Spain reign delights Garcia
THIS is turning into a year for Spanish sport like no other, and its gifted golfers are making a rich contribution. Asked if it was the weather, the Spanish temperament, or the help they receive from the Spanish golf federation, Sergio Garcia smiled broadly and offered his own explanation. ‘Spanish class,’ he said proudly. There’s certainly been plenty of that from the man who got the ball rolling with his Masters victory in April. Since then, Real Madrid have won the Champions League for the 12th time, Rafa Nadal has won the French Open, Garbine Muguruza the women’s crown at Wimbledon and Jon Rahm and Rafa Cabrera-Bello have won the last two events, the Irish and Scottish Opens, on the European Tour. ‘It must be our greatest year, and certainly in terms of winning golf titles,’ said the 37 year old, which is some claim given the legacy left by Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal. Are the fates aligned for the inform trio this week, at the place where Seve finished runner-up in 1976? ‘We’re all great friends and we’re all certainly very motivated at the thought of trying to keep this great run going,’ said Garcia, who has placed all thoughts of his wedding in Dallas next week to one side. ‘Don’t worry, my mind is all on the Open. Both Angela and I are very excited about next week but right now we want to be here giving it everything we have. Angela has done a great job of getting everything ready for next week.’ Meanwhile, Lee Westwood is refusing to comment on his surprising split from his longtime manager, Chubby Chandler. ‘It’s a private matter,’ said the Englishman, speaking for the first time about it. Or not, to be more precise.