Sergio Garcia Comes Of Age

Is it just me, or has Sergio Garcia matured as a player through the course of the last 12 months? He lost last year at the British Open in a typical Sergio emotional 'it's not fair' attitude. Then a new Sergio, a 'get it done no matter what happens' emerges at the Players Championship. Sergio was certainly emotional there, but not to the point that it kept him moving past bad luck and bad shots. Even though he barely missed winning the British Open and did well at the US Open, something was noticeably different. For one, he was right there through ups and downs. He never quit and he didn't blame his losses on outside forces.

I thought it was telling when he four putted at the PGA he said afterwards that he didn't feel that bad because he hit good putts. Now that may sound crazy, but that's the way a great putter thinks. Sergio was gracious in his losses and you could sense that instead of acting like his best opportunities for a major were slipping by, he was thinking that he was just getting closer to reeling in his first one. His ball striking is second to none and he looks like he's finding his putter. If he does, there isn't any tournament he can't win.

I think we'll know that Sergio is going to a new level of play if he goes out now and wins a couple of regular tour events between now and the Masters, either in Europe or the US. And watch him in the Ryder Cup. He's shown brightly there in the past, but this year he may actually be dominating.