Garcia adamant he’s in no rush for a Major
Luckless Sergio Garcia believes time remains on his side as the Spaniard bids to end his long wait for a first Major at the US PGA Championship, which gets underway at Valhalla today.
The 34-year-old has recorded 10 top-five Major finishes during his career, most recently at the Open Championship where he pushed Ryder Cup team-mate Rory McIlroy all the way.
Despite falling short on a number of occasions, Garcia is unfazed by his failure to win a Major and insists it is always preferable to be in contention for honours.
“I’ve always wanted to win at least one Major, but I would never say I felt urgency about it,” said Garcia. “If I get to 45 and I haven’t won one then I’ll probably start worrying a bit more.
“Finishing second is not the greatest but the only guy that loses is the one that has a chance of winning. I’d rather finish second and lose than be 50th and not have a chance.”
Former world No1 Tiger Woods has declared himself fit to start the US PGA after recovering from the back injury which forced his withdrawal from the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational on Sunday.
If Woods had failed to play it would have been the first time in his career he had missed three of the year’s four Majors and would have put his participation in next month’s Ryder Cup in serious doubt.
Defending champion Jason Dufner, meanwhile, aims to complete 72 holes and ensure his own Ryder Cup place before taking a break to recover from a neck injury.
The 37-year-old is eighth in the US points list standings with the top nine on Sunday evening qualifying automatically for Tom Watson’s Gleneagles team, and Dufner is clear about his objectives.
“Defending my title is pretty important to me and being on the Ryder Cup,” said Dufner. “I’m right on the edge of those points.
“I’m not going to qualify if I don’t make some points this week. I seriously doubt I would be a captain’s selection with an injury if I didn’t play so I need to suck it up and make some points.”