Sergio Garcia looks set to be fined by the DP World Tour for his unexplained Wentworth withdrawal and while the filthy rich Spaniard won’t fear the upcoming financial hit, perhaps another wallop to his tattered reputation might at least deflate his ego, though I wouldn’t hold my breath.
Garcia fled the BMW PGA off the back of an opening round 76 and within 24 hours was pictured grinning ear-to-ear alongside Scottie Scheffler at a college football game in Texas. Granted, Garcia wasn’t padded up and playing, but Wentworth HQ has since confirmed to The Telegraph that as of Monday, there had been no explanation given by Garcia in relation to his withdrawal. And an explanation seems the least Garcia could offer given the context around his West Course adventure last week.
The sulky Spaniard was one of 15 LIV golfers who had earned their place in last week’s field. Rory McIlroy was among those feeling queasy about the prospect of sharing his flagship stage with the likes of Sergio but under a cloud of contempt, Garcia vowed to golf on steadfastly:
“What I’m going to do is support the European tour and that’s all I can do. Whoever doesn’t like it, too bad for them.”
Well, turns out a lot of people didn’t like it, and it was too bad for them.
Rather than follow Australian Min Woo Lee’s lead and bounce back from an opening 76 with a dazzling 62 and comfortably make the cut, Garcia pushed the eject button on the tournament, spat in the face of his fellow professionals and penned another scene should a biopic ever be made depicting his petulant past – a coming of age story in which the main protagonist never grows up
Who could forget Garcia’s lament at the Wells Fargo back in May having been deemed to have used up his 3-minute search allowance, incorrectly as it turned out.
“I can’t wait to leave this tour,” Garcia cried. “Just a couple more weeks until I don’t have to deal with you anymore.”
To his credit, it was far from a foul-mouthed tirade, unlike his pièce de résistance in February 2019 when he made as close as you’ll get to X-rated cinema in ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia whilst assaulting a fairway bunker.
“The mother who gave birth to you! F******! F***! F****** caddies who don’t know how to rake bunkers. Stick it up your arse, the whole lot of you!”
It was quite the performance from a man paid handsomely just to be there. To then deface five greens the following day, dragging his spikes kicking and screaming to a disqualification for serious misconduct was quite the encore.
In Sergio’s defence, he was just a year shy of his 40th birthday then. Now 42, well, he’s evidently still an immature prick, only instead of battering a bunker to within an inch of his life, he’s taking the spot of a fellow Spaniard playing for his life. Garcia’s latest two fingers to the establishment was more a f**** you to his compatriot, Alfredo Garcia-Heredia, first reserve at Wentworth who currently sits 13 places shy of earning his card for next season.
Jon Rahm was visibly upset that his friend Alfredo was missing out on what “could be a career-changing week”. OK, Garcia was entitled to tee up on merit, but no man in that field, no matter how entitled, had a right to down tools after a bad first day on the course.
Garcia now has three weeks to come up with an adequate excuse to avoid a fine. The money might not matter but if he had a shred of decency left, he would offer something in the way of explanation, if not to the tour, at least to his fellow Spaniard Garcia-Heredia, whom he may have just deprived of a DP World Tour card for next season.
Then again, maybe Sergio will think he’s after doing Alfredo a favour. After all, at the BMW International earlier this season, Garcia’s true self was on full show once more, his temper exposed after learning that he’d be suspended from the DP World Tour for joining the Saudi circus.
“This Tour is s***, you’re all f*****,” exploded the ever fiery wordsmith. “[You] should have taken the Saudi money.”
Luckily enough Garcia did. Now, with a bit of luck, we might finally see the back of him.
Listen to this week’s Irish Golfer Podcast
Leave a comment