Garcia into Top 20 After Valderrama

Sergio Garcia claimed his second title in two weeks with a one-shot victory in the Andalucia Masters at Valderrama.

Last week the Spaniard won for the first time in almost three years at the Castello Masters on his home course by 11 shots.

This win was a lot closer, as he had to get up and down for a par at the last from thick greenside rough to beat Miguel Angel Jimenez by the narrowest of margins.

The victory will take Garcia back into the world's top 20 and earn him a place in next week's World Golf Championship event in Shanghai.

"I'm out of words," said Garcia, who was ranked 49th in the world a fortnight ago. "It's been two amazing weeks."

His latest success was followed by an admission that he feared he would never come back from a slump that saw him crash from world number two to outside the leading 75 - and quit the game for a while last season.

"Ask Luke Donald," Garcia told Sky Sports. "We had a very tough conversation in Madrid."

Now, with Donald top of the rankings, they are on course to resume their unbeaten Ryder Cup partnership in Chicago next September.

Special

"Ryder Cup years are always special," Garcia added, "so hopefully we can make that team."

Garcia, three times a runner-up on a course where no Spaniard had triumphed, was three ahead with three to play.

But Jimenez birdied the 16th and a marvellous five-wood over the lake gave the 47-year-old a 12-foot eagle chance on the next.

He had to settle for birdie, though, and when he left a 15-foot putt short of the final hole it meant three closing pars were good enough for Garcia.

Not that he found them easy. He was in trees and sand at the 16th, but holed from six feet, then was fortunate on the next when his second shot skipped out of a bunker.

"Don't plug," he shouted with the ball in the air, but after finding himself in the rough instead he made his five.

He took a three wood off the tee on the 18th and left himself 197 yards to the green, then came up short with his approach.

That left him a tricky chip but he flopped out to three feet and holed the putt, punching the air in celebration and relief.

Sergio Seeks Second Win after 67

Sergio Garcia's golfing revival continued as he surged into a two-shot lead after the third round of the Andalucia Masters at Valderrama.

Six days after his first victory for almost three years with an amazing 11-stroke margin on his home course in Castellon, the 31-year-old Spanish star moved from three behind to two ahead with a four-under-par 67.

Needing to win again to qualify for the upcoming HSBC world championship in China, Garcia is on the six-under-par mark of 207 with a round to go.

Compatriot Miguel Angel Jimenez (68) and Swede Christian Nilsson, who had a joint best-of-the-week 65 on Saturday, are tied for second at four-under.

Overnight leader Richie Ramsay is three back after closing with two bogeys for a 73 - and nobody else is below par following a day that saw defending champion Graeme McDowell card 81.

Drama

Garcia's round was not without its drama on a course where he has been a runner-up, but never won.

At the long 17th his second shot from a fairway bunker ran on to rocks just by the lake and he decided to play it.

Taking off his shoes and socks and rolling up his trouser legs, Garcia stepped into the water and went for the shot.

It finished in the rough right of the green and led to a bogey six - his second of the week there - but his approach to the 454-yard last finished less than two feet from the flag and set up his sixth birdie.

"It obviously was risky," he said of his third to the 17th, "but I liked my chances of getting up and down better from there than the drop zone.

"After I three-putted the fifth I came straight back with a birdie, so to have that bouncebackability is always nice.

"I don't want to get ahead of myself, Hopefully I can come out and have the same feelings and mentality and my best will be good enough."

Garcia in Valderrama Ramsay Chase

Scotland's Richie Ramsay maintained his two-shot stroke lead in the Andalucia Masters despite taking seven shots more than his opening 65.

The 28-year-old from Aberdeen slipped back to five-under-par after a two-birdie, three-bogey 72 at Valderrama.

Driving into the rough cost him a shot on the 454-yard 18th, but his closest pursuer, France's Gregory Havret, also bogeyed the last to reach halfway on three-under.

Ramsay told European Tour radio: "It was a really tough day and I hung in there. It just illustrates how good my six under round was.

"I hit so many fairways and so many greens, but couldn't get the ball to drop. But my ball-striking was good and I've got to take the positives out of it."

Ramsay bogeyed the third and sixth, the two short holes on the outward half, but birdied the eighth and 11th.

Havret had a seven on his card for the second day running. After double-bogeying the long fourth in his opening 68 he lost his drive at the 547-yard 11th.

Birdies at the next two repaired the damage and after his 71 he commented: "This course does not accept any errors. Every hole is a real challenge and you have to focus on every shot."

The big mover on the day was Sergio Garcia, winner of his home Castello Masters last Sunday, who is one shot further back after a second successive 70 on a layout where he has been a runner-up three times.

Aggressive

Garcia - who won for the first time in almost three years last week - needs to repeat the feat to qualify for next week's world championship in Shanghai.

"I could have been a little bit more aggressive with a couple of putts coming in, but my short game is pretty good right now," he said.

"It was difficult to hit fairways and to choose the right club. Thank God it's soft because, if not, this would be hell.

"But I've always enjoyed hard courses. Back-to-back wins would be a great thing, but I don't want to get ahead of myself.

"Valderrama can catch you any time - you can never think that you have this course under control. Even without wind it's asking you to hit all the shots in the bag. That's the beauty of if. A course doesn't need to be long to be tough."

England's Ross Fisher was second after an opening 67 but crashed to four over with a 79.

Garcia Returns to Winning Ways

Sergio Garcia ended his three-year wait for a tournament victory by winning the Castello Masters by 11 shots.

The 31-year-old had taken an eight-shot lead into the final day and dominated again with a superb round of 63 on the Club de Campo del Mediterraneo course where he was boys champion aged 12.

Garcia, who was the tournament promoter, finished with his ninth birdie of the day for a 27-under total.

It gave the Spaniard his ninth European Tour career victory.

His compatriot Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano finished second after a 64 - although his round was spoiled slightly by two bogeys at the 17th and 18th while Scotland's Richie Ramsay and Sweden's Alex Noren were a shot further back on 15 under.

Garcia's victory, his second in four years in the event, beat the previous biggest winning margin of the European Tour season by three shots.

None of his previous 18 wins as a professional had been by more than four strokes.

There have been only two bigger wins in European Tour history - Tiger Woods won the 2000 US Open by 15 and Ernie Els the 2005 Asian Open by 13 - while the only player to finish more under par was Els who was 29 under at the 2003 Johnnie Walker Classic.

However, Garcia's performance will not enter the official record books because placing on the fairways was allowed all week.

"That was for Seve," said Garcia after sending a kiss to the skies in tribute to friend Seve Ballesteros, who died earlier this year after a brain tumour.

"I would like to thank not only my family and friends, but also my sponsors, everyone that's around me, for supporting me through two tough years," he added.

"They have stuck with me and believed in me and I'm happy to be able to pay them back with this victory.

"At the beginning of the week there's always a little extra pressure because you want to do well in front of your home fans and on your home course.

"But I felt really good and it showed. Hopefully I can keep moving forward, but there are still some things I can improve on."

Overdue Home Win in Sight for Garcia

Sergio Garcia looks very bit certain to win in front of his home fans in Castellon tomorrow, almost three years after he went to world number two with his 18th professional victory.

Garcia takes a massive eight-shot lead into the final round of the Castello Masters.

On the Mediterraneo course where he was club champion at 12, the 31-year-old, who fell outside the game’s top 75 and lost his place in Europe’s Ryder Cup side last season, produced a third round 64 to reach 19-under-par.

Having shot 63 on Friday, they were the best back-to-back rounds of the Spaniard’s life.

Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee moved into second place with a 66, while third on 10 under is England’s Ross McGowan and joint fourth one further back are Scot Richie Ramsay, Englishman Anthony Wall and Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano.

The three Irish remaining are within two shots of each other, with Peter Lawrie leading the trio on five under after a 66. He's one ahead of Damien McGrane (70), while Michael Hoey is three under after a 69.

Garcia, two in front of Alex Noren at halfway, made a slow start, but so did the Swede.

Noren followed his playing partner’s bogey on the third by taking six at the long fourth — and then lost a ball en route to a double-bogey seven on the 549-yard eighth.

In contrast, Garcia ignited his round with a 15-foot putt for birdie at the seventh and made another for eagle on the next after a glorious three-wood approach.

What looked to be the crucial stretch, however, came in the middle of the back nine when he made four birdies in a row from the 13th. The icing on the cake was another at the last.

The performance has been coming for a while. After seeming to sort out his troublesome putting by switching to a claw grip, he was seventh in the US Open in June and then lost a five-hole play-off to compatriot Pablo Larrazabal at the BMW International Open in Munich.

With a ninth place finish in The Open and 12th at the USPGA Championship he climbed back into the world top 50 and the title tomorrow could see him just outside the top 30.

Garcia told Sky Sports: “It’s well set up, but it’s not over. Anybody can shoot a round like I did the last couple of days.

“I will have to be very focused. Everybody is going to to try to attack me and I have to realise that. There are still a couple of things I would like to improve, but it’s obviously getting better and I have more and more confidence.”

On playing at home he added: “It’s just a special feeling. The only other time I get this is in the UK when I play the Ryder Cup or the British Open. The energy of the crowd is just amazing.”

While it is a big day coming up for Garcia it is a huge one for McGowan. In the hunt for a Ryder Cup debut until wrist and shoulder injuries intervened last year, the Englishman is a lowly 163rd on this season’s money list. 

Smiling Sergio Enjoys BMW 64

Caddie Glen Murray with Garcia

At the US Open while the golfing world hailed the new arrival of the new kid, Sergio García finished seventh last Sunday, his best result since came second at the British Open in 2007 and the PGA Championship in 2008, where he lost on both occasions to Padraig Harrington. 

Since then El Niño has played in 10 majors and on two occasions failed to make the cut. 

At the Congressional Country Club, García was more consistent and carded rounds of 69, 71, 69 and 70, with a number of smiles thrown in during the four days to suggest he is enjoying being back in the game. 

Had the US Open not seen the precocious talent of Rory McIlroy tear the course apart, and a world class field, then Garcia might have been in the mix. 

"I felt better, calmer," said García. "On the final day I had problems with certain shots and I lacked a little confidence, but I played well and I should look ahead and keep improving. In general, I stood up well. When I played the qualification in Memphis I took it little by little, first trying to qualify and not looking too far ahead. I would have liked to have finished better here to get into the British Open. I still have next week. But if I continue on this path, I should be back in the top 50 before too long and that will fix a lot of things." 

García's seventh place gives him direct access into the Augusta Masters and the next US Open, as well as driving him up the ranking, a boon to his confidence ahead of the British Open, for which he must still qualify. 

On Saturday Garcia took another big step on the comeback trail with a 64 in Munich - and now hopes to rescue a place in next month's Open Championship at Sandwich. 

Six strokes behind at the halfway stage of the BMW International Open, Garcia charged all the way into the lead with a nine-birdie display. 

A top four finish could give Garcia - seventh in last week's US Open Championship - one of two Open Championship places up for grabs from a mini-money list that has been running on The European Tour for the past month. 

"I knew for British Open purposes I needed to do something special," said the Spanish star, who a month ago pulled out of a qualifying event in America after five holes because of an infected fingernail. 

"I don't expect to be in the lead going into tomorrow, but at least I have a chance. 

"Last week was good - it was nice to be up there in a Major again. 

"I didn't have a chance to win because Rory (McIlroy) was playing out of his mind, but it feels like the game is coming along and I think my putting is definitely improving." 

Garcia, who made it into the US Open only through a qualifying play-off, has not missed a Major since the 1999 Open Championship at Carnoustie. 

He was second in the Official World Golf Ranking behind Tiger Woods two years ago, but then fell outside the top 80 and even took time out late last season to try to rediscover his love for the game. 

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