Poor Sergio

In recapping this weekend’s British Open, I really wanted to write how Sergio Garcia had finally broken through at the age of 27 to play four brilliant rounds of golf and capture his first career major.

But alas, after rolling to nine under in his first three rounds and leading by three strokes, Sergio coughed up a hairball on Sunday with a two over 73.

It was a heckuva day to be watching golf though, with Garcia, Irishman Padraig Harrington and Argentina’s Andres Romero all vying for the Claret Jug.

Romero double-bogeyed 17, then bogeyed 18 and fell out. Harrington hit two balls into the drink and doubled 18, giving Sergio a one-stroke lead and a chance to win it outright with a par.

But he had to wait 15 minutes on the fairway, after which he promptly dumped his ball into a bunker. Then he missed a 10-footer for the win - his putt dancing out of the hole like Barry Gibb in polyester slacks, mocking him, taunting him, and forcing a four-hole playoff with Harrington.

Afterwards, while Harrington kissed the cup and called on tournament officials to schedule an Open in his homeland, Garcia took the woe is me approach, complaining of the delay on 18, and how he just couldn’t get any breaks.

I guess life is pretty tough when you’re Sergio Garcia.

RED

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