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From the Editor :
Sergio Garcia is still one of the world's best players never to have won a major, but his famous victory at The Players will help to still his detractors.
It will also make the 35th Player champion a $1.71million richer, give him a five year exemption - and, perhaps, of greater importance, finally boost his confidence in that wayward putting stroke that has, for too long, held him back from possible greatness.
Up against a field that, with the exception of the sidelined Tiger Woods, was probably even stronger than the one that contested the Masters, and playing on a Sawgrass course made every bit as mean and as nasty as any US Open Course by a never-ending series of strong, buffeting winds, the charismatic little Spaniard was able to master almost everything that mattered this week with as superb a display of tee-to-green golf as we have seen in quite a while
Last year Garcia was edged into second place by Padraig Harrington at the Open Championship and seemed to stumble into a slump after that - until now.
Hours and hours of hard work on what turned out to be the most immaculate swing of the week - he topped the averages, both for driving and for hitting the green in regulation - together with a return to an old, standard flat stick and more work on his putting edged him home at the first hole of his play-off against the year's biggest surprise package.
The man of course was the Paul Goydos, who belied his age and unathletic look to produce stellar golf all week - until the very end.
This when he chunked his chip at the 18th and missed his par put to gift Garcia with a play-off and then, was caught out in the play-off by a vicious gust of wind at the island green at 17 that ballooned his ball and dropped it in to the drink to effectively kill him off.
The event, as I have already said, is not yet a major - and maybe shouldn't be because the US with three out of four and all the WGC events, already have too many.
But to Garcia and possibly the vast majority of his rivals at Sawgrass this week, it is everything but a major.
When questioned on the subject (see our Q & A with him in our features section) he said: "We (the players) definitely feel like it is. I think everybody feels, not only because of the field, but you know, the course, everything around it, it feels like a major.
"And it tests you like a major, so unfortunately it's not. Maybe sometime in the future, it might be. But you know, it definitely feels like it and I'm so thrilled to be here standing with the trophy."
In short, Garcia's triumph could be just the spur needed to get him over the hump, for surely it will leave him with the feeling that if he can win this one, he can with anything - even if Tiger is playing.
'El Nino', as he was called when he swept into game as a skinny little kid half-a-dozen or so years ago, might also feel that if Trevor Immelman, another of the game's outstanding young guns with a marvelous swing and still in his 20s, was able to edge Tiger at the Masters, possibly the World No 1's favourite major, there is a chance that Spain might still see their prodigal son follow suit in one of the three majors still to come up this year.
During a brief chat with a television interviewer shortly after he had tapped-in the putt that won the play-off, Garcia, mischievously made it clear that his feet are still firmly set on the ground when he joked: "Before I start thanking everyone who has helped me, I'd like to thank Tiger Woods for not
Congrats to Trevor Immelman on his fantastic wire-to-wire win at the Masters. I think he has it in him to become South Africa's top golfer in the modern era - no mean feat considering how well the likes of Els and Goosen have already done.
I couldn't believe my eyes. Here, thousands of us are sitting up, well after midnight, waiting for the big moment when Trevor Immelman wins South Africa's first Masters in something like 30 years, when some incredibly stupid M-Net TV programmer decides we've had enough of the golf and it's time to switch to some corny little Movie. Yes, this when there were just two holes to play and Immelman was leading by three shots from Tiger Woods! Immelman's triumph is in a similar category to SA winning the World Rugby or Cricket Cup or one of its athletes claiming a Golf Medal at the Olympics. Someome needs a big kick in the pants.
hmm well
Rosco, I think you misunderstood me. I certainly wasn't making a case for Monty's inclusion. With a World ranking in the sixties, he doesn't deserve his place. Rather I was agreeing with his view that TV revenue should not determine who qualifies for a place in the Masters, which, with all it's invitees, tends to have the weakest field of all the majors. Only the world's best players based on strict qualification rules should play in the majors. The field should not be on the whim of Augusta's 'good ol boys' who seem to think they are a law unto themselves and have no need to conform to international norms.
I have been watching the Kraft Nabisco Championship on Sky Sports 2 and getting really cross as not one mention has been made, either last night or tonight of our only English representative at the top of the leaderboard - Karen Stupples who was the leader after the first round - what it does for her confidence I dread to think - she is totally ignored - why does this happen - Mickey Walker is commentating and in the studio - she is English - why can't she give her a mention?
Taurus, can you post a link to the rules on how a Major should be run? Masters lose it's Major Status?? Dream on! Monty has known the criteria for qualification.....and has had plenty of tournaments in which to meet that qualification. Sour grapes, just like some years ago (late 90's) when his Order of Merit position was under threat when the last qualifying tournament offered a prize to the winner of circa 1m......all tournaments counted irrespective of whether the prize fund was high at the beginning, middle and end of the season. If No. 74 or 76 in the world were invited ahead of him, he would find an excure to moan. Great player, don't get me wrong, but no divine right for an invitation. Current form would see him pack his bags on Friday week anyway.
Golf is a joke in the way all the competititions are administered. Can you think of any other sport where the qualification rules vary from event to event and sponsors can pick who plays. Man U would love the idea as they would argue to be seeded into the last 4 of every tournament and would want the rules changed to make this possible. Might sound daft but that is exactly how golf is run, particularly in the States
Monty's right. Majors should not be open to golfers on the basis of TV rights alone. And this should be made clear to the good ol' boys of Augusta National who seem to think they are above everything and can do as they please. They should be told that unless the Masters is run like a major it could lose it's major status.
I'm looking for the right ruling. My ball went into a hazard with yellow markers . It wasn't in the water but it was plugged. I asked for relief but my playing partners said no because it was in the hazard. I said OK I will declare it unplayable . They said I would still have to play it as it lies because it was in a hazard. Were they correct?
The editor says.... No. You have two options in a situation like this. Under penalty of one stroke, you can go back to the spot from where you played the shot or, keeping yourself in line with the hole and the point where your ball entered the water hazard, you can drop the ball under penalty of one stroke on a spot as far back you like (Rule 26). Hope this answers your question.
I can't believe they have a hard time getting 80 players around a golf course in 1 day.
It's good to see Phil Mickelson and Annika Sorenstam back on top with the trophies. Both of them have charisma and skill and are good for the game. I've never heard of Filipe Aguilar, the European Tour winner, but he looks a nice enough chap - and his record at home clearly indicates that he knows how to win.
Personally I like to see the big name golfers beat the guys the media politely refer to as 'unheralded journeymen'. It's easier to identify with the stars and feel for them because you know so much more about them.
Golf365 Leaderboard
The Players Championship |
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-5 |
S Garcia | 72 |
-5 |
P Goydos | 72 |
-4 |
J Quinney | 72 |
GEL Golf has launched its new range of Groove Putters, the GEL Paul Hurrion Signature Range, into the UK and European markets
Posted Today @ 15:30 View all Taurus's posts
A word of warning to Sergio Garcia: winning The Players Championship is a big feat, to be sure, but it doesn't guarantee he'll ever win a major. Just look at Adam Scott, another player in his 20s who has won The Players, but has never looked like winning a major as yet. As the first European golfer to win in 20 years, I hope, however, that Sergio, one of our best Ryder Cup players over the past few years, does go on to win a major.