‘I’ve always felt comfortable coming to Asia, I’ve done very well here in the tournaments I have played’
Sergio Garcia enjoyed a hard-earned winter break after a hectic 2016 and the Spaniard is now fit, fresh and raring to go when he opens his campaign at the Singapore Open this week in a region where he has enjoyed plenty of success.
Garcia has won five events in as many countries on the Asian Tour and Singapore could become a sixth should he navigate the demanding Serapong Course better than a field of rivals that includes three-times tournament winner Adam Scott and Ernie Els.
“I’ve always felt comfortable coming to Asia, I’ve done very well here in the tournaments I have played,” the world number 15 told reporters at Sentosa Golf Club on Tuesday.
“It’s always exciting to come here, not only for us but also for Asian fans, they don’t get to see us that often so you always feel like there’s a lot of good energy around so it makes for exciting times.”
Garcia regarded 2016 as one of his most productive years as a golfer, breaking a four-year winless drought on the PGA Tour with his second Byron Nelson triumph in Texas last May before playing in the Olympics and for Europe in the Ryder Cup.
This year, his playing schedule is far less frenetic but the 37-year-old is refusing to set specific targets other than to play well and try to put himself in the mix for victories.
“I’ve had a nice little practice from the New Year onwards and am excited about starting the season here,” he added.
“It’s definitely much warmer than Europe and I hope I start well this week, get some good vibrations for the year and get it going.
“The scheduling is a little easier but the goals remain the same: keep getting better and keep the consistency where we have had it over the last few years. The British Open is obviously my favourite tournament but that doesn’t mean I won’t try as hard in other events.”
Garcia turned professional in 1999 and bore witness to the Tiger Woods era of domination, and while his American rival has battled crippling injuries and a complete loss of form in recent years, the Spaniard is curious to see how his former sparring partner fares on his latest attempt at a comeback.
“I think it’s a big question mark. I don’t think even he knows because of all the problems he has had physically over the last three or four years,” Garcia added of the 14-times major winner.
“He’s hardly played any golf but he played the Hero World Challenge in December and shot some good rounds as well as struggling a little bit, like anyone would who hasn’t played competition golf for that
long.
“So, we’ll see. It’s going to be interesting to see how everything goes, how he reacts and how he feels on the golf course. We’ll wait and see.”
McIlroy out of Abu Dhabi
Championship with rib injury
World number two Rory McIlroy has withdrawn from the Abu Dhabi Championship after tests on Monday showed he picked up a rib injury in South Africa last week, the European Tour said.
The Northern Irishman had intense physiotherapy treatment and took pain-killers over the weekend at the South Africa Open after struggling through much of Friday’s second round.
The four-time major champion, who lost to Englishman Graeme Storm on the third playoff hole at Glendower Golf Club, will start a rehabilitation programme for the stress fracture.
“To be forced to miss this week through injury is really quite annoying to be perfectly honest, but I am sure the tournament will be a huge success and I hope everyone involved has a great week,” McIlroy said in a European Tour statement.
“In situations like this you simply have to listen to the experts and the team I have consulted have all advised me to rest until my rib has fully recovered.”
The Abu Dhabi event, the first on the European Tour’s Desert Swing, includes three 2016 major winners — Danny Willett, Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson — plus holder Rickie Fowler.
Spieth looking forward to ‘tough competition’ in 2017
American Jordan Spieth faces “very tough competition” to return to the top of the world golf rankings this year, he said yesterday.
The 23-year-old, who won the US Masters and US Open in 2015, started his campaign with a third-place finish in last week’s Sony Open
in Hawaii and lies fifth in the rankings.
“A great start to the year and excited for 2017. It’s going to be a good year,” Spieth told reporters at an event in Tokyo where he unveiled the “Spieth One” golf shoe which he has been working on with US brand Under Armour.
Asked if Japan’s world number six Hideki Matsuyama would be one to watch, Spieth said: “Very, very tough to beat this year.”
“Justin Thomas, another friend who just won the last two tournaments, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson — a lot of really good players that are young players in the game of golf right now, it’s very, very tough competition.”
