I guess I didn’t ever witness much of Sergio Garcia’s bad behavior, or if I did, I didn’t pay it much mind. I did witness him choke over the years and struggle with his putting and actually wanted to see him overcome that and win. Yes, I admit I was rooting for Sergio Garcia this weekend that The Players Championship.

Of course, Paul Goydos was fun and engaging and would have been a terrific Cinderella story, so I was rooting for him, too. When it came to the playoff I truly would have been happy to see either man get the victory.

sergio garcia drive pose

As much as it hurt to see Goydos’ tee shot find the water on the first playoff hole, it was refreshing to see his graceful reaction. And inspiring to see Sergio’s shot get so close to the hole. I was rooting for Paul to pull off a miracle and hole out his third shot, figuring there was a pretty good chance Sergio would miss his 4-footer. Well, maybe he would have made it if that pressure would have been on him, but when Goydos missed his putt for bogey, Sergio could comfortably two-putt for the win. Sure he probably wanted to make the birdie, but he made sure not to disappoint by disappointing and making a ho-hum par for the championship. Even after that, he kissed his putter if only to remind himself and us that his putting is indeed coming around regardless of that miss.

As Goydos remarked in his comments after taking second place, Garcia played better than anyone else. The tournament statistics agree – Sergio deserved and earned this win. I’m happy to see him maturing and hope this victory leads to more consistent competition for the rest of golf’s top players.

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