Promises to Keep
E-mail Print
Most Popular
GOLF MAGAZINE March 2006
March 2006
Related Links
  • Hot Swings: Sergio Garcia
  • Serio Garcia: How to Be Clutch
  • Sergio Garcia Instructional Articles
    • Sergio Garcia to fulfill those great expectations, El Nino
    By Lisa Taddeo
    Associate Editor, GOLF MAGAZINE
    Sergio Garcia has the look of a guy who wants it fast. Cars. Fame. Money. Majors. Since he dropped anchor at 1999’s Byron Nelson with a jaw-dropping 62 and the swagger of a playboy who still had playdates, Garcia’s been on a high-speed chase. There was an impetuous flash in his eye, a voracity deeper—it seemed—than most players have to be winners. There was something about Garcia that said, I want this now and watch me, I’m gonna take it.Don’t be mistaken, the look is still there, but it’s muted, like the flipside of a turned leaf.

    The majors haven’t come—not yet. Whether it was too much, too young, and the world being too hasty, Garcia stopped holding his breath along with the rest of us. He’s older now, 26, more mature and less arrogant, but he still wants it. The ex-next big thing is just cashing in some passion for perspective.

    You own a soccer team (Borriol, a fifth division club in Spain). What’s your record?
    Well, we just started. We played five games; we won two and lost two and tied one. Do you play with them? I usually practice with them, but I don’t play in any games.

    Do you ever wish you’d been a professional soccer player instead of a golfer?
    Well, as a youngster I did. In Spain, soccer is like football or baseball here. As a youngster everybody wants to be a soccer player, but as I grew up I started playing more golf. I’m really happy with my life and the way things are going. But if I could go back in time and choose another sport, another profession, I’d probably choose soccer.

    What do you love most about owning the team?
    Well, I’m the president and I like trying to improve the team, not only the players, but the locker rooms and the pitch, and everything for the youngsters, the little guys that come and play soccer. That’s pretty much what I love to do, and hopefully make it a better club, not only a better team but a better club.

    Will there ever come a time when Tiger is chasing you?
    Well, I hope so. I don’t know, but I hope so.


    Sergio Garcia Monte Isom

    Was the Battle at Bighorn (2000) not as triumphant a victory for you because Tiger was a little under the weather?
    Um, you know, I don’t believe in those things.

    What things?
    Well, I think that we both played 100 percent, and I just was either lucky enough or good enough to beat him that time. So I don’t really believe in all that. I won. That’s all.

    What is “it” for you and how badly do you want it?
    To keep getting better, not only as a golfer but as a person. And when I’m getting ready to leave this world, to realize that I’ve done everything possible to be a better person, and to help as many people as I possibly could.

    If Tiger quit tomorrow, would you, like Alexander, weep because there’d be no more worlds to conquer?
    A little bit. Yes. He’s done a lot of good things for golf. You can’t take that away from him, and it would be sad, in a way. But I don’t think that’s going to happen (laughs).

    Right. Rhetorical question. So, would you say you’re wild?
    Um, a little bit. I wouldn’t say I’m the wildest guy out there. I like to do some wild things.

    Jesper Parnevik has said that you’ve never even been drunk. Still true?
    I have since, a couple of times. I’ve gone out with friends where I’ve gotten drunk, or my friends have. But the thing is once somebody gets really drunk, you have to take care of them, so you’re not enjoying your night anymore, you have to take care of your friends, you know? Because that’s what you’re supposed to do—they’re your friends. So I don’t want to ruin anybody’s night because of me being so wasted that they have to take care of me.

    What’s the scariest shot you’ve faced during a round?
    A lot of them. The one I was the most nervous at, and probably was the scariest, was when I was 16. I played the British Open for the first time. On the first tee at Royal Lytham—I was the most nervous I’ve ever been then.

    1 | 2  | 3  Next

    About Us | Media Kit | GOLF MAGAZINE Customer Service
    Copyright (c) 2007 CNN / Sports Illustrated. A Time Warner Company. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. All rights reserved. Read our privacy policy and Terms of Service.