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Sergio Garcia Ready for Major Breakthrough

Tue, 11 Jun 2008 15:10:00 GMT

posted by tees2greens
Sergio Garcia is confident his victory at the Players Championship will help him break through at this week’s U.S. Open and shed the tag as the best current player who has not won a major title.

“I guess winning the Players (is) something huge and that gives you a lot of confidence, winning on a tough golf course and probably the deepest field in golf we play all year,” the Spaniard told reporters on Tuesday.

“It was a great victory.”

World number seven Garcia, 28, came tantalizingly close to winning last year’s British Open before losing to Padraig Harrington in a playoff.

“I had a good week last week too,” said Garcia, whose strong finish at the St. Jude left him one shot out of a playoff. “I’m looking forward to keeping that momentum going and hopefully give myself a good chance this weekend.”

Garcia, a golf prodigy who won his club championship at age 12 and 19 amateur titles, burst on the professional scene as a 19-year-old when he challenged Tiger Woods in a thrilling finish at the 1999 U.S. PGA Championship.

He finished second, one shot behind Woods at Medinah, and seemed destined to challenge him for many major titles.

Garcia said lessons learned from last year’s near-miss at Carnoustie and his playoff triumph at the Players, golf’s so-called “fifth major,” could help him over the hurdle.

“The feelings were similar,” Garcia said about coming down the stretch at the Players compared with the British Open.

“Every time you’re trying to win a big event like those two you’re a little bit nervous and you’re trying to control your emotions. I learned from both of them.

“I think all these years have really made me mature and get to know myself even better as a golfer and as a person and kind of control myself even better when I’m coming down the stretch,” he said. “We’ll see if we can start achieving that.

“I try to ask myself to play well, to give myself chances. I’ve had my chances so that’s one goal accomplished. Now we have to try to get it to the next level and hopefully start winning majors.”

Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia Top Draws at Memorial

Wed, 29 May 2008 13:18:00 GMT

posted by tees2greens
The Memorial had high hopes of landing all of the top 10 players in the world for the first time until Tiger Woods decided his left knee was not fully recovered from surgery.

Since then, the stars have been falling like rain, which is never a good sign at Muirfield Village.

Adam Scott opted not to play, citing fatigue.

Vijay Singh was still smarting from a rib injury and had to pull out.

Steve Stricker withdrew with an elbow injury. Even some of the alternates for the 120-man field decided not to come.

Who does that leave at the Memorial?...Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia, both fresh off important victories.

Mickelson had not seriously contended since his February victory at Riviera, his only top 10 coming at the Masters, where he finished six shots behind Trevor Immelman. He was headed for more disappointment Sunday at Colonial when he drove left into the trees on the final hole, only to escape with a stunning shot through the treetops to just inside 10 feet for a winning birdie.

“I’m excited about how I’m starting to play, and I want to continue that momentum,” Mickelson said. “This will be the last tournament I play before the U.S. Open. And after this event, I’ll get home and start practicing at Torrey (Pines) getting ready for that. Although the U.S. Open is on my mind, I would like to play well this week.”

Garcia didn’t need any heroics, but he was far more desperate.

The 28-year-old Spaniard had gone three years without a victory anywhere in the world, and constant questions about his putting problems were getting under freckles. That all changed Sunday at Sawgrass, when Garcia holed a half-dozen putts that proved pivotal, none bigger than a 7-footer for par on the final hole to get into a playoff that he won against Paul Goydos.

Then it was off to Spain for two weeks of rest and celebration, and he has a solid outlook heading into the summer.

“It’s definitely a boost of confidence. There’s no doubt about that,” Garcia said. “I guess at the end of the day, every tournament is different, and winning the Players was great. But I’ve still got to go out there and perform at the U.S. Open, and at the British Open, and at the PGA, and give myself a chance.

“The good thing about it is I know that coming down the stretch, my whole game can step up to it,” he said. “So that’s good to have.”

Adding to the spice of Mickelson and Garcia coming off big wins is they’ll be playing together the first two days at Muirfield Village, which is in supreme condition from tee-to-green, with rough that might be thicker—albeit different — than the U.S. Open.

They aren’t alone, of course.

Ernie Els was coming and going and finally showed up Tuesday for a tournament he won in 2004. Three others from the top 10 were Geoff Ogilvy, Jim Furyk and K.J. Choi, the defending champion of the Memorial.

The big absence, however, is Woods.

He missed the Memorial two years ago while coping with the death of his father, and he skipped this year with a knee that’s not quite ready for competition. The question is whether anyone inside the ropes misses Woods.

Garcia jokingly thanked Woods at The Players Championship for not being there, and there is a part of him that truly wishes Woods were around at Muirfield Village this week.

“We always enjoy playing against the best, and when he’s around, it’s always a little bit extra motivation,” Garcia said. “It does make it a little bit tougher to win the event, but that’s what drives you into trying to become a better player. So we miss him a little bit, and we’ll see him in a couple weeks.”

Mickelson and Woods have switched roles this year.

Woods got off to a stunning start in 2008 by winning his four tournaments, and finishing no worse than fifth in the last two he failed to win. Then came stiffness in his knee that grew so painful that surgery couldn’t wait, and no one is sure what to expect when he returns in two weeks for the second major of the year.

A year ago, Mickelson was coming off a victory at The Players and was gearing up for a big summer when he injured his wrist while practicing out of deep rough at Oakmont for the U.S. Open. He had to withdraw from the Memorial, he missed the cut at the U.S. Open and endured what turned out to be a lost summer.

This time, Mickelson is feeling better than ever.

Even though he never seriously contended from Riviera through Colonial, he realized he was never too far off once he sorted out his putting. A trip to a testing center showed him the flaws in his stroke, and he’s starting to piece that together.

“I feel better than I’ve ever felt,” Mickelson said. “I’ve got no more issues with my hands or anything. I feel great. I’ve had a year now to work on the swing changes with Butch (Harmon). I expect a lot of this summer. I think it could be a very good one.”

The official start of summer is a month away, but it starts here for Mickelson on a course that has not treated him all that kindly. And he would love to add a trophy from another tournament made famous by legendary figures, having already won at Bay Hill (Arnold Palmer), Colonial (Ben Hogan) and the Byron Nelson Championship.

He was asked where the Memorial ranked among tournaments he has not won.

“Well, I haven’t won the U.S. or British Open, so those two are going to be the ones I would like to get the most,” Mickelson said. “But this is one of the most prestigious events we have on tour. So it’s high up there.”

Sergio Garcia Returns to World Top Ten

Tue, 14 May 2008 13:18:00 GMT

posted by tees2greens
Sergio Garcia became the first European winner of The Players Championship since Sandy Lyle 21 years earlier when he overcame Paul Goydos at the first extra hole, the famous 17th at TPC Sawgrass. The pair tied on 5-under-par totals of 283 after Garcia parred the 72nd hole while Goydos, in the final group, made bogey there. Garcia jumps 8 places in the Official World Golf Ranking to 10th while Goydos moves up to world number 59.

Hennie Otto from South Africa won for the first time on the European Tour as he triumphed in the Methorios Capital Italian Open at Castello di Tolcinasco G & CC in Milan. Otto won by a stroke from Oliver Wilson after a final round of 69. Otto climbs to world number 76, a jump of 78 places.

Hiroyuki Fujita from Japan won the Pine Valley Beijing Open title, an event co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour, the Japan Golf Tour and the China Golf Assiciation. Fujita moves to world number 108, a rise of 40 positions.

The 2007 U.S Amateur Champion Colt Knost won the Fort Smith Classic on the Nationwide Tour and jumps to world number 345.

Sergio Garcia unable to seal the deal!

Sun, 23 Jul 2007 13:16:00 GMT

posted by JeffLump

Pictured to the right is the 2007 British Open Champion Padraig Harrington. The Irishman Harrington captured his first Grand Slam Major yesterday surviving in a 4 hole playoff against runner-up Sergio Garcia. Congratulations to Padraig, however this post will focus in on Garcia as he once again was unable to seal the deal in yesterday's final round. Sergio Garcia remains in the golfing lexicon as BPNTHWAM, following yesterday's dramatic conclusion at the British Open. It stands for Best Player Never To Have Won A Major. Phil Mickelson used to own that title until a few years ago. Now, it has been passed on to Sergio who, 8 years after exploding into the hearts of golf fans around the world following his gallant attempt to defeat Tiger Woods in the 1999 PGA, still is at "0-for" in his career when it comes to Grand Slam Majors.

To be blunt, Sergio did not have victory snatched from within his grasp yesterday. Instead, if he were to be honest with himself today, Garcia could only come to the conclusion that he was his own worst enemy. Following his brilliant 1st round in which he shot a 65, Garcia was to have his name atop the Open Championship leader board until late in Sunday's 4th round. As a matter of fact, around the turn on Sunday Garcia was at -10 and three shots clear of the field. His playing partner, Steve Stricker had managed to botch several close-in putts, in a vain attempt to wrest the lead away from Garcia. Instead, Stricker seemed to disappear completely after the turn. It appeared that finally Sergio would claim victory in a Major. Alas, down the stretch it, too, was to be Garcia's putting, (always the one weakness to his otherwise superb overall game) which would lead to his downfall.

A few weeks ago, Garcia had switched to a new belly putter in the hopes of improving his technique on the greens. For the first 3 rounds, and the first half of Sunday's round, this new putter had worked its magic. In last year's Open Championship, Garcia was in the final group paired with Tiger Woods at Royal Hoylake. Following his career storyline in which the putter had always been Garcia's achilles heel, again he was unable to make any putt over 5 feet in length. Sergio finished with a closing round of 73 to Woods' 67. Garcia was also passed by the eventual runner-up Chris DiMarco on the leader board and media critics began to share a theme that perhaps Sergio simply did not have the "cajones" when faced with the pressures of a final round Grand Slam Major. Through about 64 holes in this year's Open and playing steadily, I thought to myself that perhaps Sergio was ready to shut a lot of his critics up permanently. Sadly, it was not to be. The belly putter failed late on Sunday as Garcia bogeyed several crucial holes on the final nine holes. Garcia finally lost his lead.

A young player from Argentina Andres Romero shot up to the top of the leader board. But, Romero was playing in only his third Grand Slam Major, and on his penultimate hole, the 17th Andres made a mistake which would cost him the championship. Romero's tee shot veered wildly into some thick gorse alongside the fairway. Unable to play any type of shot, Romero was forced to take a penalty shot and a drop behind the bushes. Inexplicably, instead of hitting a soft layup shot to position himself back into the middle of the fairway, young Andres went for broke. In a mistake that befits what a lot of rookie athletes do in competition, Romero attempted to go straight for the green. He didn't come close. The two shot advantage that Romero had going into that hole quickly became a two shot deficit for him. Romero would end up missing the playoff by one shot.

As Garcia still struggled coming down the stretch, Irishman Padraig Harrington, (and playing two groups ahead of Garcia) took the lead going to the 18th hole. Harrington, who up to this time also had never won a Grand Slam Major, got the apple caught in his throat as well. Not once, but twice Harrington found the burn on the final hole. To be fair somewhat, Carnoustie's 18th hole, a par 4 with the Barry Burn winding its way twice around the hole is considered by experts to be one of the most difficult finishing holes in all of golf, (just ask one John Van deVelde that one time he visited Carnoustie back in 1999). Harrington ended up bogeying the hole to give Sergio a last minute reprieve.

With luck seemingly on Sergio's side, it came down to a 7 foot putt that Garcia was unable to sink on the final hole, (sliding agonizingly to the left of the cup) which prevented him from winning his first Slam Major in regulation. Once the playoff between Harrington and Garcia began, Sergio fell behind quickly on the first of the four extra holes. Harrington birdied the first hole, while Garcia bogeyed. Unable to catch up over the remaining three holes, Garcia eventually lost by one stroke in the playoff.

Afterwards appearing both bemused and crestfallen, Garcia seemed to want to distance himself from his failed results. Gracious in congratulating Harrington for his playoff victory, Sergio refused to place blame on himself for his efforts in defeat. In paraphrasing Garcia's statements, he had the attitude that it " just was, the way it was"; Sergio being denied victory. Hmm, perhaps that is why Sergio still has that ugly zero on his resume for Grand Slam Major titles. I know one Eldrick "Tiger" Woods would not have been so accepting of defeat, if he been unable to grab victory down the stretch of such an important tournament. Then again, perhaps that is why Mr. Woods has claimed 12 of these titles, and Sergio remains winless!

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Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia prepare for The Open by playing in The European Open at The London Golf Club

Tue, 2 Jul 2008 19:53:47 GMT

posted by Graham
Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia (pictured below) are back in the UK and will play in the European Open at The London Golf Club in Kent in preparation for this year’s Open at Birkdale. Both players will be looking for some wind each day because of the benefits that could have for the the Open Championship. I [...]