In the Bag 2013 with Sergio Garcia

He is one of the tour’s most charismatic, controversial and talented golfers, yet for many people Sergio Garcia remains an enigma. Supremely talented and a natural successor to Seve, Garcia is yet to fulfil the immense potential he first showed as young golfer and several unsavoury incidents in his career have left a somewhat bitter taste in the mouth of his many fans, as well as his critics.

In this article, we’ll learn a little about this divisive character, the clubs he’ll have in the bag in 2013 and what his future aims may be.

FACTFILE: Sergio Garcia

Player Name: Sergio Garcia

Place of Birth: Castellon, Spain

Age: 33

Club Sponsor: Taylor Made

Major Wins (0) :  US Masters (0), US Open (0), Open Championship (0), USPGA Championship (0) – Sergio has finished 2nd in both the Open (2007) and the USPGA (1999 and 2008). He’s also finished 3rd at the US Open in 2005 and 4th at the Masters in 2004.

Other Tournament Wins : 25 (8 PGA Tour, 10 European Tour, 3 Asian Tour and 4 other events)

Current World Ranking: 15th

In The Bag with Sergio Garcia 2013

Driver: Taylor Made R1 Driver

Fairway Woods: Taylor Made Rocketballz Stage 2 Tour Fairway Wood

Rescue Club : Tatlor Made Rocketballz Stage 2 Tour Rescue

Irons: Taylor Made RocketBladez Tour Irons

Wedges: Taylor Made ATV Wedges, 50″ and 58″

Putter: Taylor Made Ghost Tour MC-72

Ball: Taylor Made Lethal Ball

Career Highlights:

Garcia’s highlights in his career include many tournament victories and a member of several victorious Ryder Cup winning teams as both a player and assistant to the Team Captain.  However, perhaps his greatest moment came at the 1999 PGA Championship when battling Tiger Woods for the top spot, his tee shot at the 16th left his ball up against the foot of a tree and seemingly impossible for him to get close to the green.

What followed was certainly one of the most incredible shots of that, or any golfing year, a shot that showcased not just Garcia’s talent but his bravery too. Exuberance of youth, or a snippet of golf genius? You decide!

Career Lowpoints:

Unfortunately for Garcia, he may well be likely remembered as one of the most naturally gifted players ever to play the game who may not win a major. Over the past few years, Sergio has seemed to resign himself to this fate giving a series of interviews where he has all but written off his chances of Major success, saying at 33 he may be too old.

However, it is controversy that has dogged the Spaniard at times. He famously spat into the hole after missing a par putt in one tournament in 2007, but recently it was his ‘spat’ of another kind with Tiger Woods which arguably was his lowest ebb, when he repeated offensive, racially abhorrent phrases uttered first by Fuzzy Zoeller, after he and Tiger clashed during and following the recent Players Championship.

Garcia has since made several fulsome apologies (below) and has shaken Woods’ hand ahead of the US Open. However this unsavoury incident has cast a cloud over Garcia’s personality just as he should be entering his prime golfing years.

What does the future hold for Sergio Garcia?

The first thing Sergio must do is restore his reputation in the wake of the Tiger Woods scandal and this may take him a good deal of time, given the gravity of what he did, although his attempt to reconcile directly with Woods at the US Open does him some credit.

On the course, Garcia perhaps needs to regain some of his mental strength and fortitude. His defeatist attitude at times cannot be helping him especially in the Major competitions, which he undoubtedly has the talent to win, if not the self-belief.

Perhaps Garcia’s next move is to work on the mental side of his game and rediscover the hunger, passion and appetite for the game that made him a natural successor to his compatriot Seve at such a young age.

(Pictures courtesy of Sergio Gracia Facebook Page)