a shame that this had to happen on my first appearance in Spain, but at least the worst round of the week is over. Better today than on Sunday.”

“Such is golf, and there’s not much more to say. I don’t know if I am doing the right things mentally, probably not, because this wouldn’t have happened. My swing is ok because I hit some good shots.  Maybe wrong decisions, bad luck, a couple bad putts and a bit of everything that made me slip into a chain of bogeys.”

“It’s very easy to get uncomfortable in Valderrama if you have never played it before. After I let the tension go I started hitting good shots, but even those were not good enough. I think I need more experience of this course. It’s a bit like Augusta, very few players win here the first time – but this is not over! (laughs).”

“I couldn’t perform as I would have liked in front of the public, only a few good shots on the last holes, but that helps. It’s hard when everybody cheers you and you cannot give them a good show, but I am grateful for their support and it did help. Today could have been much worse without their encouragement.”

Fotos cedidas por Real Club Valderrama

Sergio Garcia will play in front of his home crowds for the first time as the Masters Champion when the returning hero plays a special role at the Andalucia Valderrama Masters hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation.

The 13-time European Tour winner and his charitable foundation host this week’s event at Real Club Valderrama and, with World Number Five Jon Rahm making his first appearance on home soil as a professional, the Spanish crowds are expected to flock to watch the local superstars in action.

Garcia has an incredible record at the famous venue - which 20 years ago provided the backdrop for a memorable European victory in The Ryder Cup - boasting one win, three runner up finishes and seven further top tens.

The 37 year old cannot get wait to get started on the course he described as his all-time favourite as he aims to rekindle the form which has earned him two European Tour titles this season, his victory at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in February preceding his Masters triumph in April.

Andrew Johnston, meanwhile, returns to the course upon which he won his maiden European Tour title last year, while multiple Major winners Padraig Harrington, Martin Kaymer and José María Olazábal, as well as the 2016 Masters winner Danny Willett, are also in the field.

Sergio Garcia

“I’m very proud this week. To have a tournament hosted by your foundation is something amazing but to have it at Valderrama is spectacular. We’re really happy, really proud of it and hopefully it will be a great tournament which everybody will enjoy.

“This is my favourite golf course ever and it’s the kind of golf course that even though it’s not long, it challenges you. It’s tight and it’s always asking you to hit good shots, all kinds of shots. They are small greens so your iron play has to be spot on and if you miss the greens it’s tricky. It’s just a great, solid golf course.

“I’m sure the support will be great this week. Obviously I played in Munich earlier this year and it was the first time I played in Europe since the Masters and I got an amazing reception, so I’m sure this week will be no different.

“The pressure is still the same this week as any week, trying to do well and yes maybe trying to perform in front of my home crowds. It’s as simple as that.”

Jon Rahm 

“It’s certainly a different feel this week. I haven’t been able to see any crowds yet because it’s been closed to the public. There have been some pictures floating around on social media and obviously I’ve been waiting for this moment for ten years. The photo is of me waiting for some autographs right here in Valderrama and it was Henrik Stenson who signed my shirt. 

“It’s funny how I’ve come from that ten years ago to now being able to compete alongside him and accomplish the things I’ve accomplished so it’s quite a special feeling to be back. 

“This tournament is huge for Spanish golf. We all know that Spain needs a tournament and golf is a big sport in Spain, it deserves a lot better in golf. It’s the last tournament of the regular season for the European Tour and it’s hard to get support. 

“Hopefully with Sergio’s support and my support we can get Spain back on the map in golf like it used to be, like it used to have seven European Tour events. Hopefully we can help out and boost Spanish golf in a forward direction. 

“This venue is very important for Spanish golf. In the past it did a great job putting Spanish golf on the map, they made it an iconic golf course. Then the Ryder Cup came along and made a huge impact in Spain, that’s the reason why I’m playing golf." 

Photo by Real Club Valderrama