Sergio Garcia
It was only two years ago that Sergio Garcia was No. 2 in the world. But as the player ranked above him at the time has shown, a lot can happen in two years.
Morgan Leigh-Norman broke up with Garcia early in 2009 and the Spaniard was left heartbroken. His game suffered and he disappeared from competitive golf following last year’s PGA Championship before surfacing as a vice captain for a victorious European Ryder Cup team last fall.
More than anything, that time away from golf between the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup helped Garcia between the ears.
“It’s definitely better,” Garcia said when asked last week about his enthusiasm for the game now. “I definitely feel like I want to be out there.
“I think it was a mix of things. Obviously a couple of things off the golf course didn’t help, and then I just — you know, I just started playing not great and I kind of, you know, knowing how I can play and what I’m capable of doing, I don’t like to settle for less. I guess a mix of those things kind of pulled me down a little bit. But we are looking forward to it now.”
Indeed. Garcia has tumbled all the way to 82nd in the world — but he is slowly working his way back. It started last week in Tampa, where he was within a shot of the lead entering the weekend before finishing in a tie for 15th.
Here at Bay Hill, Garcia is again in contention going to the weekend after a 68 Friday.
“It feels good,” Garcia said of his recent resurgence. “Obviously I’m playing better. I’m able to do a lot of things better than I’ve been doing lately. It’s a working process. It’s getting there. It feels better but it’s still not finished.”
It may not be done, but Garcia is in good shape after four birdies, an eagle and just two bogeys in the second round. He missed only one fairway and was accurate with his irons, hitting 14 greens in regulation.
It’s rounds like that – not to mention his 68-66 to open the week in Tampa – that have Garcia smiling again and feeling good about his game.
“There’s obviously confidence coming back; if not, I would not be able to hit some of the shots I’m hitting,” said Garcia, whose eagle on the par-5 16th came after he hit his approach from 188 yards to 16 feet. “Obviously we are not 100 percent, but you know, we are slowly getting there. It feels good to be able to shoot these kind of rounds.”
If Garcia’s game isn’t all the way back, his joy and sense of humor seem to be.
When asked if he ever looks at his swing on film, Garcia said he rarely does because he’s more of a “feel” player. When it was suggested that doing so has helped others, Garcia responded by saying everyone is different, then added, “Some people like ice cream without sauce and others like it with sauce.”
Brian Wacker
