US Open / Romilly Evans / 12 June 2011 / 1 Comments

Romilly Evans looks forward to this week's US Open at Congressional and predicts a return to form for the out-of-sorts Sergio Garcia.

Perhaps more than any other sportsmen, the form of the golfer rises and falls like the sun. Be you a professional or a weekend hacker, a variety of ailments can knock you off your perch and send you spiralling down the leaderboard. From natural phenomena like capricious gusts of wind, a passing worm, even an aggressive bird who thinks you're making off with its unhatched egg, to the more prosaic glitch in your backswing or the dreaded putting "yips"... All can wreak untold havoc.

Small wonder the game frustrates as much as it delights. So much so that even the golfing greats can struggle to perennially maintain their position atop the game. Just look at Tiger Woods, whose driving was spectacularly derailed by a fire hydrant of all things.

Back when Tiger ran the world, there was also a thrusting young Turk climbing the ranks, desperately trying to rid the organisation of its domineering CEO. That kid was a 19-year-old Sergio Garcia, who burst onto the global stage by chasing Woods home in 1999 USPGA at Medinah. His destiny seemed secured: his role was to chase Tiger into the new millennium and beyond. However, it proved an unequal struggle. Multiple tour victories swiftly arrived on both sides of the pond but the majors predicted for Garcia never materialised. As if to rub salt into the wounds, the fates granted him victory in The Players Championship, the self-styled "fifth major", and second place in the world rankings to Woods. That was just a couple of years ago.

Then came the slide. Garcia's unsuccessful bid to usurp Woods, coupled with more major malfunctions, saw the can't-miss kid become the near-miss kid. His putting stroke crumbled in the fallout. And his personal life followed suit, with a painful break-up with his long-time girlfriend. He tumbled outside the Top 50 for the first time in his career, was reduced to a mere spectator at the Ryder Cup, when many judges thought this dazzling star had been extinguished for good. Sergio was only 30- years-old.

There was even some idle talk of him retiring to Spain and playing lower-league football at his local Borriol club, where he is on the board and one of their better players, even as a part-timer. But after some time out and some swing rebuilding to iron out the whiplash movement in his downswing, Garcia has returned as a man rejuvenated, if not reborn. The low-rounds are back too, and he has led a few tournaments at one time or another - even the recent Byron Nelson Classic where he was paired in the final group on Sunday.

While he's yet to win, the most notable change is in his demeanour. Formerly surly and defensive, Garcia looks like he's enjoying himself again on the course. And though he missed the cut for the first time in 19 events at this week (almost solely due to running up a 6 over par 11 on one hole when stymied behind a tree), at least he managed to laugh it off and say it gave him more time to prepare for this week's US Open at Congressional.

Indeed, Sergio is only playing at this year's second major, after a late about-turn on whether to participate in sectional qualifying. Languishing in the deep end of the Top 100, the Garcia of recent times would've baulked at slumming it with the also-rans of the tour. But his 2011 model is at least up for the fight - as evidenced by his successful participation, claiming one of the four US Open spots shared between the seven men in a tense Memphis play-off.

Garcia got in through the back door. And having opened it, some more light has followed him through. He's improved his short-range putting, his swing and above all his attitude. His own expectations remain low. Then again, high expectations never really helped him in the past. Seventy-fifth in the rankings and [75.0] to back on Betfair, it requires a leap of faith to say he'll win this week. At those towering odds, though, why not have a shy?

There have been notable examples of last-minute men breaking through at Majors. John Daly blazed from obscurity to light up the 1991 USPGA as the event's final reserve. No practice round, no form and no caddy (he borrowed Nick Price's) were no barrier to victory.

Just six years ago, Michael Campbell even worked the oracle at the US Open. He couldn't make a cut all year but then drained a six foot birdie putt on the last hole of qualifying at Walton Heath to punch his ticket to Pinehurst, where he outplayed Tiger down the stretch.

Garcia's current credentials are rock solid by comparison, so the 31-year-old should take heart. He is attempting to break his duck on his 48th successive appearance in the majors, the longest active streak of anyone playing. Further, his record in golf's toughest examination is promising (three Top-10s and the past eight years). He remains possibly the purest striker of a golf ball around, and is a long and straight driver of the ball - imperative on these narrow fairways, flanked by knee-high rough. So if the swashbuckling superhero is to return, this terrain could be a perfect launch-pad.

Without wishing to sound like an advert for the Lottery, you have to be in it to win it. And the US Open's 156-man field means you need a few lucky breaks if you're going to post the winning number on Sunday night. Garcia is due those more than most. But as he knows to his cost, golf is a fickle mistress who owes no-one anything.

Comments (1)

1. Anonymous | 15 June 2011

   with the sad loss of seve,would,nt it be just great to see the likes of sergio garcia follw on from the great man.all he needs is the conviction and seve,s fighting spirit,i for one think it,s what golf needs at the moment.

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