GARCIA'S COMMENTS COULD LOSE HIM MILLIONS IN SPONSORSHIP DEALS

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
By JAMES CORRIGAN, AT WENTWORTH
Sergio García has issued an emotional apology to Tiger Woods for his racist jibe against the world No 1 but is still facing the prospect of losing millions of pounds in sponsorship deals.

García held an impromptu press conference here on the eve of the BMW PGA Championship, expressing regret at his behaviour but revealing that he would not be given official sanctions from golf’s authorities.

That came shortly after Woods had branded his rival’s comments at the European Tour annual awards dinner on Tuesday night “wrong, hurtful and clearly inappropriate”.

García had been asked at that event if he would invite Woods to his rented accommodation for dinner at the forthcoming US Open. “We will have him round every night,” García said. “We will serve fried chicken.”

Within an hour, García had issued a statement through the European Tour’s press office, apologising for what he termed “a silly remark”, but that did not satisfy Woods.

“The comment that was made wasn’t silly,” Woods wrote on Twitter. “It was wrong, hurtful and clearly inappropriate. I’m confident that there is real regret that the remark was made. The Players ended nearly two weeks ago and it’s long past time to move on and talk about golf.”

At The Players Championship at Sawgrass the long-standing enmity between Woods and García boiled over after an incident in the third round in which the Spaniard was distracted while playing a shot. The pair proceeded to trade thinly-veiled insults via the media. But on Tuesday it was transformed from a petty squabble into a racist storm.
García met George O’Grady, the European Tour chief executive, and Tim Finchem, the PGA Tour commissioner, after his morning pro-am on the West Course. Both were in the 300-strong audience at the ­dinner when García made the comment on the microphone surrounded by the 11 team-mates with whom he won the Ryder Cup last year.
“Sergio expressed very deep and sincere regret for his unguarded and, in his own words, ‘stupid’ remark and we are also aware of his statement of apology,” O’Grady said. 
“Following our meeting, we have accepted his full apology and we consider the matter closed.”
While the Tours might consider the issue closed, García is aware that his sponsors do not yet feel the same. His main backer is TaylorMade-adidas, which said that his comment was “offensive and in no way aligns with TaylorMade-adidas Golf’s values and corporate culture”.
It added: “We have spoken with Sergio and he clearly has regret and we believe he is sincere. We discussed with Sergio that his comments are out of bounds and we are continuing to review the matter.”
The review involves the Californian company’s human resources division and insiders claimed that it is possible that García’s contract would be cancelled.
 Industry figures estimated the annual worth of the performance-related deal at up to £5.32 million. Another sponsor, Omega, is also likely to launch a review, although the watchmaker could not be contacted on Wednesday.
The saga bears a striking resemblance to the Fuzzy Zoeller affair in 1997. Then, Zoeller suggested Woods would choose “fried chicken and collard greens” for his Masters Cham­pions’ Dinner the following year. Zoeller lost most of his sponsorship.
There will almost certainly be another price for García to pay. His next tournament in America is the US Open near Philadelphia in three weeks. Often a target for hecklers, the event will be uncomfortable for García, particularly as the often rowdy galleries pull for Woods.
García intends to apologise to Woods in person and has phoned the world No 1’s manager, Mark Steinberg. During his press conference, García said the word “sorry” 11 times. “I want to send an apology,” he said.
“I didn’t want to offend anyone. I answered a question [from the compère] that was made towards me as a joke with a silly remark, but in no way was the comment meant in a racist manner. I understand my answer was totally stupid and out of place.
“I can’t say sorry enough about that. I want to apologise to Tiger. I feel sick about it, I’m truly, truly sorry and hope we can kind of settle things down and move on.”
García revealed that he had considered withdrawing from this event but did not because he felt “this tournament deserves to have me”.
García added: “As soon as I left the dinner I started to get a sick feeling. I didn’t really sleep at all. I felt like my heart was going to come out of my body. It was tough to hit a shot [in the pro-am] without thinking about it. I want to go out tomorrow and try and give everything I have.”
Luke Donald, a close friend of García’s, was struck by how regretful he looked during his morning round. “We all know Sergio, he says his mind and sometimes he doesn’t have that filter unfortunately,” said Donald. “It was an unfortunate incident. He’s full of regret, he wished he hadn’t said it.”
World No 2 Rory McIlroy, a good friend of both Woods and García, agreed. “It was an off-the-cuff comment,” he said, “and it shouldn’t have been said and I think Sergio realised that as soon as he said it.”
Justin Rose was equally understanding, saying: “Sergio does have a big heart and he’s excitable as well. You love him and sometimes it can also get in his way unfortunately,”
García tees off with Donald and fellow Spaniard Gonzalo Fernández. He will be relieved to have two allies for company.