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| Will Sergio ever live up to the promise he showed at Medinah in '99? |
On the PGA Championship website, the first paragraph of the summary of the 1999 tournament reads:
“Just 23, and with the game of a veteran, Tiger Woods captured the 81st PGA Championship at Medinah (Ill.) Country Club, and may have found his biggest rival as golf heads into the next century.”
The reference, is to Woods’ epic duel down the stretch with 19-year-old Spanish phenom, Sergio Garcia. In August of 1999, Woods had won one major and Garcia was just beginning what was sure to be a stellar professional career.
Heading into the 1999 PGA Championship, everyone knew about Tiger and what he had done as an amateur, not to mention his blowing the doors off the field as a professional at the 1997 Masters. Garcia, Tiger’s European equivalent as a prodigy, was still relatively anonymous, especially in The United States. Garcia had won 22 events (including one professional one) as an amateur before turning pro in April of 1999. Just six starts into his pro career, Garcia won the Irish Open, one of the premier events on the European Tour. A few months later, the PGA Championship would be his dramatic introduction to the American public.
Although his ceaseless waggles on the tee left players, fans, and broadcasters shaking their heads, Garcia led after the first round with a brilliant 6-under-par 66. Garcia faltered slightly in the second round, but matched Tiger’s 68 in the third round leaving him one shot back of the lead. Over the course of the final nine holes on Sunday, Garcia played the way only a 19-year-old could. Glaring back at Woods after making birdie at 13, Garcia appeared poised and determined. Three holes later he emphasized that point by hitting one of the most memorable and most-often replayed shots in major championship golf. Garcia’s eyes-closed six-iron from between two tree roots immediately vaulted him into golf history. The fact that Woods ended up with a one-stroke victory became almost an afterthought.
With a flamboyant, aggressive and creative style reminiscent of his countryman, 5-time major champion Seve Ballesteros, Garcia appeared the perfect foil to the powerful precision of Woods. It was easy to believe that they would be the Arnie and Jack of the next 20 years. Unlike many of the older, more experienced golfers on tour, Garcia seemed unfazed by Woods and his unprecedented combination of length and touch.
This week, the PGA Championship returns to Medinah and the “rivalry for the ages” between Woods and Garcia has yet to materialize. Woods has exceeded the loftiest of expectations by winning 11 majors while Garcia has yet to win his first. Yes, Garcia, 26, and Woods, 31, have a lot of competitions in their future, but 11-0 is not the tally anyone would have predicted after the 1999 PGA.
While Garcia has not been Woods equal, his career has not been a complete bust either. He has won several times on both the European and the PGA Tours and has been in contention several majors. He is currently ninth in the World Golf Rankings and has been a major part of the last few European Ryder Cup Teams. Garcia was even paired with Woods in the final group on Sunday of this year’s British Open, just a stroke out of the lead. This time, however, Garcia bogeyed several early holes and was never a factor late.
So, what has happened to Garcia? Was the hype created by the 1999 PGA not matched by Garcia’s real talent? Did Garcia lose something in the last seven years? Is it too soon to dismiss Garcia or is he simply one of the many potential Tiger rivals to succumb to the blistering pace set by Woods?
The most common target for Garcia’s underachieving has been his putting. The general feeling is that from tee to green, Garcia has the shot-making ability to stay with Tiger, but once on the short grass, Garcia is less than average. PGA Tour statistics certainly point to the flat stick as the source of Garcia’s problems. After finishing tied for 35th in putting on the American tour in 2002, Garcia has yet to finish higher than 129th and is currently ranked 158th. Meanwhile, Woods has finished 10th, 2nd and 5th in putting over the last three years. The fact that Garcia has been able to win five times during that span, including twice in the U.S., is a clear indication of how good the rest of his game is.
As bad as his putting has been, it is simply the most visible symptom of a deeper problem. If you compare the current Garcia to the “Sergio” of his first few years, he has lost the brash, youthful cockiness that comes from knowing that a putt is going in before you even step up to it. Garcia used to dismiss the criticism of his nonstop waggle before taking his swing as the whining of his golf elders. Since then, he has backed off and shortened his pre-shot routine. Garcia used to practically fly down the fairways, willing to go toe-to-toe with anyone. Now his thoughtful stroll down the course is indistinguishable from any other pro.
A lot of teenage athletes have the swagger of youth and are confident of victory before they even step on the field, court, or tee. Very few maintain that supreme self-assuredness into adulthood. Michael Jordan and Larry Bird did it. Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods kept it. Pedro Martinez and Roger Clemens still throw it by people at 95 MPH. These athletes see defeat as an aberration, merely a bump in the road. They never lose the confidence that they are winners.
Sergio has grown up like the majority of athletes, with some level of self-doubt. For a golfer, the most likely place for this loss of confidence to have an affect is on the green. Trying to wish in a seven-foot par putt while your final round partner is sinking birdies left and right is not a great formula for success. Golfers from Greg Norman to your weekend foursome partner have had to face the dreaded “yips.”
Once they have lost it, sometimes athletes can get that ultimate level of confidence back, but rarely. One example is Karrie Webb, formerly Annika Sorenstam’s equal before fading, who seems to have returned to that level this year. I don’t think the issue for Sergio is whether he wins a major tournament, because he probably will, but whether he can regain the swagger he had in 1999 and give Tiger a run for his money down the back nine of their careers. Golf fans all over are hoping he does.
© Copyright by Atomic Sports Media, Inc.
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