The rival that wasn't

By Joe Schackman

After two years of painful slumping, Sergio Garcia returned to the winners circle. His career has not gone as planned but it is far from over. 

Believe it or not, the most memorable years of modern golf have not come during Tiger Woods' reign. While Woods’ assault on the records book has brought golf the notoriety it couldn’t previously have dreamt of, it doesn't compare to what began in 1963 when a young Ohio farm boy named Jack Nicklaus burst onto the scene. He quickly became a superstar, but it was the emergence of Nicklaus’ rivals in the ‘70s and ‘80s that forever changed the game of golf. The sport had never been more crowded with talented players. The carousel of competition that Tom Watson, Seve Ballesteros and Gary Player formed, along with Nicklaus, enthralled golf fans and left a deep imprint on the game.

So when Tiger Woods began annihilating the field, fans and writers across the country searched desperately for a suitable rival. They invented conflict between Woods and the tour’s other star, Phil Mickelson. They glorified journeyman players like Chris DiMarco and Bob May, the ones who magically stood up to Woods during various tournaments. But, most foolishly, they anointed a 19-year old Spaniard as Tiger’s “true” equal.

To say the least, Sergio Garcia’s career has not gone as planned. In 1999, the baby-faced teenager went toe to toe with the steely champion at the PGA Championship. He showed precocious shot making ability and a flair for the dramatic. After hitting one of the most daring and sensational shots in championship golf history (an iron from behind a tree root), he sprinted up the fairway, scissor-kicking in order to see over the hill and spot his ball resting safely on the green.

Woods would go on to win the title, but Sergio's shot was extraordinary, and with it he had announced his arrival on the biggest stage. He was destined for greatness, it seemed, a player with the talent and moxie to take on the seemingly unstoppable Woods. Golf fans thought they had found the Watson to Tiger's Nicklaus. They weren't even close.

This past weekend, Garcia, now a 31-year old veteran, returned to the winners circle for the first time in more than three years by waltzing to an easy victory at the Castello Masters in Spain. More importantly, though, it represented the final piece in a comeback effort that has been over a year in the making.

There was never any doubt that Garcia possessed the physical talents to make him a top-flight golfer. But it became evident early in his career he could not handle the pressure that came with stardom.

At the 2002 US Open at Bethpage Black Golf Course, Garcia for the first time revealed his habit for complaining and blaming others for his misfortune on the course. During an ever-worsening early round marked by tough winds and miserable rain, tournament officials refused to suspend play. Garcia, who had to play through it, was visibly upset. He claimed that, had Tiger been on the course, they would have stopped play. The childish comments, coupled with his extremely slow play, inspired the boisterous New York crowd to heckle Garcia during his remaining rounds. He could not block it out and, as a result, was never a factor in the tournament.

That was just the start for the young Spaniard. After missing a short put at a 2007 tournament at Doral Golf Resort, Garcia spit into the hole. It wasn’t the most horrible thing one could do, but it showed a lack of class in what is a gentleman’s game. Once again, Garcia was blaming outside factors. Instead of being disgusted with himself, he had blamed the hole in the ground for his missed putt.

Then came the British Open, just a few months later. Garcia played beautifully for the first three rounds. His ball striking was superb as always, and his putting–the only weakness in his game–was great, thanks to a recent equipment switch. Everything he had started in ‘99 finally seemed to be snapping back into place.

When Garcia started the final round, he had a three shot lead. He clung desperately to it for 17 holes. Needing a par on the final hole to win, Garcia blasted a perfect drive into the fairway.

But when Sergio got to his ball, he was forced to wait to hit his approach shot as the group in front of him cleared the green. Then he had to wait more as the grounds crew tended to the sand bunker next to the green. Waiting over your shot is not unusual in professional golf, but the waiting appeared to make Garcia uncomfortable. He became visibly anxious, as the pressure mounted and he realized the magnitude of the situation.

Garcia then hit a poor approach shot into the bunker, hit out on the next shot and then missed the 10-foot putt that would have won him the championship.
He would enter a playoff against fellow European Padraig Harrington, where he hit a spate of poor luck.

On the second playoff hole, Garcia hit a perfect shot to the green. Unfortunately it was too good: it crashed into the metal flagstick and shot off the green. That was it for Garcia. His own poor play down the stretch, coupled with some bad breaks, sealed his fate.

After the round, Garcia launched into a rant. He yet again blamed external forces for losing yet another tournament. The wait on the final hole, the bad bounce off the flag stick, all of these unlucky events had doomed him.

“To tell you the truth, I don't feel like I did anything wrong," Garcia said after the defeat. "I really didn't miss a shot in the playoff. I hit unbelievable putts. They just didn't go in … I don't know, I'm playing against a lot of guys out there, more than the field.”

Without a doubt, winning a golf tournament takes some luck. One week the bounces go your way, another they may not. But blaming luck, or lack thereof, for an inability to win a major over several seasons showed some serious mental weakness. Competitive golf is a lonely activity: there are no teammates to pass to during a slump, no coach to draw up the perfect play. It requires a fighter pilot’s internal fortitude to win, and Garcia was as fragile as a middle schooler.

It has not all been negative for Garcia since that ’99 PGA Championship. He has won 16 times on both the PGA tour and European tour, including the 2008 Players Championship, the unofficial fifth major tournament.

Garcia was a mainstay in the top-10 of the world rankings for 300 consecutive weeks from 2000 to 2009. On top of all that, he was a stellar Ryder Cup player, helping the Euros win the Cup four times and counting. He was popular, drawing a huge crowd wherever he played.

But it was the near misses in major championships that have headlined Garcia's career. In the 2008 PGA Championship, Sergio once again found himself atop the leader board late in the tournament. Harrington was again mounting a charge. Just a few steps away from victory, Garcia made a crucial mistake on the 16th hole, misjudging the wind and hitting his ball into the water. Magical forces had played a part once again, Garcia said:

“I felt like I responded well, and he was obviously very good on the back nine, and things just happened his way.”

That last miss weighed heavily on the Spaniard, and he faded into the background. He played in fewer tournaments, was in contention in even less and, before you knew it, Garcia was an afterthought. After slumping badly in 2009 and throwing a tantrum in the middle of a 2010 tournament, he took a break from competitive golf.

The monthslong break looks to be exactly what Garcia needed to get his game and mind in shape. He played a few competitive rounds in late 2010 without much success, while he introduced some technical changes in his putting grip. But in 2011 he has risen from the ashes. He finished seventh at the U.S. Open, ninth at the British Open and 12th at the PGA Championship, his best stretch of big-time golf in years.

The win in Spain solidified his efforts over the last few years to get his game back. While it was not against the strongest of competition, Garcia showed he still has the fire and desire to win golf tournaments. He is no longer that spry 19-year-old ready to take on Woods and the world, but the game of golf has changed just as much. Tiger is no longer the force he once was and golf fans have stopped looking for a rival for Woods. Looks like a perfect time for Sergio to leave his mark on the game's history.