A decade later, Sergio is still searching.
Was it really 10 years ago that Sergio Garcia closed his eyes, slashed a 6-iron from behind a tree, sprinted up the fairway, and scissor-kicked his way to golf celebrity? Garcia didn’t win the memorable 1999 PGA Championship at Medinah, but he did momentarily steal the show from Tiger Woods.
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So taken with the luminescent teen from Spain that Alan Shipnuck of Sports Illustrated wrote: “Woods’s one-stroke victory put an exclamation point on a century of golf and launched a rivalry that should propel the game into a new era. Forget Nicklaus and Palmer. Woods, 23, and Garcia, 19, have the star quality of Newman and Redford.”
A decade later, however, Woods is waiting for any rival to emerge and Garcia is still seeking his first major.
Formerly considered a force of nature, “El Nino” has devolved into “El Foldo,” his 0-for-44 mark in golf’s big four events, is an embarrassment for a player of his ability. With 14 top 10s and nine top 5s in majors, Garcia is his generation’s Greg Norman, a curious comparison considering Norman’s daughter, Morgan-Leigh, dumped Garcia earlier this year after a long relationship.
This weekend at Hazeltine (Minn.), Garcia gets his final shot at a major this decade and his last chance before he turns 30.
How can perhaps the best Ryder Cup player and best ball striker of his generation still be 0-fer in majors? It’s actually pretty simple. Garcia has yet to master the most important club in the bag — the putter.
When he switched to a belly putter in 2007, Garcia went from No. 158th on tour to No. 15 in putts per round.
But just as quickly as Garcia found it, he lost it again, the yips back with a vengeance. With a current putting rank of 139th on tour, there is no relief in sight.
These days, Garcia seems resigned to major championship failure.
“The most important thing for me is obviously winning it, but at least having the chance, being up there and giving yourself the opportunity,” said Garcia. “The guy finishing 15th or 40th, he doesn’t even have one shot. They say second is the first loser. I’d rather be the first loser than the 39th loser.”
