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Garcia hoping for career revival
Illinois, June 13: Spaniard Sergio Garcia believes he planted the seeds of a glorious career revival with a positive start to his U.S. Open campaign on Thursday.
Illinois, June 13: Spaniard Sergio Garcia believes he planted the seeds of a glorious career revival with a positive start to his U.S. Open campaign on Thursday.
Garcia has endured a nightmare year after making changes to his swing and struggling with his putter, but he claimed four birdies on his way to a one-under-par opening round of 69 at the start of the season's second major.
It was a far from perfect display, with two bogeys in the last four holes leaving his efforts tinged with disappointment, but the 23-year-old is just four shots off joint leaders Brett Quigley and Tom Watson going into Friday's second round.
More importantly, some of the joie de vivre usually associated with 'El Nino's' play was on show once more at Olympia Fields Country Club, in Chicago's southern suburbs.
In 1999, in the U.S. Open at Medinah -- north of Chicago -- Garcia captivated the public with an ingenious shot off the roots of a tree in his first year as a professional.
Scenes of him tearing down the fairway after his famous shot were jumped on by a media and public keen for a rival to Tiger Woods. Despite being the only player to finish in the top 10 at all four majors last season, Garcia has failed to sustain his Medinah buzz.
But he told reporters: "When everything settles down I think I am going to be much better than that guy (Garcia circa 1999) was.
"You know, that's what I'm working on. I'm not going to come out and say I'm going to win this week because I played well today, but I think everything is coming along.
"I haven't been playing as badly as everyone thinks in the last two, three weeks. My putting hasn't been there, but I am working hard and you've got to take things slowly.
"Hopefully I can have a great week and the swing can just click like it did today and be perfect for the rest of my career.
"I've been thinking about (the changes to the swing) for a while. It just came to a moment where me and my Dad decided it was the right timing.
"I think we were good (as a team before the changes) but we wanted to be better and this is the way I am going to (achieve) that."
Bureau Report
Garcia has endured a nightmare year after making changes to his swing and struggling with his putter, but he claimed four birdies on his way to a one-under-par opening round of 69 at the start of the season's second major.
It was a far from perfect display, with two bogeys in the last four holes leaving his efforts tinged with disappointment, but the 23-year-old is just four shots off joint leaders Brett Quigley and Tom Watson going into Friday's second round.
More importantly, some of the joie de vivre usually associated with 'El Nino's' play was on show once more at Olympia Fields Country Club, in Chicago's southern suburbs.
In 1999, in the U.S. Open at Medinah -- north of Chicago -- Garcia captivated the public with an ingenious shot off the roots of a tree in his first year as a professional.
Scenes of him tearing down the fairway after his famous shot were jumped on by a media and public keen for a rival to Tiger Woods. Despite being the only player to finish in the top 10 at all four majors last season, Garcia has failed to sustain his Medinah buzz.
But he told reporters: "When everything settles down I think I am going to be much better than that guy (Garcia circa 1999) was.
"You know, that's what I'm working on. I'm not going to come out and say I'm going to win this week because I played well today, but I think everything is coming along.
"I haven't been playing as badly as everyone thinks in the last two, three weeks. My putting hasn't been there, but I am working hard and you've got to take things slowly.
"Hopefully I can have a great week and the swing can just click like it did today and be perfect for the rest of my career.
"I've been thinking about (the changes to the swing) for a while. It just came to a moment where me and my Dad decided it was the right timing.
"I think we were good (as a team before the changes) but we wanted to be better and this is the way I am going to (achieve) that."
Bureau Report