Marbella, Spain - Sergio Garcia outlasted the field at the 2024 LIV Golf Andalucia event to claim his first individual title on the lucrative Saudi-backed league. The Spaniard earned a playoff victory over India's Anirban Lahiri to take home the $4 million first place prize.

Garcia and Lahiri both finished the tournament at 5-under par, forcing a playoff on the par-5 18th hole. On the first playoff hole, both golfers made par at the hole. They returned to the 18th for a second playoff hole, where Garcia was able to sink a birdie putt to clinch the win.

¡Hoy, en mi opinión, es uno de los mejores días en la historia del deporte español! Siempre orgulloso de ser español, pero en un día en el que @carlosalcaraz gana en Wimbledon, luego mi equipo y yo en un playoff doble, equipo e individual, en golf en Andalucía, y de postre con la… pic.twitter.com/Oo9LCdVTga

— Sergio Garcia (@TheSergioGarcia) July 15, 2024

" I’m very lucky, I feel it every time wherever I go, but obviously on my home turf and here at Valderrama where I’ve done so well, I always feel it,” said Garcia after his playoff victory. “That’s one of the main reasons why I love playing here. Not only the difficulty and the beauty of the course but the support that we get here, it’s amazing.”

Tyrrell Hatton finished alone in third place at 4-under overall, taking home a $1.5 million prize. Americans Patrick Reed and Louis Oosthuizen shared fourth place at 3-under and each earned $900,000.

Cameron Smith, Joaquin Niemann, and Danny Lee all tied for sixth place at 2-under, winning $608,334 apiece. Bryson DeChambeau finished alone in ninth place at 1-under to pocket $442,500.

On the team side, Garcia's Fireballs GC squad held off Bryson DeChambeau's Crushers GC in the playoff to claim the $3 million first place team prize. It was a successful week overall for the new LIV Golf league, which doled out over $20 million in total purse and prize money across individual and team competitions.

With his playoff victory, the 44-year-old Garcia moves to the top of the LIV Golf individual points standings after three events in the inaugural season. After several near-misses, Garcia will savour this LIV Golf title - and massive payday - as validation of his decision to move to the controversial new series. And having captured individual and team glory on home soil, it represents the perfect start to his career on LIV Golf's list of champions.

Read more: Keegan Bradley takes open approach to LIV Golf for Ryder Cup

How did the Fireballs GC manage to outperform Crushers GC in the team competition

Playoff Performance

Sergio Garcia and his Fireballs GC teammates pulled off an incredible double victory at the LIV Golf Andalucia event. They took home both the individual and team titles in dramatic playoff fashion over Bryson DeChambeau's Crushers GC.

A few important factors allowed Fireballs to come out on top. In the team playoff, Abraham Ancer and David Puig from Fireballs defeated Crushers' DeChambeau and Paul Casey with an even par score compared to Crushers' 1-over.

Final Round Scoring

On the final day, Fireballs shot their best round as a team at -2, while Crushers struggled to a +2. Garcia himself turned in an awesome 5-under 66 to rally from 7 shots back and force extras.

Home Course Advantage

As the event was held at Garcia's home course of Valderrama, where he has experienced tons of success and fan support in the past, that edge seemed to give him and the Spanish Fireballs a boost.

Team Depth

Fireballs also benefited from contributions from three countrymen (Garcia, Ancer, and Chacarra) familiar with the local layout, unlike Crushers' reliance on just two dudes (DeChambeau and Casey).

Thanks to their clutch playoff putts, blistering final scores, home cooking, and balanced roster, Fireballs made history by snagging LIV Golf's first ever team-individual double crown over Crushers in a storybook finish.

Individual Payouts

Team Payouts

1. Fireballs GC: $3,000,000
2. Crushers GC: $1,500,000
3. Stinger GC: $500,000

References: https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2024/07/14/2024-liv-golf-andalucia-prize-money-payouts-every-player-team/