BANGKOK - The champagne began to flow even before Fireballs captain Sergio Garcia had finished his speech on the podium, as celebrations for the man of the hour - teammate and rookie Eugenio Chacarra - began in earnest on Sunday.
And what a year it has been for the 22-year-old.
Six months ago, Chacarra was ready to return to Oklahoma State University for his senior year. A call from LIV Golf changed his life and on Sunday, he earned his biggest pay day after winning the individual and team title at the LIV Golf Invitational Bangkok.
The Spaniard, once No. 2 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, earned a cool US$4.75 million (S$6.8 million) after a final round three-under 69, posting a 19-under 197 total to win by three strokes. He also claimed the team title with Garcia, Abraham Ancer and Carlos Ortiz.
American Patrick Reed (67) was second on 200 with England's Paul Casey (65) a further stroke back in third. Fan favourite Phil Mickelson (69, 207) was 17th while British Open champion and world No. 3 Cameron Smith (70, 212) was 42nd.
When asked by The Straits Times to describe his journey from college student to millionaire golfer, Chacarra said: "It's great. What LIV Golf is doing for golf and for everyone is something that I couldn't regret and I couldn't be more proud to be here.
"I'm learning a lot. I'm playing with the best players in the world, and that's what I've wanted to do since I was little and I'm learning from each of them, in particular these guys (Fireballs teammates) by my side.
"They're trying to help me as much as I can and I'm always there learning, and it's been a dream, and I can't be more excited for the next years to come."
He co-led on Friday after an opening 65 and then took charge after Saturday's 63. But there were nerves aplenty as he took to the first tee on Sunday.
Despite two bogeys, a lengthy rain delay and a chasing pack that included 2018 Masters champion Reed, Chacarra held on at the Stonehill golf course.
With his family and best friend in tow, he started with a birdie on the par four first hole but stumbled after back-to-back bogeys on the fourth and fifth hole, finding water on the latter.
Reed, in the flight ahead, closed the gap to one stroke with a birdie before Chacarra responded with his own birdie on hole No. 6. He added another three birdies on the back nine to seal the win.
Undeterred by the earlier monsoon rains, the large crowd around the 18th green were ready with their phones to capture Chacarra's winning moment, as he sunk a short par putt before pumping his arms in the air to cheers and whistles.
He said: "Yeah, that birdie on six was big, but I knew it was going to be hard today. It was going to be a long day. There's such good players coming from behind and they want to win as much as I do.
"I just stayed patient, and I feel like the rain and the cold out on 15th helped me a lot. I needed some time off. I was kind of pretty nervous, and being with my family, my coach and my best friend kind of helped me relax… and when I was on 15, I think that's the best chip I ever had in my life. I couldn't be any more proud."
The win takes his earnings on the LIV Golf series to US$5.643 million - he had pocketed US$893,000 in the previous four LIV events.
He added: "I don't think there's a lot of secrets. Just trusting yourself and working hard every day. That's what they teach me when I was young and what these guys tell me you need to do, and trusting your team, having a good team, and just work and work."
Calling it an "amazing week" for the Fireballs, Chacarra's childhood idol Garcia said: "Super proud of every single one of my teammates… we gelled great. Eugenio played amazing, and both Abraham and Carlos also played solid."
The Spaniard noted that LIV Golf's contracts for rookies like Chacarra have given them a safety net "to be able to play a little bit more freely" without having to worry about financial costs.
He added: "LIV Golf has given us that chance, and super proud that we have one of them in our team and already a winner. It's amazing."
