Garcia finally fulfils promise
Let me take you back for a moment to the 1999 PGA Championship at Medinah. The 23 year old veteran Tiger Woods is being chased down the home stretch by an upstart 19 year old from Spain. At the 16th the young Spaniard blocked his tee shot right, the ball finishing amongst the exposed roots of a tree, seemingly stymied. Assessing his options the youngster selected a six iron, but rather than chip the ball safely to the fairway, he affected a full swing with which to impart a dramatic slice. No sooner had he struck the ball than he embarked on a carefree sprint up the fairway ending with a famous Tigger like skip to signify the joy that his shot had brought. For in committing to the shot not only had he missed the dangerous tree roots, but more remarkably his ball had found its way onto the green. Though Tiger Woods would hold on to win that year’s PGA Championship all the talk was of this young 19 year old who would one day win a major. Little did we know that that it would take Sergio Garcia a mere eighteen years, and 74 attempts to claim that first major, yesterday’s dramatic sudden death victory over Justin Rose at last fulfilling the promise that had been first intimated all those years ago.
Golf is a game which gorges on statistics. Number of fairways hit, number of greens in regulation, number of sand saves, number of putts, 5 or 6 iron, number of strokes made, number of strokes under par and on and on…. Over the last couple of days, however, two statistics have been of particular interest. The first, which present day golfers have played in the most number of majors without winning one? Answer; Lee Westwood on 75 closely followed by Sergio Garcia on 73. And then a couple of numbers which appeared during last night’s coverage, comparing the cumulative scores on the back nine at Augusta of Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose. Garcia was a remarkable 45 shots over par whilst Rose was 11 shots under par. And as Garcia and Rose started their progress through the back nine, it appeared as if the Spaniard’s inability to cross the line at a major tournament was about the repeat itself. Standing on the 10th tee the two Europeans were tied at -8. Within three holes, two dropped shots by Garcia had given Rose a two shot lead. Sensing that he needed to make something happen at the 13th Garcia decided to take a risk with his drive. But he bit off more than he could chew, his ball landing in the trees to the left of Rae’s Creek, in an unplayable lie forcing a penalty drop. As he looked at his ball lying on the pine straw few were the number who thought that in two hours time Sergio Garcia would be donning the green jacket.
But the next five minutes would determine the outcome of the 2017 US Masters. Garcia played first nudging his chip towards the green. Playing from the middle of the fairway Rose struck a fine iron which finished at the back of the green leaving a tricky third but a definite opportunity for birdie. For Garcia saving par was the best he could he could hope for but his pitch to within ten feet hinted at another dropped shot. Meanwhile Rose caressed his chip to within five feet.
Though he is one of the world’s great ball strikers for Garcia putting has always been something of a dark art and in adopting the claw grip he acknowledges a flaw with technique. It had already failed him on a number of occasions during the round but now, in a change of fortune, at the 13th everything aligned his ball disappearing into the hole to record a remarkable par saving five. From much nearer Rose missed his birdie attempt and in so doing gave Garcia heart. For not only had he been given a reprieve but he also now knew that if he was going to win he would have to play aggressively. That positive mind set, allied to great ball striking helped him over the closing holes. And though Garcia should have claimed victory with his five foot putt at the 72nd hole, due reward finally arrived in the play off with a flawless birdie.
So on the day that his great hero Severiano Ballesteros would have celebrating his 60th birthday, Sergio Garcia became the third Spanish golfer - after Seve and Jose Maria Olazabal - to claim the US Masters. It was a popular win, a fact acknowledged by a suitably gracious Justin Rose. Perhaps now Garcia will finally acknowledge that he is good enough to win a major. He’s got time left to win another. Just don’t leave it another eighteen years.
©Mark Brennand