Sergio Garcia now has more top-10 finishes in majors than anyone else on the PGA Tour, but it took 74 starts before he finally broke through with a win.
It came at Augusta National in the Masters on Sunday, the very location Garcia first made his debut as a young amateur in 1999. He had three top-10s along the way, but it all came together in a magical way on Sunday with a birdie-eagle run on the second nine and clutch shots from the 18th fairway on the 72nd and 73rd holes of the tournament.
After Sergio’s playoff win was clinched over Justin Rose, the runner-up told CBS that if there was anyone to lose to, it was good to lose to Garcia in his first major win. Not knowing how Rose felt, Garcia shared a similar sentiment. “We wanted to beat the other guy not [have] that guy to lose it,” the champion said.
Rose wasn’t alone in that statement as tweets from players on the PGA Tour -- including Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, a former Ryder Cup foe and teammate -- started pouring in to offer congratulations on the Masters win.