The Golf Watch

Sergio: "I am who I am"

At his Tuesday press conference, Sergio Garcia was asked to talk about his controversial comments at Augusta National.  Sergio said that he got caught at the wrong time, that it was a frustrating golf course, and that he learned from it. 

Well, then there was a follow-up from someone in the press room, asking if there were any other instances in which Sergio reacted one way and wished he would have conducted himself differently.  Maybe the individual was hoping to get Sergio to apologize for the things he said during the 2007 British Open, but here was Sergio's response:

There’s a lot of things that you do in your life that you wish you would have done differently.  I am the way I am.  For good or for worse.  What you see is what you get.  The same way that my personality helps me a lot, sometimes it hurts me. Sometimes it’s just a matter of learning how to control it a little bit and try and say the right thing. 

Steve Sands made an excellent point during yesterday's two-hour GC telecast (too long if you ask me).  He said that he had a lengthy conversation with Sergio last week in Charlotte and both agreed that the media wants athletes to give their opinions, but then when the athletes give them, they "get crushed."

In comparison to other sports, golf doesn't have much in the way of controversy, and some golf writers have the tendency to cling to those quotes that much more.

Sergio Garcia vaguely outlines his problem with Augusta National

The reigning Players Champion Sergio Garcia expressed his dismay with Augusta National Golf Club in a Golf Channel interview.  Here's the exchange:

Garcia:  I don't like it to tell you the truth.  I don't think it's fair.  It's too tricky.  Even when it's dry you still get mud balls in the middle of the fairway.  It's too much of a guessing game.

Q: What would you like to see them do different?  Is it more about pin placement?

Garcia:  I don't care.  They can do whatever they want.  It's not my problem.  I just come here and play and then go home.  That's about it.

I thought Garcia had matured since the Players Championship.  Obviously not.  Here's what Brandel Chamblee had to say in response:

He's played golf all over the world.  By now, he should have matured. His game is mature. He's had so many close calls in major championships that he should have gotten one by now. He certainly has the talent to do it. But the sour grapes attitude he carries around with him--it doesn't serve him very well.

Sergio number one in the world?

The Golf Channel and other media outlets are trying to hype this week's WGC-CA Championship as much as possible--and it looks like the storyline of the week (at least for the first two days), will be Sergio Garcia's quest for the number one spot in the world ranking.

And this shows how much the world ranking is flawed.  Garcia has never won a major championship and his most notable win is arguably last year's Players Championship.

And from another perspective, Tiger Woods was out of golf for an 8-month period.  Even if Sergio somehow overtakes Tiger in the ranking, expect it to be short-lived.

As an aside, the latest Golf Digest has a Masters Survey and one of the questions asked is: Will Sergio win a major?  21 percent said 'Yes, this year,' 69 percent said 'Eventually,' and 10 percent said 'never.'

Sergio on the prowl

With Sergio Garcia's win at the HSBC Champions, he has now taken the number two spot in the world golf ranking from Phil Mickelson.  Garcia has narrowed Tiger Woods' lead in the world golf ranking to less than six points.

Beckman locks up second tour win, Garcia dedicates victory to Seve

I only caught about the last hour of the Frys.com Open, but I'm glad that was all I was able to watch.  Nick Faldo's commentating was dry and play down the stretch was uneventful.  At least it was nice to see Kevin Sutherland, a class act on Tour, praise Beckman for his performance afterwards.  Read it here as a part of John Davis' recap for The Arizona Republic.

As for the the other side of the pond, Sergio Garcia picked up his first European Tour win in over three years.  He dedicated the win to fellow countryman, Seve Ballesteros, as the AP reports.

Garcia takes loss in stride

Unlike his reaction to past defeats, Sergio Garcia kept things positive when addressing the media after losing by two strokes at the PGA Championship.  Garcia told Peter Kostis after his round:

The best thing about it is I can’t ask myself for anything else.  I came out on the course thinking that I gave it my all.  Unfortunately, sometimes things don’t want to go the right way. It’s the way it is.   

Garcia then added that Padraig Harrington deserved to win.  Even when Garcia left the Kostis haven and met with some of the scribes, he tried to keep things upbeat.  Rusty Miller of the AP writes:

He bristled when asked about his disappointment after finishing tied for second at the PGA Championship on Sunday, two shots behind Padraig Harrington.

“Why are you making this a disappointment?” he snapped at his questioner in the twilight glow outside Oakland Hills. “Obviously I was trying to win, but that’s it. It’s not disappointing.”

...

Asked later if, when he was leading by a shot heading into the final nine holes on Sunday, he thought he finally was on his way to that elusive first major victory, he couldn’t withhold his anger.

“Next question,” he said. “Let’s try to keep this as positive as we can, please.”

We are witnessing a new, more mature, Sergio Garcia.  It's only a matter of time before he wins one.

Report: Faldo would rather not use one of his picks on Sergio

It's hard to believe that Sergio Garcia is outside of the top-10 in Ryder Cup points.  Because of the American media's obsession with Paul Azinger's four captain's picks, I had no idea that Garcia was 24th in the standings. 

With players like Ian Poulter, Ross Fisher, Paul Casey, and Colin Montgomerie well ahead, Garcia has some major work ahead of him at the PGA.  As for his chances, Paul Mahoney writes on golf.com:

Sergio Garcia gets so pumped up by the Ryder Cup that he steers clear of sharp objects (say, Ian Poulter's hair) so he won't pop. The Players Championship winner and Ryder Cup stud is bound to be the first name on the European team sheet and a shoo-in for the matches next month at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky, right?

Not so fast. Garcia enters the PGA Championship on the wrong side of the Ryder Cup cut line, with time running out to make the team on points. And his would-be captain isn't prepared to guarantee Garcia a seat on the plane.

"Don't assume anything in life," said Nick Faldo, who would rather not have to use one of his two wildcard picks on Sergio. "Assumption is the f---up of life."

Garcia said he and Faldo have been in touch, but there had been no indication from his captain that the Spaniard would definitely make the team...

Who knew Sergio pays attention to the triple crown...

Thanks to the people at majorchampionships.com for the transcript of Sergio Garcia's press conference.  While driving home from work, I heard Garcia's Tiger Woods-Big Brown comparison in the press room.  Who knew Sergio knew anything about horses...

Q. As a follow-up on the Tiger question, do you think that his knee makes him less of a favorite than he would normally be?

SERGIO GARCIA: Not at all.

Q. Why is that?

SERGIO GARCIA: It's like Big Brown, with a crack he was still the favorite (laughter).

Q. Where did Big Brown finish?

SERGIO GARCIA: We'll see. He's still a top-10.

I guess we'll see if Sergio is this open with the press come day two of the tournament.

Garcia is good for the game

I had a feeling when Tim Finchem greeted Sergio Garcia and Paul Goydos during the playoff on the 17th tee box, that the commisioner "deep-down" wanted a Garcia win.  Finchem knew that a Garcia victory would be much more beneficial for the tournament, and more importantly, for the game.  As Mike Wilbon pointed out on ESPN's Pardon the Interruption earlier today:

Sergio's good for golf, Tony.  Especially when Tiger Woods is not there.  Sergio, Anthony Kim, Adam Scott, these guys are good for the game. 

Garcia wins biggest event of his career

You can say all you want about Sergio Garcia's erratic putting the past three years, but on Sunday at the Players, minus one stroke on 16, he putted lights out.  The 46-footer on 14 and the testy 7-footer on 18 showed that El Nino is back.  As Brandel Chamblee said on the Post Game show, this is the "defining moment of his career."  It looks like all of the time with short game guru Stan Utley payed off.