What to expect from Sergio Garcia at the Transitions
Championship? – Golf Feature
Sergio Garcia, who was once poised to become one of the world’s best players, has been struggling to get into the top-20 in the Official World Golf Rankings for the past few months.
Garcia played the worst ever hole of his career at last week’s Cadillac Championship, when he made 12 shots to clear the par-four third hole.
He is currently ranked at 22nd in the OWGR and is aiming a strong comeback at the Transitions Championship at the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Florida.
He had a confident start to his campaign of a return with three-under par in the opening round of the tournament.
The highlight of the day was his bogey-free round that never saw him struggle to make a par putt. Every time he teed off, he had a chance to make a birdie.
The second day of the event again saw him show some consistency in his performance and he carded a total of three birdies against a lone bogey of the tournament.
With a sizzling performance, he is currently standing in a four-way tie for the ninth position, just four strokes behind the leader, Jason Dufner.
While looking at his past performances, he has made a huge improvement in his game and has given a hint of his return to his form.
With the absence of world number one, Rory McIlroy, and legendary Tiger Woods, he definitely has a chance to snatch the top position on the leaderboard.
He still has two rounds ahead of him and a chance to further improve his scores in the event.
Last year, Garcia had a similar situation in front of him when he was ranked 85th in the OWGR.
He participated in the 2011 Transitions Championship and almost caught the leader after the second. However, he faltered in the final round to get out of the contention for the top position.
Later in October 2011, Garcia ended his three-year winning drought with two consecutive victories in the Castelló Masters and the Andalucía Masters.
Since then, he has been unimpressive and has shown signs of resurgence in the Transitions Championship again.
There is no doubt that he has the quality and guts to outclass his opponents in the field.
Yet, he has to prove his mettle with a consistent display of his game and remain in contention till the final hole of the tournament on Sunday.
The only challenge that Garcia will have to face is a strong contention from Luke Donald, who is also looking to register his first PGA Tour win of the 2012 golf season.
Moreover, Donald wants to regain his top position in the OWGR, which he lost after Rory McIlroy replaced him with a win in the Honda Classic this month.
Another player, who can prove to be dangerous for him will be Padraig Harrington. He shot a course record of a 10-under par 61 in the opening round to take the 18-hole lead in the event.
Later in the second round, he did not perform that well and suffered one position slip to second place on the leaderboard. Yet, he looked good in his putting and the shots he made.
Therefore, Garcia will have to make some extra efforts in order to earn the respect of being a winner in the current season through Transitions Championship.
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