Sergio García
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Sergio García | |
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Sergio García |
| Nickname | El Niño |
| Born | 9 January 1980 Borriol, Castellón, Spain |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 160 lb (73 kg; 11 st) |
| Nationality |  Spain |
| Residence | Borriol, Castellón, Spain |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1999 |
| Current tour(s) | European Tour (joined 1999) PGA Tour (joined 1999) |
| Professional wins | 19 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 7 |
| European Tour | 8 (tied 28th all time) |
| Best results in Major Championships |
|
| The Masters | T4: 2004 |
| U.S. Open | T3: 2005 |
| Open Championship | 2nd: 2007 |
| PGA Championship | 2nd/T2: 1999, 2008 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year |
1999 |
| Vardon Trophy | 2008 |
| Byron Nelson Award | 2008 |
Sergio García (born 9 January 1980) is a Spanish professional golfer who plays on both the United States PGA Tour and the European Tour. He has spent much of his career in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings (over 250 weeks between 2000 and 2008[1][2]). He reached a career high ranking of two after winning the HSBC Champions tournament in November 2008.
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[edit] Career outline
García began playing golf at the age of three and was taught by his father, Vitor. He was a star player as a junior, winning his club championship at age 12. Four years later, he set a record as the youngest player to make the cut at a European Tour event, the 1995 Turespana Open Mediterranea. This record was broken by amateur Jason Hak in November 2008 at the UBS Hong Kong Open, beating García's record by 107 days. Also in 1995, García became the youngest player[3] to win the European Amateur. In 1998, he won The Amateur Championship.
García turned professional in 1999 after shooting the lowest amateur score in the 1999 Masters Tournament. His first title on the European Tour came in his sixth start as a professional at the Irish Open. He first achieved worldwide prominence with a duel against Tiger Woods in the 1999 PGA Championship, where he eventually finished second. Late in the final round, García hit his most famed shot: with his ball up against a tree trunk and the green hidden from view, he swung hard with his eyes shut and hit a low curving fade that ran up onto the green. As the shot traveled, he sprinted madly into the fairway and then scissor-kick jumped to see the result. Shortly aferwards he became the youngest player ever to compete in the Ryder Cup.
When García first turned professional, he had an unorthodox swing with a loop and large lag, but during the 2003 season he worked towards making his swing more conventional. In his early years, he repeatedly gripped, released, and regripped his hands on the club handle before finally taking a shot. This "waggle" habit created a stir, especially at the 2002 U.S. Open when some spectators shouted out, "Hit the ball, Sergio!", and some people audibly counted the number of regrips into the twenties. Since then he has eliminated the habit. Responding to criticism of his swing, he said, "My swing works for me, so why should I change it? I prefer to have a natural swing and play well rather than a perfect swing and not be able to play good."[4]
García won his first PGA Tour tournament at the 2001 MasterCard Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas and then won again at the Buick Classic the same year. In 2002, he won the Mercedes Championships, and in 2004, he won the EDS Byron Nelson Championship and the Buick Classic for the second time. His sixth PGA Tour victory came at the 2005 Booz Allen Classic. He also plays a limited schedule on the European Tour, where he has won nine times.
García was a member of the European Ryder Cup team in 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008 and holds an impressive career record at the Ryder Cup of 14-3-3. As three of his appearances have resulted in overall victories, his input in the team has proved invaluable. He had risen into the top five of the Official World Golf Rankings, but after an inconsistent 2006 season, he dropped out of the top 10.
In the 2006 Ryder Cup, at the K Club in Ireland, García won both his fourball and foursome matches (with José María Olazábal and Luke Donald, respectively) on day one, beating David Toms and Brett Wetterich in the fourballs and Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk in the foursomes. On day two, he paired up with Olazábal again, who won both their matches against Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco in both the foursomes and fourballs. Going into the final day in the singles, García was heavily tipped to be the first person to win all their matches in one Ryder Cup; however, Stewart Cink beat him 4 and 3. Europe won the cup again, with 18½ points to the United States' 9½ points.
Earlier in 2007, García had encountered criticism when he spat in the cup during the WGC-CA Championship after three-putting.[5] After missing the cut of the first two major championships in 2007, García found success at The Open Championship - his favorite of the four majors - at Carnoustie Golf Links. He held the lead after each one of the first three rounds and carried a 3-shot lead over Steve Stricker and a 6-shot lead over the rest of the field into the start of the fourth day. At an early stage of the last round, he had extended the lead to 4 shots, but bogeys at the 5th, the 7th, and the 8th holes brought him back to the field. On the final challenging hole, he needed a par to win, but failed to get up and down from the greenside bunker. The last putt on the 18th hole on Sunday would have given him his first professional major. He missed it by a fraction and faced a playoff with Pádraig Harrington that he eventually lost by one stroke. In his post-round news conference, García seemed to suggest that bad breaks had cost him the championship. During the playoff, on the 16th hole, his tee shot hit the flag stick but then bounced 20 feet from the pin, and García could not convert for birdie. " It's not the first time, unfortunately," he stated. "I don't know... I'm playing against a lot of guys out there, more than the field." In the 2007 PGA Championship, he was disqualified after signing an incorrect scorecard after the third round.[6]
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García winning the 2008 Players Championship
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On 11 May 2008, García won The Players Championship on the PGA Tour in a playoff against Paul Goydos. On the first playoff hole, the 17th, Goydos hit a pitching wedge that ballooned and fell inches short of the green and into the water, while García played a sand wedge to within four feet of the hole. Goydos made double bogey while García made par for the win.[7] At the 2008 PGA Championship, he narrowly missed out winning his first professional major championship yet again. Like the 2007 Open Championship, Pádraig Harrington was able to erase a García lead on the back nine for the championship. García would finish two strokes back for his second runner-up finish at the PGA Championship. He did not make many mistakes during his final round, but his second shot on the 16th found the water which cost him sole ownership of the lead.[8] Regarding another near-miss in a major championship, García stated, "I felt like I responded well, and he was obviously very good on the back nine, and things just happened his way." On 26 October 2008, he won his first European Tour title in over three years, at the first playing of the Castelló Masters Costa Azahar at his home course, the Club de Campo del Mediterráneo in Castellón, Spain. With this win, he rose to a career high of third in the Official World Golf Rankings.[9] He dedicated the victory to compatriot Seve Ballesteros, who was recovering from multiple operations on a brain tumor. He won the 2008 HSBC Champions, the opening event on the 2009 European Tour season on 9 November 2008 in a playoff over Oliver Wilson. This win notched him up to a career high second in the Official World Golf Rankings, replacing Phil Mickelson in that spot, who ironically won the HSBC Champions in 2007. García earned more money than any other golfer in 2008, earning $6,979,959 in 26 events.[10]
[edit] Personal life
A bachelor, he drives a Ferrari 360 Modena "quickly" and a Jaguar XJR.[11] One of his most notable ex-girlfriends is former world number-one tennis player Martina Hingis, who helped him cope with the emotional side of the game.[12] He has also had an on-and-off relationship with Greg Norman's daughter, Morgan-Leigh Norman, a graduate of Boston College;[13][14][15] however, Sergio has confirmed the couple have now separated.[16]
Additionally, he keeps a close friendship with the Uruguayan football player Diego Forlán. They first met in Castellón when the latter was playing for the nearby La Liga club Villarreal.[17] More recently, he has developed a close rapport with young Colombian star golfer Camilo Villegas, with the two often dining together at night and ribbing one another in both English and Spanish by day while on tour.[16]Also, Garcia has a close friendship with world tennis number 1 Rafael Nadal.
[edit] Golf equipment
García has an endorsement deal with TaylorMade-adidas Golf,[18] and uses all TaylorMade clubs. His club lineup is as follows:
- Driver: TaylorMade R9 9.5°, Mitsubishi Diamana X-flex shaft
- Woods: TaylorMade Burner TP 14.5° (3 Wood), Fujikura RE.AX Rombax 105 TP and TaylorMade R7 TP 17.5° (5 Wood), Fujikura Vista Pro 80
- Irons: TaylorMade 2008 Tour Preferred Irons (4-PW), Royal Precision Rifle Project X 6.5
- Wedges: TaylorMade rac TP 54°, 58°, 60°
- Putter: Taylormade Rossa Daytona
- Rangefinder: Bushnell Slope Edition (Sponsored by Bushnell)
García also plays the new TaylorMade TP Red LDP ball. Under the leadership of Senior Director of R&D Dean Snell, a golf ball scientist whose name is on many of Acushnet's patents relating to the Pro V1, TaylorMade worked closely with tour pros to develop the original TP Red and Black golf balls, and García reported being a big participant in the development process.[19] There is also unofficial video documentation of a press conference where Snell speaks on the new TP balls while García demonstrates some shots.[20]
[edit] Professional wins (19)
[edit] PGA Tour wins (7)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 May 2001 | MasterCard Colonial | -13 (69-69-66-63=267) | 2 strokes |  Brian Gay, Phil Mickelson |
| 2 | 24 Jun 2001 | Buick Classic | -16 (68-67-66-67=268) | 3 strokes | Scott Hoch |
| 3 | 6 Jan 2002 | Mercedes Championships | -18 (73-69-68-64=274) | Playoff | David Toms |
| 4 | 16 May 2004 | EDS Byron Nelson Championship | -10 (66-68-65-71=270) | Playoff | Robert Damron, Dudley Hart |
| 5 | 13 Jun 2004 | Buick Classic | -12 (70-67-68-67=272) | Playoff |  Pádraig Harrington,  Rory Sabbatini |
| 6 | 12 Jun 2005 | Booz Allen Classic | -14 (71-68-66-65=270) | 2 strokes | Ben Crane, Davis Love III,  Adam Scott |
| 7 | 11 May 2008 | The Players Championship | -5 (66-73-73-71=283) | Playoff | Paul Goydos |
PGA Tour playoff record (4-5)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2001 | The Tour Championship | Mike Weir, David Toms, Ernie Els | Lost to birdie first hole (Weir) |
| 2 | 2002 | Mercedes Championships | David Toms | Won with birdie on first hole |
| 3 | 2004 | EDS Byron Nelson Championship | Dudley Hart, Robert Damron | Won with par on first hole |
| 4 | 2004 | Buick Classic | Rory Sabbatini, Pádraig Harrington | Won with birdie on third hole (Harrington was eliminated on the second hole) |
| 5 | 2005 | Wachovia Championship | Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk | Lost on first hole (Singh won with par on fourth hole) |
| 6 | 2007 | The Open Championship | Pádraig Harrington | Lost 4-hole playoff by 1 stroke: Harrington (3-3-4-5=15), García (5-3-4-4=16) |
| 7 | 2008 | The Players Championship | Paul Goydos | Won with par on first hole |
| 8 | 2008 | The Barclays | Vijay Singh, Kevin Sutherland | Lost on second hole: Singh birdie, García par |
| 9 | 2008 | The Tour Championship | Camilo Villegas | Lost on first hole: Villegas par, García bogey |
[edit] European Tour wins (8)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 Jul 1999 | Murphy's Irish Open | -16 (69-68-67-64=268) | 3 strokes |  Ángel Cabrera |
| 2 | 3 Oct 1999 | Linde German Masters | -11 (68-69-72-68=277) | Playoff | Pádraig Harrington,  Ian Woosnam |
| 3 | 23 Sep 2001 | Trophée Lancôme | -18 (68-65-68-65=266) | 1 stroke | Retief Goosen |
| 4 | 28 Apr 2002 | Canarias Open de Espana | -13 (67-68-67-73=275) | 4 strokes |  Emanuele Canonica |
| 5 | 17 Oct 2004 | Mallorca Classic | -12 (66-67-68-67=268) | 4 strokes |  Simon Khan |
| 6 | 4 Sep 2005 | Omega European Masters | -14 (66-65-71-68=270) | 1 stroke |  Peter Gustafsson |
| 7 | 26 Oct 2008 | Castelló Masters Costa Azahar | -20 (66-65-66-67=264) | 3 strokes | Peter Hedblom |
| 8 | 9 Nov 2008 | HSBC Champions | -14 (66-68-72-68=274) | Playoff | Oliver Wilson |
[edit] Other wins (4)
- 1997 Catalonian Open Championship (Spain - not a European Tour event)
- 2001 Nedbank Golf Challenge (South Africa - unofficial event)
- 2002 Kolon Cup Korean Open (Asian Tour)
- 2003 Nedbank Golf Challenge (South Africa - unofficial event)
[edit] Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | DNP | T38 LA | T40 | CUT | 8 | T28 | T4 | CUT | 46 | CUT | CUT | T38 |
| U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T46 | T12 | 4 | T35 | T20 | T3 | CUT | CUT | T18 | T10 |
| The Open Championship | CUT | DNP | T29 | CUT | T36 | T9 | T8 | T10 | CUT | T5 | T5 | 2 | T51 | |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | 2 | T34 | CUT | T10 | CUT | CUT | T23 | T3 | DQ | T2 |
LA = Low Amateur
DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half way cut
DQ = disqualified
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
[edit] Results in World Golf Championship events
| Tournament | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accenture Match Play Championship | DNP | R16 | DNP | R16 | R64 | R64 | R16 | DNP | R32 | R32 | R64 |
| CA Championship | T7 | T5 | NT1 | 7 | T12 | T4 | T3 | T32 | T3 | T15 | T31 |
| Bridgestone Invitational | T7 | DNP | DNP | T58 | T30 | T16 | T13 | T22 | T20 | T36 |
1Cancelled due to 9/11
DNP = Did not play
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = tied
NT = No Tournament
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
[edit] Team appearances
Amateur
- Eisenhower Trophy: 1996, 1998
- St Andrews Trophy: 1996, 1998
- Junior Ryder Cup: 1995, 1997
- Jacques Leglise Trophy: 1994, 1995, 1996 (winners), 1997, 1998
Professional
- Ryder Cup (representing Europe): 1999, 2002 (winners), 2004 (winners), 2006 (winners), 2008
- WGC-World Cup (representing Spain): 2001, 2004, 2005
- Seve Trophy (representing Continental Europe): 2000 (winners), 2003
- Alfred Dunhill Cup (representing Spain): 1999 (winners)
[edit] Trivia
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Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (December 2008) |
- In 2002, during a practice round, García made an albatross (double eagle) on the par-5 second hole at the Masters, one of the few players to have ever done so. On the 575-yard hole at the Augusta National Golf Club, he holed a 253-yard 2-iron following a 325 yard drive.
- García and his ex-girlfriend's father, Greg Norman, are designing a new golf course in San Antonio.[21]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ 69 Players Who Have Reached The Top-10 In World Ranking
- ^ "Players who have reached the Top Ten in the Official World Golf Ranking since 1986" (PDF). European Tour Official Guide 09 (38th ed.). PGA European Tour. 2009. p. 558. http://www.europeantour.com/default.sps?pagegid={00387D2B-9D40-40B9-B2AC-C46939A8370B}. Retrieved on 2009-01-16.
- ^ Sergio Garcia - Media Guide
- ^ The Gigantic Book of Golf Quotations, ed. Jim Apfelbaum. 2007.
- ^ Sergio Garcia: Spitting Mad
- ^ Garcia disqualified for signing incorrect scorecard
- ^ nytimes.com, García Clears Water and Ends a Drought
- ^ Harrington catches Garcia, rallies to win second straight major
- ^ Week 43 - Garcia Climbs to World Number Three with Home Victory at the Castelló Masters Costa Azahar - Official World Golf Rankings, 26 October 2008
- ^ García is the 2008 World Money Leader
- ^ http://www.golfdigest.com/features/index.ssf?/features/gd200202sergio.html
- ^ http://www.golfdigest.com/majors/usopen/index.ssf?/majors/usopen/gw20020621diaz.html
- ^ Sergio Garcia girlfriend News SportsNews24h.com
- ^ Sergio's a great guy - Norman | PerthNow
- ^ Some things won't change as continents unite for Clarke - Sport - Times Online
- ^ a b Rosaforte, Tim, Golf World (2008-10-06). "Villegas' rise points to the start of a new order, after Tiger, in professional golf". ESPN.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/columns/story?id=3620112. Retrieved on 2008-10-12.
- ^ Article from the Uruguayan newspaper El País (Spanish)
- ^ "TaylorMade PGA Tour Players: Sergio García". taylormadegolf.com. TaylorMade Golf. http://www.taylormadegolf.com/players.asp?tID=2&pID=152. Retrieved on 15 April 2006.
- ^ "New TaylorMade TP Golf Balls". thesandtrap.com. TheSandTrap.com. http://thesandtrap.com/archives/bag_drop/taylormade_gets_back_in_the_ball_game.php. Retrieved on 15 April 2006.
- ^ "TaylorMade TP Golf Ball Product Demonstration Video". thesandtrap.com. TheSandTrap.com. http://thesandtrap.com/archives/tvmedia/taylormade_tp_golf_ball_video.php. Retrieved on 15 April 2006.
- ^ Sergio Garcia and Greg Norman designing new course | Birdie Blog.com
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sergio Garcia |
- Sergio Garcia - official site
- Profile on the European Tour's website
- Profile on the PGA Tour's website
- Results in ranking events for the last two years from the Official World Golf Rankings site
- Interview - The Observer, 8 October 2006
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