Will 2015 Finally Be “The Year” For Sergio Garcia?
Sergio Garcia is one of the most confusing and aggravating players in golf. It’s tough to find someone with more talent from tee to green. Sure he has some difficulties with the flat stick but his record should still be better. We all know the story with Sergio; sixty-five majors, zero wins. Could 2015 be the year he breaks through?
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Sixteen years since his exciting second place finish at the 1999 PGA Championship it’s almost shocking Sergio has yet to win a major. He’s been close countless times. In 2007 at The Open Championship he had the Claret Jug in the palm of his hands but just couldn’t hold on. That’s the story with him; he’s had his opportunities just never figured out a way to finish the job.
It’s tough to find a player who had a better year than Sergio without a win last year. In sixteen PGA Tour tournaments he racked up ten top ten finishes with five top fives. Like his career last year there was just another example of doing plenty of good things, but not enough great things.
"“I guess comparing it to last year where I had such a nice consistent year where every part of my game felt really, really good; I guess a little bit of everything,” he said. “I think that my long game, it’s been OK, but not to the standard that I usually have it. Short game, it’s been a little bit shakier than it has been in the past three or four years.”"
That’s the thing with Sergio there’s always one part of his game that seems to be holding him back from being great. Whether it’s his putting, short game or his immature moments, Sergio tends to come up short when it matters the most. If he was going to win big, 2014 was the year to do it. During a seven tournament stretch from April through August he finished in the top three five times. Still never found a way to cash the winners check.
As he prepares to make his tour debut at Riviera this week, we aren’t really sure what to expect. He on the other hand is confident that it could be a good debut.
"“I really love the golf course,” Garcia said. “…Even when it plays soft, but when it plays firm, it’s the kind of golf course that is asking you to hit the proper shots.”"
With Phil Mickelson’s game struggling and Tiger Woods in search of his, Sergio is now one of the veteran stalwarts on the tour. It’s almost hard to believe that “El Nino” is thirty-five years old. He’s gone from that immature youth to almost a sentimental favorite. He’s an ambassador for the game even if he hasn’t reached the pinnacle of it.
"“We could sit here and talk about things that could have gone better and obviously things that could have gone worse,” Garcia said. “But I think at the end of the day, it’s … just trying to help your game, the game of golf, be a better game for everybody else. That means not only playing well and winning things and achieving things, but also trying to bring the game nicely to kids or to people that maybe don’t have the same capabilities that we do to play it, and make the game better at the end of the day.”"
I believe that he does care about the game. He says plenty of confusing things and can be the villain at times but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t appreciate the opportunities golf has given him. At Riviera we don’t know which Sergio will show up. Whether he’s the villain or the hero if he’s in the mix all the pressure will be on him to make that crucial swing he has struggled with during his career. Maybe now more than ever he’s ready to rise above it.
All quotes from PGATour.com