Mover over Sergio as a golfer being labelled the new Sergio Garcia has taken just five months to capture his maiden pro career title with a resounding three shot success at the PIF Saudi International in Riyadh.
The 22-year old Josele Ballester muscled from one back at the start of the final round and post a 65 to win by at three shots at 22-under while American Careb Surratt, a former amateur opponent to Ballester was relegated into second place for a second year running.
Though there was no denying Ballester earning a cool $1 million dollar prize purse and heading into 2026 and a full pro season with the golf world at his feet.
MOVE OVER SERGIO, THERE’S A NEW CHAMP IN TOWN …
As fellow Josele Ballester @livgolf_league @fireballsgc_ a maiden pro title @asiantourgolf @SaudiIntlGolf
Five months after turns pro
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#TimeToRise/LIV
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— Fatiha (@TOURMISS) November 22, 2025
After turning professional in June this year at the Virginia LIV Golf Ballester contested the closing six events and not only impressing his Fireball GC captain Garcia but also many in the golf world with a seventh place finish and then a second in back-to-back LIV events in London and Chicago.
He finished his maiden LIV season with a creditable 36th place standing among his now 62 colleagues while also banking a cool $2,902,381 in prizemoney.
Ballester had missed the cut as an amateur in April’s Masters, an event where he found himself in hot water when caught peeing into Rae’s Creek while in his second event as a pro, he sat out the weekend rounds at the US Open.
He contested the DP World Tour’s BMW International Open in Munich in July and more-recently his own Espania Open while three weeks ago he teed-up in the Hong Kong Open ahead of venturing to Saudi Arabia.
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