We’ve all been there, lining up the perfect tee shot, practice swing looking good, visualising the ball landing in the middle of the fairway…only to see the ball veer off into the water or the bushes or roll two feet away from the tee.It's a feeling pro-golfer Sergio Garcia can now share with the rest of us amateurs.The Spanish golfer hit one of the worst shots you will ever see on the pro-circuit and then appeared to blame his grip.Garcia, who is widely regarded as one of the best golfers around, let go of his club on his follow-through and watched dumbstruck as the ball bounced off into the water.Garcia’s mishit came on the 13th tee of the Austin Country Club during his WGC-Dell Match Play game against compatriot Jon Rahm.The 22-year-old subsequently hammered Garcia 6&4, reaching the Round of 16 at WGC-Match Play.Rahm won his first tournament in January 2017 by winning the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. The 22-year-old sunk an impressive 60-foot putt from the back fringe of the par 5 18th hole to win the Open by three shots, with a score of 5-under.During an interview with ESPN, 22-year-old Rahm said: "Once I made that birdie [on No. 3], I got a lot of confidence on my swing and played really, really good golf from then on, Honestly, almost perfect."On playing his idol Sergio Garcia, who the younger Spaniard has watched play golf for years, Rahm said: "I've been following his career forever, he's a great role model of mine. And it was a really emotional win for me, just because he's been such a great idol and role model for me to follow."So, with this victory over Garcia, can John Rahm now be talked about in the same way people talk about Seve Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal, and Sergio Garcia?Honestly, no, at least not yet.You can watch Garcia's woeful tee shot in the tweet below.
The Spanish Greats
Ballesteros raked up 9 PGA Tour wins, 50 European Tours, and 6 Japan Golf Tours; Olazabal managed 6 PGA Tours, 23 European Tours, and 2 Japan Golf Tours.
Whilst Garcia has achieved 9 PGA wins, 12 European Tours, and 5 Asian Tour victories.
Jon Rahm, prodigy he may be, has won the Farmers Insurance Open and may win the WGC-Match Play, so it is clear he's got a long way to go until he reaches the dizzying heights of his compatriots.