Hilton Head, SC …
Victorious Ryder Cup Captain Davis Love 111 revealed he was all prepared to personally congratulate Sergio Garcia on the 18th green but instead reluctantly let slip being among the first to greet the new Masters Champion.
Love 111 was a guest last week of Augusta National and while thrilled to see the Spaniard capture a first Major, the Hazeltine leading hero chose to leave the course soon after Garcia dropped shots at 10 and 11.
“I am thrilled for Sergio and I kept saying I was going to stay around in case he won and go out there on the 18th green like “Kuch” (Matt Kuchar) did but when he hit those poor drives and taking bogeys early on the back nine and then when he hit that drive into the bushes on 13, I thought to myself “Oh, no”,” said Love 111.
“That’s when I left the course as I was due in Myrtle Beach on Monday for a Pro-Am.
Davis Love 111 at last years Ryder Cup
“But found myself stopping not too far away to watch the last few holes on TV and I thought to myself that Sergio is going to win.
“I had thought Sergio was going to win in regulation so I was happy for him as he has been so close, so many times.
“He’s a great competitor and he’s had his ups and downs with the fans but you could tell they were really pulling for him.”
However, it has not always been that way and none more so than in the Ryder Cup arena and with Love 111 also disclosing needing to speak with the Spaniard in Garcia’s maiden showing in 1999.
“You knew you had to always watch out for Sergio as he was always going to play well, as he has shown in so many Ryder Cup’s,” said Love 111.
Sergio Garcia and showing how passionate he is when competing in the Ryder Cup
“I remember him being a rookie on the European Team and running around and getting excited and everything.
“I said to him “we love you Sergio but just don’t rub it in our face”. He got that message real quick but then in saying that he has been one of my favourite people to play with for a long, long time.
“In every Ryder Cup he has competed in we knew he would always play well and he has and any team I have been a part of if you were going to come up against Sergio you knew you were going to have a match on your hands.
“The thing I’ve known Sergio as long time since my son was little, so I was happy for him, I was genuinely happy.
“The fact that Sergio has said out loud a few times that maybe he was not built for the Majors was his way of trying to take the pressure of his shoulders or something.
“But he was built to win a Major Championship and has just had bad luck.
“I think that Saturday round, finally playing a good Saturday round and getting that off his back helped him relax a little bit.
“I don’t know his stats last week but he hit the ball unbelievably well last week but he does that a lot.”
And while Garcia has often enjoyed a love hate relationship with USA fans Love 111 says that will now change forever given he is a Masters Champion.
“Sergio has been playing a long time but he is still young enough to win a second Major and now having won a first will give him that much more confidence in his putting and all aspects of the game,” he said.
“And now that he is a Major Champion they are going to love him over here.”
Love 111 was speaking ahead of today’s (Thurs) RBC Heritage at Hilton Head in South Carolina and an event Love 111 has dominated winning five times between 1987 and 2003.
