FANS' ABUSE GETS TO GARCIA WHO RUNS UP A TEN WITH THREE OUT OF BOUNDS
FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
By JAMES CORRIGAN
Sergio García did not need to make himself a figure of ridicule here at the 113th US Open – but he did so anyway.
The Spaniard hit three shots out of bounds off the 15th tee on his way to a
septuple-bogey 10 on Saturday.
The Spaniard’s worse fears have been confirmed in Philadelphia. Three weeks
ago, he told Colin Montgomerie of his concerns regarding the American fans’
reaction to his racist jibe at Tiger Woods’s expense. And the hecklers have
duly let their feelings be known.
On his first tee (the 11th) on Saturday, a member of the gallery screamed
“fried chicken!” just as García was addressing the ball. The dejected look
on his face said it all. Of course, fried chicken was what he told the
compère at the European Tour awards dinner he would serve to Woods when he
invited him over for dinner here at Merion. García has been obliged to
apologise, on several occasions, but the galleries have not forgiven.
Clucking noises have been audible since Thursday, although there was a
discernible raising of the volume when the weekend crowd showed up. In the
first round he was asked whether he wanted the hecklers ejected but he
informed a rules officials that it would “only make things worse”.
On the 397-yard par four his major descended into farce as three shots crossed
the white markers. He managed to “par” his fourth ball but it still added up
to double figures. The 15th has plagued him all week. He quadruple-bogeyed
it on Thursday. Saturday’s experience provided painful memories of a similar
moment at last month’s Players Championship.
It was at the Sawgrass event where the long-standing enmity between Woods and
García flared up again. The latter was upset that the former was not taking
enough care in ensuring the fans around him were quiet as he took his shot.
The pair traded barbs via the media before the final round, in which García and Woods were level going to the final two holes. It was on that famous island hole that García hit two into the water, effectively handling the title to his nemesis. Fast forward a fortnight and the spat went from petty to putrid.
Credit to Garcia for putting the embarrassment behind him on Saturday and playing his next 13 holes in three-under. He is not known for the strength of his psyche, but at 14-over he had been in danger of becoming the backmarker in those who had made the cut.
With hindsight, qualifying for the weekend was an achievement in itself considering the scrutiny Garcia has been under. Yet as the shots relentlessly totted up on that tee-box, rivalling the clucking sounds in number, he may well have wished that he was at home in Castellon.
The pair traded barbs via the media before the final round, in which García and Woods were level going to the final two holes. It was on that famous island hole that García hit two into the water, effectively handling the title to his nemesis. Fast forward a fortnight and the spat went from petty to putrid.
Credit to Garcia for putting the embarrassment behind him on Saturday and playing his next 13 holes in three-under. He is not known for the strength of his psyche, but at 14-over he had been in danger of becoming the backmarker in those who had made the cut.
With hindsight, qualifying for the weekend was an achievement in itself considering the scrutiny Garcia has been under. Yet as the shots relentlessly totted up on that tee-box, rivalling the clucking sounds in number, he may well have wished that he was at home in Castellon.
Labels: US OPEN
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