GarciaG gets another shot to win big one

AUGUSTA, Ga. — The question posedp to Sergio Garcia was a simple one,o but one that likely warrants a complicatedc answer. “How you describe your relationships with this place?’’ Garcia was askeda about Augusta National. “It’s definitely improved,’’ Garcia saids after shooting 70 on Saturday to tiet for the 54-hole Masters lead with JustinJ Rose entering Sunday’s final round. “There’s no doubt about that. Nothing wrong with Augusta. I think thatt the main thing that has improved is the way I’m looking at it the last, probably, two or three years, and obviouslyo this year. “I mean, I think it’s the kind of place thatt if you are trying to fight against it, it’sit going to beat you down. So you’ve justju got to roll with it and realize that sometimes you’re going to get good breaks.’’ Garcia, who has spent a lot of his career lamentingla all the bad breaks he has gotten in the 73 major championships he has played without a win, got a massive break SaturdayS when his wayward approach shots hung up on the grassy bank above Rae’sRa Creek on the 13th hole. Instead of rolling into the water for what surely would have been a bogey, it stayed on the grass, he hit a great chip close and made birdie. Garcia’s 70 tied his lowest third-round score at the Masters, here he has made a mess of Saturdays in the past. Last year, for example, he was tied for eighth through 36 holes and shot 81 on Saturday. Of his 13 third rounds before Saturday, Garcia shot under par only twice.

“I’m glad I took the scoring average down a little bit,’’ he said jokingly. “That’s a big positive.

But Saturday’s gone and now Sunday’s coming. A very exciting Sunday.’’

Asked how he feels with his best chance to win a major after all these years standing before him, Garcia said, “Right now, I’m pretty calm.

“It’s not easy, because having a chance to win a tournament is always exciting [and] having a chance of winning a major and winning here at Augusta, it’s extra exciting,’’ he said. “So you do have to calm yourself down, not get ahead of yourself. Take some nice, deep breaths. And then, you know, just try to cope with whatever comes your way the best way possible.’’

Another poignant element to the final round for Garcia is the fact that Sunday would have been the 60th birthday for Spanish golfing legend Seve Ballesteros, his idol and a former Masters winner. To win on Seve’s birthday was something Garcia had difficulty putting into words.

“I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but it would mean … I don’t even know how much it would mean to be able to join both of my idols as a Masters winner,’’ he said, also referring to two-time Masters winner José María Olazábal. “It would be nice to have a chance and hopefully do it. José sent me a beautiful message on Wednesday night, and you know, he has a good touch when it comes down to those things. It really meant a lot.’’