Garcia wins The Players Championship
Spain’s Sergio Garcia got his first “major” PGA tour win. I know that The Players Championship isn’t really a major but it’s close enough. But will “El Nino’s” win over Paul Goydos be enough to get the monkey off his back?
He was tormented by a suspect putter. He heard questions whether he could win a big one.
All that changed in the final hour of The Players Championship thanks to two clutch putts, a wedge that found safety on an island and a playoff victory that Garcia desperately needed.
The best player without a major got the next best thing, making a 7-foot par putt that put him in a playoff, then beating Paul Goydos on the notorious island-green 17th with a wedge into 4 feet and a putt he could afford to miss after Goydos hit into the water.
“It feels like a major, and it tests you like a major,” Garcia said. “I’m so thrilled to be here standing with the trophy.”
According to some people this win helps Sergio redeem himself a bit, like The Armchair Golfer at armchairgolfblog -
Sure, Sergio golfed his ball with amazing precision around a stadium-course layout made even more sinister by gusting winds. But we knew that about the Spaniard. It still comes down to the flatstick. It always does, doesn’t it? (Just ask Tiger about this year’s Masters.)
Welcome to Redemptionville, Sergio Garcia. Enjoy your stay, but not too long. There’s another town calling your name and befitting of your talent –- Majorville.
I sure hope Sergio can ride this wave of success and at least put in an impressive performance at the U.S. Open, which will be played next month. Garcia was gracious in the post win interview with Bob Costas when he thanked Tiger Woods for not playing as a major reason for why he won.
Other Latinos of note playing in The Players Championship in Florida finished as such -
T32 Miguel Angel Jimenez +6
T54 Jose Maria Olazabal +9
T66 Jose Coceres +12
T66 Camilo Villegas +12
Fellow Argentine’s Angel Cabrera and Andres Romero got off to slow starts and failed to make the cut into the weekend.
