Tense eagle encounter, then big day of birdies

SERGIO Garcia is an apex predator in golf, yet even he froze briefly over an eagle chance before five birdies ignited the sodden Australia PGA on the Gold Coast.

The magnetic Spaniard is squeezing everything he can into his first trip to Australia for seven years, which is why he ended up with a wedgetailed eagle perched on his gloved left forearm just 13 hours before yesterday’s neardawn tee time.

Garcia’s passion for adventure has flamed afresh with new bride Angela beside him, which explains ogling an albino dingo, feeding kangaroos, being entwined with a python and the eagle meeting at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary after Wednesday’s pro-am.

“There were a few nervous glances but I got told not to stare ... or you never know what happens,” Garcia said of the adrenalin-pumping moments with the king of Australia’s birdlife.

There was little doubt that the Masters champion and his reputation ruled at Royal Pines yesterday when he defied the day’s toughest conditions to shoot a five-under-par 67 in his first tournament round on the course.

Nearly holing two bunker shots for par saves from wet sand after a cloudburst delayed play early in his round stirred roars from more than 200 hardy fans who had set alarms to be at the course for his 6.10am tee time beside fellow drawcard Adam Scott (71).

For Garcia it was his earliest tee time in 18 years as a pro. that show Kangaroos players deliberately slowing the ruck.

The “piggyback” tactic allegedly involves Kangaroos stars attacking ball carriers in numbers. Bennett is concerned Australia’s third defender has no interest in trying to make a tackle, instead laying on top of a Kangaroos teammate to spoil the ruck and halt the opposition’s momentum.

“It was the closest I’ve had a dinner and a breakfast ever ... I’ve never teed off at 6.10 in a tournament,” Garcia said with a smile. “I thought there were going to be 10 or 12 people at the first tee but there were probably 200 to 300.”

They’d come to see ardry and they got it.

It came with a freakish birdie on his 12th hole, a par five, when he visited the trees left and right before slicing a 174m three iron around a tree from heavy ground to just 4.5m from the flag.

It was Garcia’s solitary fistpump birdie of the day, which was his personal measure of quality as the gallery around the stars grew to 1000-strong.

Those golfers who played without a drop of rain to softened greens late in the day were spoiled and had no idea of the flooded green on the third for the Garcia group or the thrashing rain delay on his eighth hole when he miscued a chip on resumption and saved par with a 5m putt.

Garcia let none of that adversity drag down his round and he was more mentally sharp than he gave himself credit for at the end of a long season.

Garcia was caught unawares by Scott reverting to the broomstick putter. The pair traded birdies from 7m on their second hole and the Aussie would have had a top round going but for an eight iron kicking into the pond for double bogey at his seventh hole, the par three 16th.

Scott’s birdie-birdie finish to the round was valuable: “I didn’t want to let Sergio get too far ahead,” he said. wiz-

The English believe the main culprits are forward trio Aaron Woods, Cameron Smith and Tyson Frizell.

Bennett raised the matter with NRL referees boss Tony Archer after their tournamentopening 18-4 loss to Australia and warned officials not to let the Kangaroos ruin the World Cup final in Brisbane.

“All I want is a game of foot- ball out of this final. We want an opportunity to play some football,” he said.

“If the World Cup final is going to be the showcase of our sport, it’s important the refs are on their game and doing everything they can to create a good spectacle.”

Bennett was stunned by Smith’s public lashing of the match officials when the Aus- tralian skipper threatened to slow the play-the-ball after their 34-0 defeat of Lebanon.

“There are always new trends in rugby league, but the latest trend is for the third man to come in and tackle his own man and slow the game down,” Bennett said.

“It is bordering on late and they [Australia] are doing it while two bodies are already on the ballrunner. The third man just adds weight to the pile to stop the guy playing the ball. It’s unnecessary.”

Kangaroos forward Matt Gillett dismissed suggestions Australia were flouting the rules, saying having one referee instead of two has affected all World Cup games.

“With the one ref, it slows things down a lot,” Gillett said.