Sergio Garcia in Thursday
Sergio Garcia showed that he still has what it takes to compete at the highest level when he shot a three-under-par 69 in the opening round of the Masters on Thursday.
It was a round that contained a bit of everything, after he eagled the par-five 13th hole and then made four birdies which were followed by three bogeys, including one on the last hole.
He walked off Augusta National with a wry smile that was proof enough that even after a rollercoaster day he was at least enjoying himself.
That was not the case last year when the former-world number two took a self-imposed break from the game after a poor run of form.
Once regarded as the man most likely to challenge Tiger Woods, Garcia never lived up to those high expectations and he has yet to win a major. He is currently 73rd in the rankings.
But the 31-year-old started the new season with a fresh attitude and renewed determination to regain his confidence and the first real signs of improvement were there for all to see at Augusta National.
"It's better, it's not its highest but it's getting better and it's showing," he told reporters.
"Fortunately there's a couple of moments here and there where you might feel a little bit (positive) and then a couple not great thoughts might come into your head, but I guess that's the way the game is."
