Sergio Garcia won't change schedule for Ryder Cup prep

I had set the over/under on feuds Colin Montgomerie would start before the 2010 Ryder Cup at 5.5, but that might have been too low. Monty and Ian Poulter have never seen eye to eye, and now Sergio Garcia is making it clear that Monty is not the the boss of him, according to The Daily Mail (UK).

Monty has made it known that he will ask potential members of the 2010 side to play in the BMW Open at Wentworth, the Wales Open at Celtic Manor -- the venue of the next Cup match -- and the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles next year.

"Is the BMW a similar course to the Ryder Cup event?" Garcia retorted. "I don’t think so. If it fits into my schedule, I will definitely make an effort. If it doesn’t, you know, I’ll have to play wherever it fits my schedule."

Garcia has not played at Wentworth in the spring since 2000 and looks to have a well-settled schedule which ties him to competing in the United States at that time.

I can't wait to see Monty leading the Euros in Wales next year. No one is more passionate about the event -- the guy literally lights up when he talks about match play and the Ryder Cup. However, he should let this Garcia thing pass without comment. Garcia has proved his commitment to the Ryder Cup and has been a great teammate in past cups. If Monty's itching for a fight, he can always call up Sandy Lyle.

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Can Sergio find his form? The clock's ticking

For at least a few moments yesterday at the Omega store in Midtown Manhattan, Sergio Garcia wasn’t thinking about his 15-month winless spell on the PGA Tour, his 0-for-44 run at the majors, or even his freshest wound: the final-round hiccups that cost him the Wyndham Championship last weekend. The scruffy-faced Spaniard was focused on a task so meticulous that it required every ounce of his attention: disassembling a watch.

It was a publicity stunt for Omega, and the golfer was in top pitchman form, beginning with his prompt 11 a.m. arrival at the company’s flagship boutique on 5th Avenue. (Rule No. 1 for watch endorsers: be on time.) After a flurry of handshakes, smooches and photo ops, Garcia was led up two flights of stairs to a tidy laboratory whose white coat-wearing occupants looked more like nuclear scientists than watchmakers. Garcia slipped on a lab coat of his own and pulled up a seat next to the tiny bowels of a high-powered timepiece. Tweezers in one hand, a miniature screwdriver in the other, and a jeweler’s loop clinging to his brow, he dutifully went to work, seemingly unfazed by the boom mike hovering over his head or the swat team of public relations reps crowded around him. Garcia lowered the loop over his right eye and grinned. “It’s a lot easier with this thing, man!” he said.

Garcia proved he can dismantle a watch, but the 29-year-old can’t turn back the clock on what has been a frustrating season for him on the PGA Tour. His listless third-place finish in Greensboro, N.C., on Sunday was only his second top-10 finish of the season, and he is a 89th in the FedEx Cup points race as the playoffs kick off this week with the Barclays at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, N.J. “On Sunday I just didn’t feel comfortable,” Garcia told me of the Wyndham. “I never felt like I was in total control of it. I seemed to be trying to hold on [to the lead] the whole time.” It showed. After a hot start, he bogeyed Nos. 8, 11 and 12 and didn’t make a birdie after the seventh hole. His second- and third-round 64s seemed a distant memory.

Tiger: I'm surprised Sergio hasn't won a major yet

How fast does time fly? It's been 10 years since Sergio Garcia made his explosive debut as a star of the game at age 19 with his otherworldly shots and his scissor kick against Tiger Woods at the 1999 PGA Championship at Medinah. Woods, who hadn't played with Garcia since the final round of the 2005 British Open at Hoylake, was paired with him this week at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio.

"It is a long time, isn't it?" Wood said when asked about the '99 PGA Championship. "You know, he's not the new young gun anymore. He's become one of the Tour vets. ... I would say he's had a pretty darn good career so far."

Woods famously got the best of Garcia at Medinah and Hoylake. (After beating a yellow-clad Garcia at Hoylake in 2005, Woods reportedly sent a text to a friend that read, "I just bludgeoned Tweety Bird.") Still, Woods said Garcia has the talent to win majors and he was surprised it hasn't happened yet.

"You would have thought [Garcia would have won a major]. He's been so close. He's been in the final group a few times and he's been right there with a chance," Woods said. "He had a major on his putter on the last hole at Carnoustie, and he hit a good putt, it just didn't go in.

"He's been there, it just hasn't -- he hasn't gotten over the hurdle yet, but he's been there. It's just a matter of time. Sergio certainly has the talent to do it," Woods said.

Sergio Garcia says split with girlfriend, Greg Norman's daughter, hurt his game

Sergio Garcia has been struggling with his game these past few months for the oldest reason in the world: a broken heart.

Garcia, who was in Turnberry this week, confirmed that he'd split with Morgan-Leigh Norman, Greg Norman's daughter, in mid-March, which is when his game started to go into a tailspin. Once a threat to overtake the injured Tiger Woods as the World No. 1, Garcia now fights for the third spot with Paul Casey and Geoff Ogilvy, well below Woods and Phil Mickelson.

John Hopkins of The Times (UK) has the authoritative report on the breakup, including who dumped whom. (Morgan initiated the breakup).

Speaking at Turnberry, where the Open will be held in July, [Garcia] said that it had been her decision to part. He gave a deep sigh as he described his discomfort on the golf course. “Myself, when I am not feeling happy on a golf course and not up for it, that is the way it is. You can’t do anything about it. I can’t do well. Obviously the break-up with Morgan didn’t help. You get over some things. Others take a little longer.

“It was her doing, not mine, and it happened the week of Miami. It is unfortunate, one of those things. Do I still think of her all the time? No. It is pretty much back in the past now.”

Garcia, who gets criticized for his sometimes ill-advised comments and immature behavior, spoke about a painful time in his life in a naked way you don't often hear at a media news conference.

García said at Turnberry that he had not seen Ms Norman since the end of their affair. “We are still friends but no, we haven’t spoken since then. We have not telephoned. Obviously, because of the situation I would rather not talk to her, because when you are trying to get over a relationship it is difficult. But I don’t have a feeling of hate against her.”

Asked whether being in the public eye made it harder to deal with his emotions, he replied: “No, I wasn’t sad because my relationship was public because everybody knew about it. I was sad because of my feelings. It is within me. It is in my heart. I am not thinking what other people are thinking about it. I am thinking what I am thinking about it. At the end of the day a relationship is still a relationship.”

Hopkins reports that Garcia appeared cheerful at Turnberry and said he was feeling happier. Why not? He's young, rich, handsome and has the world's best pickup line: Would you like to go for a ride in my plane?

What to Watch for: Players Championship Thursday

Two pieces of equipment will define the first round of the Players: Tiger's driver and Sergio's putter. Both weapons have been misfiring so far this season, and the result has been some desperate tinkering. Last week Tiger tried out three different shafts in his driver, and Sergio will be wielding a new wand at the Players. Both would-be favorites need to shore up their lingering weaknesses to contend this week.

Despite its brutish reputation, the Stadium Course is actually a position golf course, which is why Johnny Miller recently opined that Woods would be wise to leave his balky driver in the trunk of his car. In his pre-tournament press conference, Woods seemed offended by the suggestion, and the high-profile disputation only increases the pressure on Tiger to find the Stadium's narrow fairways.

Meanwhile, Garcia's spottiness on the greens is nothing new, but he seems beaten-down by all those missed putts. Last year's triumph at the Players was supposed to be Sergio's breakthrough, but his game and his attitude have regressed significantly this year. If returning to the Stadium Course doesn't inspire him, nothing ever will.

Sergio Garcia disses Augusta National course

UPDATE: Sergio Garcia apologized in a statement Monday for negative comments he made about Augusta National following his T38th finish on Sunday, according to The Telegraph (UK).

"Following my final round at the Masters, I made comments in an interview that I regret and want to apologise for," he said..

"Out of frustration, I blamed the golf course instead of putting the blame where it belongs, on myself.

“I didn’t get it done this week. Augusta National is one of the most iconic golf courses in the game and playing in the Masters each year is an honour. I apologise to the members of Augusta National and the fans who rightfully treasure this golf course.”

Augusta National chairman Billy Payne can forget about asking Sergio Garcia to partner up for the member-guest tournament. After shooting 74 on Sunday for a T38th finish in the Masters, Garcia criticized the almost universally praised course in remarks to The Golf Channel.

"I don't like it," a frustrated Garcia said. "I don't think it's fair. It's too tricky. ... It's too much of a guessing game."

Asked what he thinks Augusta National should do differently with the course, Sergio responded, "I don't care. They can do whatever they want to. It's not my problem. I just come here and play and then go home."

Furyk, Garcia pairing has potential for ill will

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Jim Furyk didn't mince words after Spain's exuberant match play genius, Sergio Garcia, led Europe to victory over the Americans in the 2002 Ryder Cup.

"We lost to 11 gentleman and one little boy," Furyk said.

Ouch.

Don't look now, but the two are paired together in group 21 for the third round of the 2009 Masters on Saturday. The twosome, both at 4-under-par for the tournament, go off at 2:05 p.m. 

Dress Sergio Garcia at the Players Championship

While he's no Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia has worn some interesting clothing during his career. He's often played in bold outfits that were color-coordinated from head to toe. (And yes, Sergio, we were as confused as you were about that yellow decision.) Well, now you have a chance to help the world's No. 3 golfer get dressed in the morning. On PGATour.com, you can vote for the ensemble (each of which is fairly subdued) that you'd like him to wear Friday, May 8th, as he defends his title at the Players Championship.

Choose wisely. Garcia is counting on you to pick an outfit that will help lead him to victory at TPC Sawgrass once again. "I trust my fans to pick out a great outfit that will provide good luck for me during the second round," he said. "I can't want to see which outfit wins."

Jon Super/AP (left); Robert Beck/SI (right)

Tiger's back, but has anything really changed?

DORAL, Fla. -- The big news from the exciting world of math Wednesday was that Sergio Garcia could overtake Tiger Woods at the WGC-CA Championship at Doral Resort and Spa this week.

The problem with the equation is that Garcia must win, and Woods must finish 27th or worse. That second part, on this golf course, is about as likely as an asteroid strike.

Plus there's the issue of the Woods/Garcia pecking order having long been established. One prominent Tour caddie summarized the conventional wisdom thusly: "If they get paired together, Sergio will melt."

Which begs the question: Has anything changed in a meaningful way since Woods hit the DL last June?

This week's tournament, Tiger's first four-round event since he won the U.S. Open with a torn ACL in his left knee and a double stress fracture in his left tibia, will begin to answer that question. (Woods tees off Thursday at 11:25 a.m. Eastern.) The Tour is rebooting, and version 2.0 may look slightly different. It's possible the gap between Tiger and everyone else really has narrowed, but not for the reasons the math geeks would have you believe.

There is a small but talented group of players chasing Woods who, unlike Garcia, Phil Mickelson (world No. 3), Ernie Els (No. 15) and other veterans, have no experience losing to Woods.

The alpha dog from Isleworth, who played his practice round with Mike Weir on Wednesday (must be a W thing), has not yet established himself against 19-year-old Rory McIlroy, who since June has rocketed from 180th to 16th in the World Ranking.

Woods has never played with Dustin Johnson, 24, who has won twice and climbed to 38th in the world since Woods went under the knife on June 24.

Geoff Ogilvy, the world No. 4, derailed the Woods Express here a year ago, stopping Tiger's five-tournament winning streak while doing the hardest thing in golf: playing with him.

While McIlroy may yet be too young and too deferential to upend Woods if he gets the chance anytime soon -- McIlroy's been a Tiger fan since boyhood, which is to say he's still a Tiger fan -- Ogilvy seems up to the challenge. He is so competitive, he said Wednesday, "If I'm on the treadmill in the gym, I'm going 1 mph faster than the guy next to me just because it annoys me if he's going faster."

It doesn't hurt that Ogilvy, like a certain someone, is getting into the habit of winning. He won the Mercedes Championship to open the season, and the WGC-Accenture Match Play, for the second time, two weeks ago.

Johnson, a 6-foot-4-inch Carolina bomber who can dunk a basketball with either hand, seems to have the right blend of outrageous length (he reached the par-5 opening hole in two, with a 9-iron, on Wednesday) and outrageous self-belief to hold up well against Woods.

"I've always been good," Johnson told me, when asked when he knew he was an exceptional talent. Okaaaay.

Johnson will need to figure out his irons from inside about 140 yards to thrive should he find himself in Tiger's airspace, but he certainly doesn't lack for the contender's swagger.

Anthony Kim, 23, who has risen from 19th to 11th in the world in Tiger's absence, displays the same kind of brash, bulletproof exterior. Kim's game has been A.W.O.L. lately, but don't fret it. He has the gaudy skills, time is on his side and, despite the jokey, deferential Nike commercial that's all the rage, he wholeheartedly believes that when he's on, he's the greatest thing in spikes.

Forget about the points; it's going to take unshakeable self-belief to close the Tiger gap. Woods may or may not win this week, but he surely isn't going to finish 27th or worse. And it's beside the point. The Tour's young comers are good, no doubt. But are they scared? 

Leaderboard: Follow Tiger's Thursday round | Tiger Tracker | Photos: Tiger's Practice Round   

(Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images) 

Harrington says rift with Sergio is over

The European team lost the Ryder Cup this year, but at least one good thing came of the week in Kentucky: a thawing in the relationship between the continent's top two stars, Padraig Harrington and Sergio Garcia.

The relationship between the pair had been frosty since the 2007 British Open at Carnoustie, when Harrington defeated the Spaniard in a playoff. Garcia's subsequent press conference set a new standard for petulant whining, as he bemoaned his bad luck and suggested he was battling greater opponents than just the field. Things didn't get any warmer this summer when Garcia stumbled down the stretch at Oakland Hills, allowing the Dubliner to claim his third major title at the PGA Championship.

It is worth noting here that the cause of Sergio's anger toward Harrington wasn't due to a sucker punch or a slur against his momma. It was simply because he lost, fair and square. And he didn't much like that.

But Harrington has told the Irish Independent that the two healed their rift in Kentucky at the urging of fellow team members.

"It certainly has been difficult between me and Sergio. Things definitely got a little bit tense there, but the Ryder Cup really helped," Harrington said. "We spent the week in each other's company, played a couple of practice matches together and he got to say his piece, things he wanted to say all along."

So what exactly did Sergio want to say? Perhaps 'Well done!' or 'Congratulations, Paddy!' or perhaps even 'Sorry I acted like a jerk.'

Um, no.

"Some of the lads eventually drew it out of him and he got to tell me that he really wanted to smash that putter over my head," the Irishman revealed. "That was what I really wanted to hear and, though the Ryder Cup didn't do much for Europe, it did do a lot for me and Sergio."

(Photo: John Biever/SI)