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Yes, Sergio Garcia and Josele Ballester were related before Ballester joined LIV Golf. Garcia was Ballester’s mentor before the latter recently joined the Fireballs GC. To confirm this, the LIV Golf League’s Instagram page shared a picture of the two Spaniards on Thursday, June 5.
The picture was a collage showing different timelines. The first photo was taken in 2011, when Ballester was a kid and Garcia was holding him. The second photo showed a grown-up Ballester in 2025 with his mentor Garcia. The picture was captioned:
“From mentee to teammate.”
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Not only did Sergio Garcia serve as a mentor to Josele Ballester, but the former's father, Victor Garcia, also coached Ballester for seven years.
Garcia and Ballester shared a few similarities in their roots as well. Both golfers came from the same region in Spain (Castellon) and came out victorious at the European Amateur. Garcia won the tournament in 1995, while Ballester lifted the same crown in 2023. Ballester also won the 2024 US Amateur. However, Garcia fell short in the semifinals and couldn't make it to the finals in the same event. Their next upcoming relationship would be as teammates at the Fireballs GC.
After Ballester won the US Amateur and joined the LIV team, he shared his excitement and said (via Marca):
“First of all, I want to thank my family, coaches, friends and Arizona State University for supporting me and trusting me to reach this moment in my career…I am very excited about the opportunity to join Fireballs GC and continue to learn from Sergio and other great players.”
Garcia also shared how happy he was to welcome Ballester to LIV Golf, saying:
“We are very excited about Josele joining the team…I have known him personally since he was a child and could hold a golf club. He has worked with my father, Victor, as his coach throughout his career. Josele will not only be a great addition to the Fireballs, but also to the entire LIV Golf League. I am very excited to accompany him in his professional debut.”
Sergio Garcia played a few LIV Golf events in 2025 and won one tournament.
How did Sergio Garcia perform in the 2025 LIV Golf events?
Sergio Garcia played seven LIV Golf events in 2025, including a T6 at the LIV Golf Riyadh with 13-under, a T18 at the LIV Golf Adelaide with 4-under, a victory at the LIV Golf Hong Kong, and a T32 at the LIV Golf Singapore. His performances also include LIV Golf Miami with a T3, LIV Golf Mexico City with a T50, and LIV Golf Korea with a T42 after scoring 4-under, 9-over, and 2-over, respectively.
2025 LIV Tournaments
- LIV Golf Riyadh at the Riyadh Golf Club: T6, 68-68-67, 203 (-13)
- LIV Golf Adelaide at the Grange Golf Club: T18, 71-74-67, 212 (-4)
- LIV Golf Hong Kong at the Hong Kong Golf Club: Winner, 65-64-63, 192 (-18)
- LIV Golf Singapore at the Sentosa Golf Club (Serapong Course): T32, 72-70-71, 213 (E)
- LIV Golf Miami at the Trump National Doral Golf Course: T3, 70-71-71, 212 (-4)
- LIV Golf Mexico City at the Club De Golf Chapultepec: T50, 74-74-74, 222 (+9)
- LIV Golf Korea at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea: T42, 77-72-69, 218 (+2)
Sergio Garcia also played at the PGA Tour events, including the Masters Tournament and the PGA Championship, where he missed the cut and finished at T67 after scoring 4-over and 7-over, respectively.
