Garcia wins Mallorca Classic
17/10/2004 - 16:47:25Sergio Garcia justified his position as pre-tournament favourite with victory in the Mallorca Classic today.
Ryder Cup hero Garcia carded a final round 67 at Pula Golf Club to finish 12 under par, four shots ahead of England’s Simon Khan, who closed with a 71.
Spain’s Carlos Rodiles was a shot further back in third.
Garcia turned down the chance to compete for the £1m (€1.4m) first prize on offer at the World Match Play at Wentworth to play on home turf, and collected a cheque for £115,000 (€116,300) instead.
Eleventh in the world rankings at the start of the week, 57 places ahead of his nearest challenger, Garcia was as short as 3/1 to claim his fifth European Tour title and first since the Spanish Open in 2002.
But the 24-year-old had to come from behind following a terrible start to the final round which saw him drop three shots off the pace in just two holes.
Bogeys at the first and second, while Khan birdied the opening hole, left Garcia in trouble but Khan dropped shots at the third and fourth and a first birdie of the day on the sixth got the Spaniard back on level terms.
Both players then birdied the seventh and bogeyed the eighth before Garcia took the lead for the first time with a birdie from eight feet on the ninth.
The key hole proved to be the 11th however, Khan going over the green to bogey while his playing partner holed from four feet for birdie and a decisive two-shot swing.
<-- BACK TO STORY