Five reasons why Garcia’s Fireballs GC are en fuego

MIAMI – Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs GC enter this week’s LIV Golf Miami on a three-tournament win streak – the longest for either a team or an individual player since LIV Golf went to a full 14-tournament schedule starting in 2023.

It’s an impressive stretch for the league’s third youngest team, which added 22-year-old Luis Masaveu to the roster this season to go with 23-year-old returnee David Puig, who continues to make big strides with every start.

Throw in the veteran leadership of the 45-year-old Garcia, who already has an individual win this season in Hong Kong, and the steady presence of 34-year-old Abraham Ancer, and the Fireballs look to have a terrific balance of experience and youthful exuberance.

A look inside some of the numbers helps explain why the Fireballs have been so dominant in the first part of the 2025 season.

1. THIRD-ROUND SURGES

It’s no wonder that all three of the Fireballs’ wins have come via the final-round rally. No team has performed better in the final round this season – the Fireballs are a cumulative 51 under, 10 shots better than the next team on the list.

In Adelaide, the Fireballs were one shot off the team leaderboard to start the final round but shot a 12 under in the final round, best of any team. Puig and Garcia each shot 5-under 67s – two of the five lowest rounds in the entire field that day.

In Hong Kong, the Fireballs entered Sunday three shots off the lead but posted a final-round 15 under, third-best by any team that day, to win by one stroke. Individual winner Garcia led the way with a 63.

In Singapore, they were eight shots behind, then shot a 10-under team total that tied for the best team score of the day. Puig again led the way with a team-best 66.

Puig, in fact, has been the league’s most impressive player in the final round this season, shooting 65, 67, 67 and 66 in the final rounds of the first four events. Overall, he’s 40 under this season – including 20 under in the final round.

Said Garcia of the 23-year-old Puig: “Obviously, he’s a great player, and he’s becoming an even greater player. It’s nice to see him develop and grow up and find his game.”

2. LEADING THE WAY

In eight of the nine LIV Golf rounds during the winning streak, at least one Fireballs player has been inside the top 5 of the individual leaderboard. Furthermore, each of the four players has spent at least one round inside the top 5 during that stretch. No other team can make that claim this year.

In Adelaide, Ancer was inside the top 5 after each round and eventually finished T2, while Puig finished solo fourth.

In Hong Kong, Garcia was in the top 5 after each round while Masaveu shared second after the opening round.

In Singapore, Ancer was T3 after the opening round and Puig finished solo fourth.

The Fireballs’ daily presence at or near the top of the individual leaderboard is a reflection of their strength and depth.

3. TOP 18 FACTOR

In previous seasons in which three scores counted for each of the first two rounds, a team could succeed on the strength of two strong players. Witness Legion XIII last season, with Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton leading the team to four wins during their maiden season.

But with all scores now counting, the paradigm seems to have shifted. Teams will likely need at least three strong performances to have any shot at winning.

Legion XIII won the season-opener in Riyadh, with all four of their players finishing inside the top 15.

The Fireballs then followed with three players finishing inside the top 18 in each win:

• Adelaide (Ancer T2, Puig 4, Garcia T18)
• Hong Kong (Garcia 1, Ancer T12, Puig T18)
• Singapore (Puig 4, Ancer T10, Masaveu T14)

In those last three events, no other team has had three players inside the top 18.

4. AVOIDING THE BAD SCORES

Having multiple strong performances each week is one thing, but avoiding the crippling bad score is arguably just as important.

Of the Fireballs’ 36 individual rounds during the winning streak, just six were over par – and none were worse than 3 over in a single round. The team’s worst individual score in Adelaide was 2 over; in Hong Kong, it was 3 over; and in Singapore, it was Garcia’s 1 over 71 in his opening round when he was hampered by an illness.

As a team, the Fireballs are 80 under during the three-tournament streak, 13 strokes better than the next closest team, Legion XIII.

Masaveu, the team’s newest acquisition, has three of those over-par rounds but seems to be finding his footing. He made a clutch birdie on his final hole in Hong Kong that allowed the Fireballs to avoid a team playoff, and in Singapore, he came up big with Garcia ill, shooting three rounds under par, including a final-round 68.

“I’m really happy with what I’m improving,” said Masaveu, “and I’m feeling much more comfortable on the course.”

5. PAR 4 SUCCESS

The Fireballs lead the league in par-4 scoring as a team this season, 50 under through the first four events. Legion XIII is next at 41 under, and the Stinger GC is third at 30 under.

In their most recent win in Singapore, the Fireballs were the only team under par on the par 4s at a collective 7 under, which contributed to their final-round rally.

“We needed to just play our game,” Ancer said afterward. “I feel like we have really good ball-strikers on this team.”

In the win in Hong Kong, the Fireballs also led all teams in par 4 scoring at 20 under.

In Adelaide, the Fireballs were tied for second in par 4 scoring at 4 under, six shots behind Legion XIII. But they made up ground on the par 3s that week, leading all teams at 3 under. Meanwhile, Legion XIII was 12 over on the par 3s.

Individually, Puig is tied with LIV Golf points leader Joaquin Niemann in par 4 scoring at 21 under, while Garcia is tied for fifth in that category (15 under) and Ancer tied for eighth (11 under). Even Masaveu is under par at 3 under.