JACKSON, Miss. - Sergio Garcia had gone just more than a year since his most recent victory, which felt even longer considering he failed to make the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoffs and fell out of the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time since 2011.
One week and two big shots changed everything.
Garcia hit a 5-wood shot that barely cleared a bunker and set up an eagle putt from just inside four feet to tie for the lead, and he won the Sanderson Farms Championship with an 8-iron shot that put the ball 30 inches from the cup for a birdie he converted on the final hole at the Country Club of Jackson.
"The perfect ending for an amazing week," Garcia said.
Peter Malnati, whose lone PGA Tour victory was in this tournament five years ago, rallied from five shots behind with a career-best 63, punctuated by a 30-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole.
That set the target, and Garcia needed his two big shots to catch and then beat him. The 5-wood from 260 yards on the 14th hole hit the top collar of the bunker, hopped onto the fringe and rolled out close to the hole.
However, it was the 482-yard closing hole into the wind that made the 40-year-old Spaniard proud.
"I stood up on 18, and I did what I've been doing all week. I trusted myself," Garcia said. "I aimed down the right side of the fairway and just hit a hard draw - really, really nice drive - and it gave me the ability to have an 8-iron into the green instead of having a 6 or something like that."
It was his first PGA Tour victory since he won the Masters in 2017 with a back-nine rally highlighted by an 8-iron that glanced off the pin on the 15th and set up an eagle. He eventually beat Justin Rose in a playoff for his lone major championship.
"This time it was an 8-iron on 18, and to almost hit the pain again and hit it that close, it was a dream come true," he said.
AP photo by Rogelio V. Solis / Sergio Garcia holds his trophy after winning the PGA Tour's Sanderson Farms Championship on Sunday in Jackson, Miss.Closing his eyes right before the stroke, a habit he returned to this week, Garcia made the 30-inch birdie putt and clenched his fist with a grin not seen on his face lately.
It's been a tough year.
He had generated only one top-10 finish since tour competition resumed in June after shutting down amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and he missed the cut in three of his four tournaments coming into the Sanderson Farms Championship.
Garcia also learned that his father's brother, Angel, died of the coronavirus a week ago Saturday. His father lost another brother, Paco, to the virus at the onset of the pandemic. Garcia choked up talking about them right after his round.
"It's been tough on my dad," he said. "This one is for them."
Garcia now has won at least once worldwide for 10 years in a row, a streak he shares with Rose. He won for the 11th time on the PGA Tour and the 31st time worldwide.
He finished at 19-under 269 and moves to No. 38 in the world.
J.T. Poston, who started the final round in at three-way tie with Garcia and Australian player Cameron Davis, was one shot behind when he missed the 16th fairway to the right, went into a bunker and failed to save par. He finished with two pars for a 70 to finish alone in third, two shots behind Malnati.
Davis had three bogeys on the front nine and was never a factor, closing with a 72.
Malnati had four birdies on the front nine and then began the back nine with three straight birdies. After making a 10-foot par putt on the 14th, he added two more birdies for a 63. He never thought it was going to be good enough to win. Except for a great shot by Garcia on the final hole, it was almost good enough for a playoff.
"I feel like I won the tournament," Malnati said after his round. "I probably won't, but I feel like I did, and it's amazing."
He spent the rest of the day playing with his toddler son, then came out to the 18th to see Garcia's clutch finish.
Now Garcia heads for Las Vegas with the Masters just more than a month away in this pandemic-shuffled year.
"A boost of confidence, there's no doubt," Garcia said. "Every time you play well, even if I would have not won it, it still would have been a massive high for me this week. To be able to do a lot of the things that I did, it meant a lot. It showed me a lot of what I still have and what I still can do."