Breakthrough Eludes Garcia

He was the poster boy for the 1999 PGA Championship, the last major played here at Medinah Country Club, and the pose he chose was spectacular. Nineteen-year-old Sergio Garcia, his eyes closed, swinging from his heels at his golf ball as it lay behind a tree and atop exposed roots, with dirt flying at impact, on the 16th hole on Sunday.

Then he started running down the fairway to get a look at the ball, leaping to see over the hill, then smiling and patting his heart as if he were about to faint. Garcia did not faint that day, but neither did he win, an omission that seems to grow larger at every missed chance in his majors that followed.

Garcia said he has been told about that shot and watched video of it time and again.

“It was fun to get to see that shot again and be reminded a little bit of what it was seven years ago,” he said. “Unfortunately, you know, I’m a lot older, so I don’t have the energy I used to.”

Garcia shot a 71 and lost by a shot to Tiger Woods, who closed with a 72.

In the times since, Garcia said he has fallen short of expectations. He has had too many disappointing majors, he said.

“If I think about it myself, of course I think that I could have done better,” he said. “If I think about it realistically, I think it’s a good career so far.

“So it can’t be too bad. You’re 26, you’ve been playing professionally for about eight years. I think I’ve been in the top 10 in the world probably five years at the least.

“Of course, I would have loved to do a little bit better, there’s no doubt about that, and that’s why I keep working hard on it, but I’m not disappointed about it at all, no.”

Garcia is a six-time winner on the European Tour and has also won six PGA Tour events. In majors this year, he was 46th at the Masters, missed the cut at the U.S. Open and tied for fifth at the British Open, following his third-round 65 with a closing 73. Woods won by three shots.

Woods said it may only be a matter of time before Garcia breaks through in a major.

“Sergio, as we all know, he’s got all the talent in the world,” Woods said. “It’s just a matter of doing the right things at the right time, but he’s put himself there. You put yourself there enough times, you’re going to get it done.”

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Jerry Kelly is 13th on the Ryder Cup points list and needs a good week to play his way into the top 10. However, U.S. captain Tom Lehman has mentioned Kelly as a possible captain’s pick if he doesn’t make the team on points.

Kelly said he has qualities that would justify such a decision.

“I’m going to find a way to will my opponent down,” he said. “That’s what I want to do. I want to stare a hole in his chest and I want to beat that man as badly as I possibly can.”

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Lehman on Davis Love III, who has played in the Ryder Cup six times but is in danger of not making it this year, at 15th in the points standings: “He has quite a legacy as a player, but he needs a good tournament, no doubt about it.”

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Billy Mayfair, who had a testicle removed because of cancer two weeks ago, is playing this week at Medinah and said he is grateful.

“Everything looks great, trust me,” Mayfair said. “Just walking, hitting shots, just mentally trying to get ready to play golf again, it’s fun. If I get mad and swing a club or kick something, I’ll get mad at myself because I should be thankful just for being here, and I am.”