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For the genius Josele Ballester, heading into professional golf came with two options: PGA Tour or LIV Golf. He appeared ready to jump into the U.S. circuit. After scoring his biggest win of the 2024 season at the U.S. Amateur by beating Noah Kent, Ballester rose to No. 3 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. He earned the chance to receive his Korn Ferry Tour membership by finishing third in the PGA Tour University program. However, on Monday, he declined the membership. The result? He is now part of the Saudi-backed league and, more importantly, Sergio Garcia’s team.
This week, LIV Golf announced that Josele Ballester has joined Sergio Garcia’s team, Fireballs GC, on a multi-year contract. The Arizona State University alum will make his professional debut at LIV Golf Virginia, which excites Garcia. “Josele will be a great addition to the Fireballs and the LIV Golf League, and I can’t wait to be by his side,” Sergio Garcia said at this week’s LIV Golf press conference. During a recent interview with Beyond the Clubhouse, Josele Ballester shared similar feelings.
Talking about motivation for joining LIV Golf, Ballester said, “I think the biggest thing for me was that I believe it’s the path for me to develop, and become a better golfer, better golfer. I think at the end of the day, that’s the main goal, and with the surroundings and the people that I’m going to have in my surroundings, I think it’s going to, it’s going to really make me better. When you’re with players that are better than yourself, you definitely get better, so excited for that, and really pumped to start on Friday.”
But what really excites him about joining the breakaway league? Ballester replies, “Definitely, the fact of me just getting out of college and starting with this team format, it seems like I’m familiar with it. I know that Sergio cares a lot about it, so really, really excited to be on his team and to make the Fireballs great.” LIV Golf differs from traditional leagues by featuring 13 teams of four players, including top names in the sport. Ballester joins Abraham Ancer and David Puig with Garcia on the Fireballs. Meanwhile, Luis Masaveu loses his full-time spot on the team but stays in the lineup this week due to Puig’s back injury.
Smooth like butter 
Josele Ballester gets his LIV Golf League career underway today 
#LIVGolfVirginia @fireballsgc_ pic.twitter.com/p8HP3f1mok
— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) June 6, 2025
However, Ballester, 21, joining Garcia’s team is no coincidence. In fact, he and Sergio Garcia share a strong bond due to their common background and mentorship. Both hail from Castellon, Spain, and have trained under Sergio’s father, Víctor Garcia, who has been Ballester’s long-time coach. “Personally, I have known him since he could pick up a golf club and he has worked with my father as his coach throughout his golf career,” Garcia had stated when Ballester signed. Following his LIV Golf performance with Garcia and others, Ballester will head to Oakmont Country Club, another start that comes with his 2024 U.S. Amateur win. However, to perform well, he will likely utilize the help of science.
The science behind Josele Ballester’s swings on the golf course
The Moment Arm is an important concept that helps us understand how to make physical tasks easier, whether in sports or everyday activities. Specifically, it refers to the distance from where you apply force to the point where something rotates. Consequently, the longer this distance, the less effort you need to use to turn or move something. This is why using bigger tools or longer levers can make jobs easier. For instance, in sports like golf, having a longer Moment Arm can help players swing harder without using too much energy.
A great example of this is Josele Ballester, who recently demonstrated an impressive golf swing that creates a Moment Arm much longer than the average on the PGA Tour. As per Golf Digest, by doing so, Ballester aggressively shifts his lower body towards the target during his swing, which increases the distance between his center of mass and the ground. As a result, this allows him to push off with greater force, generating more power with less effort. Moreover, his technique emphasizes a three-step movement: Shift, Rotate, and Rise.
In contrast, many amateur golfers struggle with shifting their weight properly, which shortens their Moment Arm and reduces their power. Therefore, by following Ballester’s approach and focusing on these three steps, golfers can improve their swings, achieve greater distance, and enhance their overall performance on the course.
The post After Rejecting PGA Tour’s Offer, 21-Year-Old Pro Reveals Why He Got Involved With LIV Golf appeared first on EssentiallySports.
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