Forgotten Promise: Sergio ‘Singhing’ the Blues

Sergio Garcia promised he’d win. People have been talking about Garcia’s “promise” – and his raw talent – for years. He battled Tiger in 1999 at the PGA. Surely a wisened, seasoned Sergio could hold on to a six-shot third-round lead, couldn’t he?

In a word or three, no, he couldn’t. It only took 19 holes for Sergio Garcia to fail to keep his promise to the world of golf. A two-time winner last year in three-man playoffs, Sergio bowed out on the first hole of a three-man playoff late Sunday evening in Charlotte, NC to Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh. Three holes later, Vijay would one-putt par the difficult 18th – the same hole on which Sergio three-putted to lose the tournament that was seemingly his only a half hour before.

Garcia, who managed only an even-par round of 72, was caught from behind by Jim Furyk and Singh, both of whom turned in nifty 66s. In fact, 66 was the score of the day, with fourth-place finisher Chris DiMarco and the T5 duo of Carlos Franco and Phil Mickelson firing equally stellar double-sixes.

Jim Furyk, coming off of wrist surgery a year ago, went out and came home in identical 33s. His front nine included a four-birdie streak on holes five through eight with a capping bogey at the ninth. He birdied 10 as well as 16 and 18 to get into the clubhouse at -12.

Vijay Singh – who will not overtake Tiger as the #1 player in the world despite two wins in three weeks – carded equally impressive 33s, though his front nine included an eagle three at the eighth and a four-birdie streak from 10 to 13 before a bogey at 15 set him back.

Sergio, on the other hand, had his hands full. His 37 on the front included a bogey at the first and a double bogey at nine. Three birdies on the back nine were nearly balanced by two bogeys at 13 and 17 to cap off a back-nine 35 that barely got him into the three-man playoff.

In the playoff, all three drove into the fairway on the par-four 18th. Furyk tugged a 3I a bit long, just off the back of the green, and Garcia and Singh played safely to the right. Both men left their putts six feet short and Furyk stubbed his chip to four feet. Singh and Furyk made while Garcia missed, ending his misery. Furyk and Singh played the 16th in even par, and both missed curling putts on the 17th for birdie to extend the playoff. At 18 again, Furyk pulled his tee shot left into the water, pitched back to the fairway, and struck the flagstick with his fourth shot and watched as his ball caromed into the greenside rough. Singh played a great bunker shot after a mediocre approach and then tapped in for par and his third victory of the year, putting him on par with Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson and, if you wish to count European Tour victories, Ernie Els.

Garcia’s six-shot collapse ties the record for the largest final-round collapse in PGA Tour history. The other? Greg Norman’s 1996 Masters Tournament. You know, the one Nick Faldo won. “They say you learn more from your losses than your wins,” said Garcia after he was eliminated from the playoff, “and I’ve got a lot from this week to learn.”

Vijay Singh has found himself in contention several times this year, having won three tournaments and having lost nearly twice as many after having a good shot at closing the deal. His dunk at Bay Hill, his lip-out at the Honda, and his collapse in the Mercedes springing to mind most clearly.

Pos   Player            Today   Tot    R1    R2    R3    R4    Tot
1*    Vijay Singh        -6     -12    70     69    71    66   276
T2*   Sergio Garcia       E     -12    66     71    67    72   276
T2*   Jim Furyk          -6     -12    69     72    69    66   276
4     Chris DiMarco      -6      -8    74     67    73    66   280
T5    Carlos Franco      -6      -6    72     74    70    66   282
T5    Vaughn Taylor      -5      -6    74     70    71    67   282
T7    Phil Mickelson     -6      -5    71     73    73    66   283
T7    Greg Owen          -1      -5    74     67    71    71   283
9     D.J. Trahan        +2      -4    72     67    71    74   284
10    Billy Mayfair      -5      -3    76     72    70    67   285
T11   Nick Watney        -3      -2    76     68    73    69   286
T11   Tiger Woods        -1      -2    70     72    73    71   286
T11   Stephen Leaney     -1      -2    73     74    68    71   286
T11   Scott Verplank     +1      -2    71     69    73    73   286
T11   Kenny Perry        +1      -2    68     76    69    73   286

* Playoff Scores:
         18    16    17    18
Garcia    5     -     -     -
Furyk     4     4     3     X
Singh     4     4     3     4

Photo Credit: © Unknown.