GARCIA HOPING FOR A GREAT YEAR
SERGIO Garcia is hoping for another big year after his Masters win, the Spaniard said as he prepared to tee off his 2018 campaign. And the impending arrival of a baby girl will make it even more exciting, he said. Garcia, who begins his season at the Singapore Open this week, said he looked forward to winning more tournaments as he builds on his first Major championship in Augusta last April and his 2017 European Tour Golfer of the Year award. But it promises to be as big a year personally as it does professionally for Garcia – he wed Texan Angela Akins in July and they announced a few months later that they were expecting their first child. “There’s no small years nowadays. You always have four majors every year – they’re all special no matter how you would have played,” he said on the eve of the SMBC Singapore Open. “It’s a Ryder Cup year and it’s always exciting, it’s gonna be great. Also, we have a baby girl coming. So it just adds up to making it even more exciting. We’re looking forward to it.”
Garcia, who turned 38 last week, said he would try to win in Singapore to kick off the year with a good start but if not he hoped to use it as a warmup after a two-month break.
“Winning is nice, it doesn’t matter which time of the year. Obviously, the earlier you do it the more confidence you get,” he said.
“If we can manage to win here it will be amazing, but even if we don’t we can still hopefully take a lot of positives out of it.”
He was also upbeat about the prospect for Asian golf, saying the region’s players were improving.
“I think Asian golf is getting stronger every year, not only with Japanese players but Korean and Chinese and Thai players. There are Asian players coming out left and right.”
The $1-million (R12.25-million) Singapore Open, held from today to Sunday at the Sentosa Golf Club, is the season opener for the Asian Tour this year.
Other players taking part include defending champion Prayad Marksaeng of Thailand and Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa. – AFP