This Sunday could be a very special sports day in Spain.
The country’s beloved national football team plays England in the Euro 2024 finals. If Spain wins the match in Germany, it will become the first nation to win four Euro titles.
Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz hopes to be playing again in the men’s finals at Wimbledon, provided he advances through his semifinal match Friday against Daniil Medvedev. If the third-seeded Alcaraz successfully defends his title, he will become the first Spanish player to claim consecutive Wimbledon championships.
And on home soil at the country’s most famous golf course, LIV Golf’s two Spanish-born major-winning captains will lead their teams at LIV Golf Andalucía. If Fireballs GC’s Sergio Garcia or Legion XIII’s Jon Rahm wins the individual title at Valderrama, it would be their first as a LIV Golf member.
“That’s a lot of ifs,” Garcia said Thursday when asked about the potential for a Super Sunday in Spain. “Let’s go slowly. Slowly. Slowly.”
Even so, the possibilities are tantalizing. Rahm’s dad Edorta mentioned the triple-sport triple-crown scenario earlier this week to his son, and that got Rahm to chatting about it, too.
“I told a few friends that if I was to win, Alcaraz was to win and Spain was to win this Sunday, we would be on all channels across the world,” Rahm said.
Of course, Rahm and Garcia have only the golf portion within their control.
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Garcia already has experienced success at Valderrama, having won the Andalucía Masters three consecutive times in 2011, 2017 and 2018 (the event was not played between 2012-16). Last year when LIV Golf made its first appearance here, he tied for 10th.
The 44-year-old, an original LIV Golf member, has captained the Fireballs to three team tournament titles but has yet to win an individual trophy. He’s come close, though, having been involved in three playoffs, including twice this season – against Joaquin Niemann in the season opener at Mayakoba (losing on the fourth playoff hole in near-darkness), and then Dean Burmester in Miami (on the second playoff hole).
Those near-misses are an indication that Garcia is playing well. Yet not being able to get across the finish line has obviously been disappointing. Perhaps the stars will align this week at a club in which he’s a member.
“It would be amazing. It would be a dream come true for sure,” Garcia said when asked what it mean to win his first LIV Golf title at Valderrama. “But I know how difficult it is. We know the quality of the field that we have. It’s never going to be a given.
“But that’s the goal, to play well, play consistent, give myself a chance, help my teammates as much as possible, and see if we can get a double. Obviously, that would be the dream week. It’s just a matter of going out there and doing your best. That’s all you can ask yourself for.”
While Garcia is making his 32nd LIV Golf start this week, Rahm is making his ninth after joining the league during the offseason to captain its first expansion team.
Team success came immediately, at Mayakoba in Legion’s debut, followed by two more wins since then, including at the most recent LIV Golf tournament in Nashville. That was also the first time this season that any individual winner was also a member of the winning team – yet it wasn’t Rahm completing the double but his teammate Tyrrell Hatton.
The 29-year-old Rahm has essentially done everything but win in his first LIV Golf season. He ranks second in points to two-time winner Niemann. He’s finished top 10 in every tournament he’s completed (he had to withdraw in Houston due to a foot infection). And he leads the league in strokes gained total average, as well as total birdies made.
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But the lack of an individual victory has left some people restless, with members of the Spanish media this week wondering about the state of his game.
Asked to give himself a grade from 1 to 10, Rahm replied: “Hard to say. There’s been weeks where I feel like I scored a lot better than I felt, and there’s been a couple weeks where it could have been better. Haven’t won yet so that would deduct quite a bit from it.
“I would say maybe 6 to a 7 out of 10 if I had to say. But the year is not over. Still, a lot to play for. It would not be unheard of to see a player finish strong and change that to maybe a 9 out of 10. So far just because I haven’t won, I can’t give it more than a 7.”
In 2023, Rahm won his first two worldwide starts, won again in his fifth start and parlayed that momentum into a Masters victory in April. But he did not win again in his remaining 13 starts.
After joining LIV Golf in December, he’s obviously had to make some adjustments to his schedule, with his competitive mindset (less room for mistakes in 54-hole tournaments) and with being team captain and all the responsibilities that come with it. While his consistency should be applauded, the lack of hardware through the first six months of 2024 provides a sharp contrast to last year.
“It’s clear that there have been changes this year, but there is a point when you have to get used to certain things or to face other things,” Rahm said. “But I am very comfortable with where I am and so keen to keep competing because I know that in a matter of one moment, in one swing, or one day that changes it all and you may start a streak of good weeks.”
Rahm, in fact, was feeling very good about his game in the days leading up to LIV Golf Houston, but the foot infection obviously curtailed him and kept him out of last month’s U.S. Open. He bounced back the following week with a tie for third in Nashville, albeit seven strokes behind Hatton.
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Just like Garcia, Rahm would love for this week to have a storybook finish. He’s made three previous starts at Valderrama, with two missed cuts sandwiching a tie for second in 2019.
“Every time I come here, I arrive to that first tee and see how beautiful it is and feel the essence of Valderrama, it makes me emotional every time,” Rahm said. “This is why I feel ashamed that I haven’t been able to play better, and I think this is why I come with this childish enthusiasm, wanting to play well, because I come back feeling rejuvenated to be able to play better.”
Rahm, Garcia and their respective teams hope to make noise on Sunday. But first, they’ll need to put themselves in contention during the first two rounds on Friday and Saturday … and then hope Spain’s dream scenario plays out.
Main image: LIV Golf
