Sergio Garcia and Tiger Woods during the PLAYERS Championship |
Spain's Sergio Garcia having had the proverbial upper hand against Tiger Woods should have quit while he was ahead. He was accusing Woods of not showing sportsmanship when the duo was paired together during the PLAYERS Championship earlier this month. Garcia told the media after his round of the incident when he was about to take a shot when suddenly the crowd along the fairway erupted in loud cheers, apparently for Tiger Woods' selection of club out of the trees.
Instead, Sergio Garcia continuing with his verbal barrage at various press conferences, not only lost the upper hand but now has gotten into a serious row where even the most sincerest apologies might not simmer the flames. Garcia made a remark about serving fried chicken to Tiger Woods which was interpretted as having a racial overtone.
Below is the chronological order of how the situation developed from a meaningless spark into a cannonball.
May 12th 2013: Tiger Woods was seeking a 78th PGA Tour title in the Players Championship, but that achievement was in danger of being overshadowed by his feud with Sergio Garcia.
Never the best of friends, Woods and Garcia traded verbal blows on Saturday and Sunday at Sawgrass to ensure the state of their relationship - or lack of it - is now a matter of public record.
Paired together in a third round played over two days due to bad weather, it took less than two holes for tensions to come to the surface with Garcia feeling he was put off on his approach shot to the second by crowd noise caused by Woods preparing for his own shot from the trees.
Woods insisted he had been told by a marshal that Garcia had already played before pulling a fairway wood from his bag, with the fans cheering the indication that the world number one would attempt to go for the green on the par five.
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Told about Garcia's comments, Woods said it was "not real surprising he's complaining about something." And in response to that, Garcia said: "That's fine. At least I'm true to myself. I know what I'm doing. He can do whatever he wants."
Speaking after the third round was completed on Sunday morning, Garcia was happy to confirm what had been suspected for many years.
"He's not my favourite guy to play with," the Spaniard said. "He's not the nicest guy on Tour. So it will good for both us not to play together again (today).
"We don't like each other. It doesn't take a rocket engineer to figure that out. He is who he is. I am who I am. It's best we're not playing together again.
"I'm in a good position. It was nice to finish the way I did, with two birdies and a great save on the last hole. Hopefully, I will get a good feeling this afternoon and see how it goes."
That finish - including a birdie on the infamous 17th despite his tee shot hitting the flag and bouncing back towards the water - meant Garcia and Woods shared the lead with Swedish rookie David Lingmerth on 11 under par going into the final round.
Former champion Henrik Stenson and American duo Casey Wittenberg and Ryan Palmer were a shot behind on 10 under, with Garcia's pairing with Lingmerth - by virtue of having the honour to start the third round - depriving fans of another potentially explosive pairing of Woods and Garcia.
May 21st 2013: Sergio Garcia has no intention of instigating peace talks with Tiger Woods following their clash at the Players Championship.
Garcia, who confirmed bluntly at the time that he and Woods "don't like each other", told the Daily Mail: "We have not spoken and I don't really have any plans to [contact him]. Obviously he is not going to say sorry, which I can understand coming from him.
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"It wasn't my fault. I am not the one who should go to him. I don't care who he is.
"It doesn't matter if it is Tiger Woods or Luke Donald, who is my best friend on tour. If I have done something wrong I will go up and say, 'Sorry, I hope it is okay and that we can move on.'
"But if I am not the one who did the thing then I am not going to go up and say, 'Sorry for you doing that thing to me'. That's nonsense."
May 22nd 2013: Sergio Garcia admits there is no end in sight to his spat with world number one Tiger Woods, but that is just fine with him.
And speaking ahead of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, Garcia said: "Obviously you can't like everybody. I think there's people that you connect with and there's people that you don't. It's pretty much as simple as that.
"He doesn't need me in his life, I don't need him in mine, let's move on and keep doing what we're doing. It's never really been a true connection like I would have with maybe with Luke (Donald) or Lee (Westwood) or Adam Scott or some of the other guys that I get along with well.
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"It's fine. It doesn't mean that I cannot play with him. It's just another player, obviously a good player. It's just when I'm playing with someone I enjoy, there's a bit more talking going round and when you're playing with someone that you don't fancy as much you're just a little bit quiet."
Garcia has not played in the European Tour's flagship event since finishing fifth in 2000, partly due to playing on the PGA Tour in America and partly due to tax reasons.
However, an easing of the tax burden brought in for the Olympics last year has contributed to his return, along with the desire to reunite last year's triumphant Ryder Cup team from Medinah which has only been spoilt by Peter Hanson's withdrawal with a back injury.
"I think it (the tax situation) has helped a little bit," Garcia said. "I don't think it's great still but it has obviously helped.
"But I think the main reason was obviously that they wanted to make this tournament extra special this year with everything that happened last year with the Ryder Cup so it was worth it to make a little bit of an extra effort to come and play."
Garcia's row with Woods threatened to overshadow some thrilling golf at Sawgrass, with the players level on 13 under par until Garcia dumped two balls into the water on the famous par-three 17th.
"I was trying to win the tournament," Garcia added. "I thought 17 was easier to birdie than 18 so that's why I tried to hit it somewhere close. I had a great possibility of winning the Players for a second time and it is a little disappointing, but it was a great week and that's what I tried to take away from it."
May 22nd 2013: Tiger Woods has labelled a remark made about him by Sergio Garcia as "wrong and hurtful," but believes there is "real regret" that it was made.
Garcia has apologised for what could be construed as a racist remark about Woods at the European Tour's annual awards ceremony on Tuesday evening.
The Spaniard, who has been involved in a public row with Woods since the Players Championship at Sawgrass this month, was on stage with the rest of the victorious Ryder Cup team, including captain Jose Maria Olazabal.
During a question and answer session hosted by the Golf Channel's Steve Sands, the 33-year-old was asked if he would have the world number one around for dinner one night during the upcoming US Open.
"We will have him round every night," Garcia said. "We will serve fried chicken."
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Garcia later issued a statement through the European Tour, saying: "I apologise for any offence that may have been caused by my comment on stage during The European Tour Players' Awards dinner.
"I answered a question that was clearly made towards me as a joke with a silly remark, but in no way was the comment meant in a racist manner."
Woods wrote on Twitter this afternoon: "The comment that was made wasn't silly. 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."
Garcia could find himself in hot water with the European Tour, whose code of behaviour states that: "On becoming a member each person voluntarily submits himself to standards of behaviour and ethical conduct beyond those required of ordinary golfers and members of the public.
"The European Tour has been the hallmark of honesty, fair dealings, courtesy, and sportsmanship and each member is bound to honour and uphold that tradition at all times whether on or off the golf course."
The Tour handbook lists examples of potential minor or serious breaches of the code, including for 'injurious conduct' which is described as: "Actions or comments that may harm or discredit officials, fellow members, sponsors, promoters, volunteers, third party contractors or the PGA European Tour and that does cause or is deemed likely to cause significant negative media or long term damage to any of the aforementioned persons."
Possible sanctions include a reprimand, censure, fine, suspension of membership or even expulsion from the European Tour.
Garcia's remark was similar to one made by Fuzzy Zoeller to Woods in 1997. After Woods won the Masters, which entitled him to choose the champions' dinner menu for the following year, Zoeller said: "You pat him on the back and say congratulations and enjoy it and tell him not to serve fried chicken next year. Got it? Or collard greens or whatever the hell they serve." Zoeller later apologised and said he had been misconstrued.
Just hours earlier, Garcia told reporters ahead of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth that there was no end in sight to his spat with Woods, which resurfaced after the pair had played together in the third round at Sawgrass.
Garcia felt he had been disturbed on his approach to the second hole when spectators cheered Woods for taking a fairway wood out of his bag, indicating he would try to reach the green from his position in the trees.
"He's not my favourite guy to play with," the Spaniard said. "He's not the nicest guy on Tour. We don't like each other. It doesn't take a rocket engineer to figure that out. He is who he is. I am who I am. It's best we're not playing together again."
Asked on Monday if he would call Garcia to clear the air, Woods simply said 'No'.
And Garcia said on Tuesday: "Obviously you can't like everybody. I think there's people that you connect with and there's people that you don't. It's pretty much as simple as that.
"He doesn't need me in his life, I don't need him in mine, let's move on and keep doing what we're doing.
"It's fine. It doesn't mean that I cannot play with him. It's just another player, obviously a good player.
"It's just when I'm playing with someone I enjoy, there's a bit more talking going round and when you're playing with someone that you don't fancy as much you're just a little bit quiet."
Asked for his reaction to Garcia's comment on Twitter, Graeme McDowell wrote: "private/humor filled environment but he shouldn't have said it #slip," while Lee Westwood felt Woods would not be "particularly bothered" by it.
"It's an awkward situation where they obviously just don't get on," Westwood added. "It's in the public and you guys (the media) will stoke it up and you don't need to.
"I get on with both of them but I have no interest of getting in the middle of that relationship. It's nothing to do with me."
May 27th 2013: Sergio Garcia has been asked to wait until the US Open to apologise in person to Tiger Woods following the race row which erupted this week.
Garcia escaped punishment for what could be construed as a racist remark about Woods after offering an unreserved apology for his "stupid and out of place" comments at the European Tour's annual awards ceremony on Tuesday evening.
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During a Q&A session involving the full Ryder Cup team, the 33-year-old was asked if he would invite Woods to dinner one night at Merion next month to settle their differences, which resurfaced at the Players Championship this month.
"We will have him round every night," Garcia said. "We will serve fried chicken."
Garcia initially issued an apology overnight for his "silly remark" and then held a press conference on Wednesday afternoon to apologise again, but has been unable to speak to Woods in person.
Speaking after a closing 72 at the BMW PGA Championship gave him a share of 19th place, Garcia said: "We talked to his manager.
"We asked him if he wanted us to call Tiger, obviously if he gives us the number, or wait for Merion and do it there face-to-face, and they said they would rather do it there.
"So there's nothing else we can do, so we'll wait until we get there and we'll talk."
So far Woods' only response came via Twitter, with the world number one writing: "The comment that was made wasn't silly. 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."
As for his performance this week, Garcia added: "I wasn't really on my best game today, but it's been a long week, a lot of emotions going on and today I kind of felt it a little bit.
"But I tried with what I had. It wasn't my best game but I still tried. I would loved to do a little bit better but I can't ask myself for much more."
