Sergio Garcia: 'It's Not My Fault I Didn't Win the British Open'

Posted Jul 23, 2007 7:24PM By Ryan Wilson (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Golf

I'm not Sergio Garcia's biggest fan, but I felt bad for the guy Sunday. He'd played three flawless rounds of golf, understandably bent under the pressure that goes with trying to win his first major, but held it together well enough to sneak into a playoff with Padraig Harrington. Things didn't work out for Garcia, but to hear him tell it, it's not his fault. After finding the fairway on the 72nd hole -- when a par would've given him the victory outright -- he offered this:

"When you're one shot in front, hitting a 3-iron into a green where there's danger everywhere, having to wait at least 15 minutes to hit your shot doesn't help... It doesn't help at all. I wasn't very happy about that."

The 15-minute wait Garcia alludes to -- which was closer to two minutes -- was to let a member of the grounds crew rake the bunker fronting the green. Both Chris DiMarco and Paul McGinley, in the group ahead, had found the sand on 18.

But Sergio wasn't done. When asked if he was surprised by how many of his final-round putts just missed going in, he replied, "Obviously you haven't been watching me much. You only watch the guys that make the putts and get the good breaks and things like that."

Look, Garcia's not the most likable sort on Tour -- Hater Nation makes a good case for why, exactly -- but like I wrote yesterday, he was extremely gracious during the awards ceremony. If only he'd left it at that, gave a Tiger Woods post-round presser (use a bunch of words, but say nothing), and if he wanted to take out his frustrations, he could've done it from the privacy of his hotel room. Now his critics can just point to his comments and say, "see, Sergio's still an immature baby."

I think the Golf Girl says it best:

I'm also pretty sure that Sergio will win a major. Eventually. But first he'll have to make a few changes to his character, and style. He'll have to mature and mellow, stop blaming and start acknowledging. Be a bit...humble. That's when golf fans and journalists will begin to pull for him, that's when he'll only have the field against him and with his extraordinary talent, that's when he'll finally win.

Exactly. Nobody likes a whiner. For as much as a Stepford Wife Phil Mickelson seems at times, he's wildly popular because (a) he's fat (and everybody loves a fat guy), (b) he willingly faces the media after a bad round (and he's had plenty), and more importantly, shoulders the blame, (c) he has a great rapport with fans, and (d) he's one of the world's best golfers.

Right now, Sergio could stand to work on (b). And hey, if he gets chubby in the process, all the better.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

7-23-2007 @ 8:21PM

audrey hobbs said...

I was delighted by the turn of events at Carnasty Sunday. I was sure that Sergio would walk off with the Cup but I prayed that he would not . I do not like his arrogance and tendency to blame outside factors in his lousy finishes in golf. The clincher that sealed the "hate Garcia "deal with me was the spitting in the cup incident. That can never be outlived and it deserves to go down in infamy with him. Harrington is a simple looking little grinder and If it had to be a non american winner it is o.k. with me that that ruddy cheeked little bugger won. He had it handed to him on a silver platter al la Van de Velde style/ Sergio will have something to ponder for a long time now and I hope he grows up one day.

7-23-2007 @ 10:30PM

Virginia said...

I too am sick to death with Sergio's juvenile mouth and actions.
He needs to grow up or quit golf. He's just good enough to get in everybody's way of enjoying a great golf turnament.
When he learns to take responsibility for his game and actions, I might root for him. In the meantime, I don't feel he deserves a thought of mine or a championship at all.

GROW UP SERGIO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

7-24-2007 @ 7:14AM

Toots Lee said...

It is inevitable that Garcia is a child. Needs maturity 100%. I dislike his arrogance & comments of blaming others for his own disasters. He deserves it & if he continues this attitude, maybe he should retire from the sport. I despise whining kids & he is no exception. Send him back to Spain, period! He angers me & doesn't deserve to be on the PGA Tour.

7-24-2007 @ 10:02AM

xk3 said...

Sergio = Classy

7-24-2007 @ 8:53PM

Steve said...

I could not have been more pleased with the outcome of the BRITISH OPEN...because Sergio DID NOT win! The problem I have with Garcia is the fact that he seems to be a legend in his own mind. The antics and theatrics that he goes through on a golf course are a total turn-off. His commercial endorsements definitely do NOT help his image...they only show him to be more arrogant.
The KEY WORD that I feel defines a true champion is "CLASS"....something Sergio lacks...well, the CL anyhow......'nuff said!

7-24-2007 @ 9:34PM

DAVE CHEEK said...

imagine if the bunker had not been raked and sergio hit his ball in a footprint ????????

sergio, too bad

7-24-2007 @ 9:38PM

brian said...

Harrington used to be a painfully slow and deliberate player.He is not that anymore.He was great at the U.S.Open ..he took time to sign hats,answer well wishers and be an all around Big Player. I was happy to see him grind it out.

7-24-2007 @ 9:44PM

ZXE said...

Sergio "Choker" Garcia just can't hang with the big
dogs yet so he must return the porch. Pressure is
something that pro's learn to handle and deal with
to accomplish the task at hand. He just choked again
plain and simple. He talks the talk but he can't produce at money time. Won't ever get over this loss.

7-24-2007 @ 10:11PM

rick farmer said...

talk about whining. everytime tiger flubbs a shot we see him swing his club around or yell at himself. the best golfer on tour but the biggest mouth, or is it because all we see is tigers round. i was so sick on friday when garcia was leading and all we kept hearing was when tiger tees off. got to see all of his round. seems like he does not win as much anymore since the baby came along.

7-24-2007 @ 10:29PM

john angel said...

do you ever see sergio throw a club, whine about cameras, cuss after a shot,or otherwise be a horrible example of a sportsman? he is young, so what is tigers excuse?

7-25-2007 @ 9:01AM

George Ann Seymour said...

I'm not and never have been a fan of Sergio Garcia...from the time he ran up the fairway and did a little vaudeville dance to last weeks British Open where he proved he wasn't a Major Champion, I've felt he was an arrogant, spoiled little twerp!Maybe he should move back to Spain where Sevie could console him.

7-25-2007 @ 11:35AM

Gantry said...

I never have been a big fan of Sergio, but he did play magnificently the first 3 rounds and played the last round at near par. All this on a course that Mickelson didn't make the cut and Tiger was way back in the pack. If you want to use the term choke, then apply it to Harrington who played the 18th hole like an 18 handicap duffer. After that, anything he did in the playoff was a pure gift. Who knows what happens to golfers when the adrenalin takes over. Shots hit start traveling 15 yards further and swing timing is affected as well. I think Sergio was great all week.

7-26-2007 @ 7:41AM

behitchco said...

Dear Sergio,

Please play all the European Tour events!

Sincerely,
Ugly American

7-26-2007 @ 7:46AM

Brian said...

Sergio,

Awaiting your reply.
Schedule ALL European ( and some Asian ) Tour events.
Thanks!

Ugly American

7-28-2007 @ 11:10PM

ange said...

HEY GUYS TIGER TELLS IT THE WAY IT IS, NO EXCUSES, HE'S NUMBER ONE AND WILL BE FOR A LONG TIME, LOOK AT HIS FINISHES LAST 5 MAJORS. WAKE UP GUYS. GARCIA HAS TALENT NO QUESTION, BUT NEEDS T GROW UP........

7-28-2007 @ 11:04PM

TommyJack said...

XK3....have you lost your mind?

7-28-2007 @ 11:45PM

George B Vieto said...

Sergio will get his act together and win a major golf touranment when he gets a coach that will motivate him to play better. In the words of former Saints Jim E. Mora "Coulda Woulda Shoulda."

8-03-2007 @ 10:08PM

mzrobyn21 said...

Well... all I gotta say is this... if it wasn't Sergio's fault for losing the Open, whose is it, Casper's? Or maybe it was the train rushin through. Ooh, I know... It's the Americans who's to blame. Please. The fault lies with the one who executed his game poorly, nobody elses. And it all comes back to him.