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SALT LAKE CITY — Who didn't (other than the many who find golf boring in the abstract) love the weekend drama that played out between the polarizing Tiger Woods and the still searching Sergio?
Their mutual enmity dates back to a Ryder Cup past, apparently when Tiger objected to the young (at the time) Spanaird "over-celebrating." Garcia whipped up the home crowd and discouraged the American visitors, and Tiger did not approve and the two have hardly spoken since.
Then comes the prickly pairing in Saturday's third round. Early in the round Garcia hits a wayward shot that led to a bogey. Garcia doesn't confront Tiger right at the time but later during an interview in a rain delay, Garcia goes there. He effectively tugs on Tiger's tail by politely but pointedly accusing Woods and that wild, rude gallery of making noises during Garcia's backswing. This is an absolute 'no-no' in the gentlemanly etiquette of the game.
The golfers were on opposite sides of the fairway, 49 yards apart. It seemed to be more of a fateful misunderstanding than anything mischievous. Tiger says the marshal (who somewhat governs play with each group) told him Garcia had already hit.
So when Woods rattles out a fairway metal, indicating he was going to crush it out of the rough, trying to get on the green, Tiger's gallery (dwarfing ALL others on the course) let loose with an extemporaneous whoop and how "he's going for it".
Television replays heard the audible disturbance over Tiger's way, but Garcia was just standing over his ball, not in mid-swing, which would've been unfair. Instead of backing away, Gracia takes his swing, which was not a good one, and the bad shot lead to a bogey on the hole.
Does he bring it up with Tiger on the green or next tee? No.
Does Tiger say, "Hey, sorry if that gallery roar distracted you".
Of course not, these two barely speak on good days!
Garcia decides to bring it up out of nowhere during a rain-delay TV interview, saying somewhat meekly that Tiger could've been more aware and not so selfish.
Tiger responds in a surreal (especially for the world of golf) post-round set of interviews. Saying the marshal told him it was clear, and that "...it's not surprising since he's always complaining about something." When asked if they'd talked about it, again Tiger is brutally honest.
"No, but that's not surprising, we don't usually have much to say to each other."
Then Garcia tries to back away, responding to Tiger's blast that, "He's always complaining about something," by saying, "At least I'm true to myself, I know what I'm doing. He can do what he wants."
Then the next morning Garcia goes a step further when he told Sky Sports, "I'm not going to lie, he's not my favorite guy to play with. He's not the nicest guy on Tour." Garcia then told the Golf Channel, "We don't enjoy each others company, you don't need to be a rocket engineer to figure that out".
By rule, then though there was a three-way tie for the lead, it was Garcia and Dot-Com Tour guy David Lingmerth playing in last two-some. Woods was a group ahead.
They battled through 16 holes, Garcia and Woods both birdied the par 5 16th, leaving them both tied at 14 under. Tiger survived the dreaded island green par three 17th, scored par on 18, a finish good enough for his fourth win in just seven tour starts his season. Woods also became just the sixth player to win The Players Championship twice.
With the victory, Tiger banked another $1.71 million, money that he doesn't really need.
So where did the Spanish challenger and apparent rare pro(golf)taganist go?
With Tiger staring him down from the 18th, Garcia said he felt an adrenaline surge as he stared at the imposing island green, so he lightened up on his swing. Only that surge Sergio felt might not have been adrenaline.
It could've been a pulse of panic.
Garcia hit TWO balls into the water, for a quadruple bogey 7 on the par three. The trip to the bottom of the pond sunk Garcia's score, and created the new nickname "Submergio."
How did Garcia respond to his new nickname? He celebrated by dunking his tee shot on 18 into another part of that watery finish. Losing six shots to par cost Garcia somewhere around $800,000, the difference in purse money between second and eighth where he finished.
To be fair, that feared and fabled 17th was also the hole where Sergio WON his Players Championship back in 2008. He's a legit top 15 player in the world, with almost $29 million in career earnings, so none of us will weep for Sergio, except maybe his mother.
His "work" made for perhaps her most "interesting" Mother's Day"...ever!
Vamos Sergio!
