‘The best player never to have won a major’. It’s a millstone which has dogged the swings of many a talented golfer. It tortured Colin Montgomerie to the point of paranoia; Justin Rose and Adam Scott are currently vying to become its next recipient; and it was given the capital letter treatment (as if it were a title in itself) for Phil Mickelson until he broke the curse in 2004. But as its current holder elect prepares for this month’s Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, we find him wearing his crown a little lighter than usual.
As well he might, for 2008 was a good year for Sergio Garcia. ‘I am giving myself chances week in, week out to win events,’ he says, ‘and that is obviously my goal every time.’ Walking away with the PGA Player’s Championship, the so-called ‘fifth major’, underlined the sheer inevitability of Garcia breaking his hoodoo. Coming a narrow second in the US PGA Championship, claiming his first European title in three years at the Castelloe Masters in October, and crowning the start of the new season just a month later with victory at the HSBC Champions event, saw him rise to No 2 in the world.
‘It was great to get there with a win,’ Garcia beams. It is a comment which does a lot to explain the talented young Spaniard’s dilemma. He is one of golf’s most divisive figures because he plays so much with his heart on his sleeve. When he peaks, it’s magnificent to watch – fists pumping, teeth grinning – but when it goes the other way, it can be devastating, such as in 2007’s Open Championship at Carnoustie, where he imploded on the last hole, missing par to win, before losing to Padraig Harrington in a play-off. The response afterwards was understandably a little testy. Talk of majors was off the menu for a while.
But 2008 saw Garcia add consistency to the passion which made him the youngest player to make the cut at a European Tour event in 1995. This is something he is the first to admit: ‘Of course it is easier to play well when you feel good, but I think the times when you don’t feel good are the ones that make you a champion, as you have to hold your round together when nothing is going right.’ Consistency is something he has struggled with in the past, but he goes into the Abu Dhabi Championship a player reborn, confident and upbeat, having won two of his last three tournaments. ‘I am a more complete player now,’ he believes. ‘I won’t sit back and be content – I have so many things I want to achieve.’
Sergio is hungry – it’s good to hear. Back in 1999, when the teenage prodigy broke onto the Pro Tour, the pundits predicted the future of golf would be a two-way tussle between Tiger Woods and Garcia. The current rankings prove them shrewd judges, but whilst Tiger’s focus has seen him accumulate majors like they’re going out of style (he is injured for the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship), Garcia’s form (and swing) has fluttered. Now 28, the ‘when will you win a major?’ question is greeted with more indulgence. ‘I don’t mind being asked that,’ he reveals. ‘It is actually quite flattering that everyone thinks I should win a major, and feels the need to ask me when I will win – not if!’
The talent is unquestioned, and the first chance to gauge if this will be ‘the year’ for Sergio will be on the greens of The National Course at the 2009 Abu Dhabi Golf Championship. It will be the fourth time that Garcia tees off the so-called Desert Swing tour, which follows with events in Qatar and Dubai, but he’s yet to take the Abu Dhabi trophy. ‘Winning here would be the perfect start,’ he insists, but the competition will be high. ‘There are a lot of guys looking to start their year off with a victory – Padraig Harrington, Paul Casey, Henrik Stenson, Ian Poulter – it should be a very exciting week.’ Of course, notable absentees from that list include returning champion Martin Kaymer and Trevor Immelman – a player who finally broke his own majors hex last year at Augusta.
As well as a US$2 million pot and a stay at Emirates Palace (‘It’s a pretty impressive place,’ Garcia gushes), Abu Dhabi offers more tangible benefits in the form of Ryder Cup points. But in recent years it has witnessed something else: the rise of golf in the UAE. It’s a fact that hasn’t escaped Sergio’s attention. ‘I don’t think it can be long before a UAE player makes a big impact on the Tour,’ he says. ‘They are really investing in facilities, and by hosting world class golf tournaments, they are providing all the young aspiring players with invaluable opportunities to watch professional golfers live.’
Groundbreaking on Robert Trent Jones II’s Saadiyat Island wetlands course is due to start soon and Gary Player’s new Ocean course is scheduled to open later this year. Talk is that we might well see the capital’s Championship shift there from its current location at Abu Dhabi Golf Club in 2010.
Time will tell, but recent years have also seen pros of all calibres plant their flags in the UAE sand. Colin Montgomerie and Ernie Els both have courses in their names. Sergio himself, together with Greg ‘The Great White Shark’ Norman (father of Garcia’s girlfriend, Morgan-Leigh Norman), is involved in designing a course at Nakheel’s Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai. There exists a healthy competition between the golfers to have the best course, Garcia says: ‘I am interested to see what elements players work into their design, which I might either want to incorporate into my own designs, or make sure I avoid including.’
Garcia is too much of a gent to be drawn on which ones he’d chuck; but I catch him in a thoughtful mood, and with a parting foray enquire as to what New Year’s resolutions the No 2 golfer in the world made this January? The answer couldn’t be simpler. ‘To win a major, of course – I hope I keep it. And any other resolutions I keep private!’
The Abu Dhabi Golf Championship will be held at Abu Dhabi Golf Club from January 15-18. Tickets cost Dhs125-400 from www.timeouttickets.com
