Garcia win would trump pro-am fun
- |
NORTON - Playing a round of golf with someone who has made himself famous for building a fortune, losing it, and making it again must have been a nice respite for Sergio Garcia.
With real estate developer Donald Trump in his pro-am group yesterday, Garcia was not the most famous person in the fivesome. It was "The Donald" who stayed behind on the 18th tee for a quickie television interview. It was The Donald who had fans nudging each other and whispering his name as he walked by. The Donald even had someone carry his scorecard for him.
Competitive?
After Trump ripped an approach shot out of the left rough on the par-4 ninth, finishing just short of the green, Garcia trumped his playing partner, popping a delicate chip from the bank of a small hill behind the green, and watching it roll some 30 feet across the green and into the cup for birdie. The grin that he could not suppress was both shy and sly.
"It was great," Garcia said of playing with Trump, after Garcia shot a 6-under-par 65 to help his team (net 54) win the morning pro-am at the
"It wasn't the first time I met him. He was a much better golfer than I thought. It was good fun to play with him, a good experience."
The chip-in is the kind of finish that has been missing from Garcia's summer. He's playing bang-up golf, but time and again, it's belly-up at the last.
After winning The Players Championship in May, the 28-year-old Spaniard seemed prepared to take the next step and win a major. In the final round of the PGA Championship at Oakland Hills earlier this month, he was clinging to a one-shot lead at the 16th. Then he dumped his second shot into the water and bogeyed the hole, and Padraig Harrington steamed past him, ultimately winning by two. It was Garcia's second loss to Harrington in a major; the Irishman snatched the 2007 British Open at Carnoustie in a playoff after Garcia missed a 6-foot par putt on 18.
"It's all about playing golf," Garcia said yesterday, dismissing the past. "You play well, you're going to be up there."
It's the times he plays well and loses that frustrate. Garcia is 0 for 38 in major championships, that's the counterweight to his prodigious talent - and he's lost other big events, too. Last week at The Barclays in Paramus, N.J., Garcia lost to Vijay Singh in a playoff in the first tournament of the
Maybe playing with Trump will help Garcia write his own success story. He certainly has an enthusiastic supporter in The Donald.
"He's playing fantastic," Trump said. "He's somebody to watch this weekend."
Garcia starts the Deutsche Bank Championship today second in the FedEx Cup standings to Singh, and third on the PGA Tour in scoring average at 69.60. At The Barclays, he was second in the field in putts per round at 27.5, though he's ranked 167th in putting on the Tour. It's the part of his game he's been trying to improve to go from "could have won" to "won."
"I'm looking forward to keep moving in the right direction, keep giving myself chances in the next two weeks," said Garcia. "I'll then get ready for the Ryder Cup and see if we can have a good Tour Championship and at least have a chance at winning the FedEx Cup."
After leaving the ninth, their final hole, Trump and Garcia made their way down a roped-off corridor, signing autographs and chatting with fans. Trump the cheerleader could not be held back, and called out, "You watch what's going to happen this weekend!"
Barbara Matson can be reached at matson@globe.com.
