Garcia’s title dreams sink . . . again and again
This time, Sergio Garcia offered no excuses.
Blame this one on the golf gods? Not a chance. Even they couldn’t possibly be this cruel.
One moment Garcia was fighting to get back to even par and in contention at the Masters. The next he was writing a double-digit number on his scorecard that effectively ended any chance he had of defending his Masters title.
Even for the mercurial Spaniard, this was uncharted territory.
“It’s the first time in my career where I make a 13 without missing a shot,” Garcia said. “Simple as that.”
Well, not exactly. If it were that simple, Garcia might have a lot more prized possessions in his display case than the green jacket he won in a memorable back nine charge last year that included an eagle on the par-5 15th hole.
He won’t get another this year after an implosion on the very same hole that someday might have its own special spot in Masters lore.
Unfortunately for Garcia, for all the wrong reasons.
Five straight shots into the water. Four of them from less than 95m with a sand wedge in his hand.
And, finally, a one-putt from 3m for a 13 that sent golf writers scurrying to the internet to find out what to call it.
For the record, it was an octuple bogey.
Also for the record, it was the highest score posted by any player ever on the hole that played second easiest for the field, and part of an 81 that was the highest score ever shot by a defending champion in the opening round of the Masters.
“I felt like I hit a lot of good shots and unfortunately the ball just didn’t want to stop,” Garcia said. “I don’t know, you know, it’s one of those things. So it’s just unfortunate, but that’s what it is.”
Give Garcia credit for at least trying to explain the inexplicable. But that’s Garcia, a walking contradiction over the years who once blamed the golf gods for stealing a British Open title from him.
He’s rarely shied away from answering questions, and seems to try his best to answer them honestly. For years the biggest question was why he couldn’t win a major, something his win last year here finally put to rest.
Compared to that, this answer was relatively simple.
“I felt like the ball was going to stop and unfortunately for whatever reason it didn’t want to,” Garcia said. AP