After years of disappointment, the likeable Spaniard finally got the job done as he overcame himself, and Justin Rose, to win the 81st Masters. It took him 70+ tries, but this time it was different.
The win comes on the back of two decades of trying, and countless heartbreaking moments when he would get himself into contention and then falter when it mattered most. Not this time, not on Seve’s birthday.
‘Well, there’s always uncertainty,’ said the 37-year-old when asked when he fully believed his could clear his biggest hurdle and write ‘Major champion’ next to his name.
‘I don’t want to brag about it or anything. But from the drive this morning here to the course, I felt very calm. I felt very, you know, very at ease, more than yesterday. Even though yesterday I played well, I was a little bit more nervous. It was tough to control my emotions sometimes.
‘But today, I felt comfortable all day. Obviously 10 is not my favorite hole, but you know, I didn’t play that very well. But even after the two bogeys, I knew that I could still do ‑ I mean, there were some holes there. There were some tough holes and I was playing well, and there were some holes that I could go after.
‘So I knew that unless Justin started making birdies left and right, I knew that I would probably have my chances.’
Perhaps the moment that it all changed was on 13. He was forced to take an unplayable after a rare mistake from the tee, and with Rose over the back in two, Garcia knew it was par or game over. His nerve held as he got up and down from 80 yards.
‘You know, the par on 13 obviously was big. And more than anything, to make that putt, because I hit some decent putts earlier in the round and didn’t make them, and started kind of doubting my reads a little bit. But then I made a great putt on 14 for birdie. Hit a great shot on 15. Made that eagle putt. Hit a terrible putt on the next, that wasn’t very nice.’
A missed opportunity at 16 meant he was one behind with two to play, but took confidence in his good form on the closing two holes and his playoff record to get the job done.
‘But then 17 and 18, I played them very, very well. You know, under the gun with the pressure and everything, it’s not that easy to do. So that gave me ‑ that gave me a lot of belief.
‘And for some reason, when I get into playoffs, usually now lately, you know, I’m quite comfortable. I feel like I’ve already had an amazing week no matter what happens, and you know, I can go out there and kind of freewheel it. Obviously hit two great shots and a wonderful putt to finish with.’
Garcia was pleased with how he handled the big moments all day, key to keeping him in the hunt even when Rose stretched his lead to three on the back nine.
‘Definitely demonstration of my character, and my mentality. You know, how positive I stayed even when things weren’t going that well on 10 and 11.
‘So even on 13, I didn’t hit that bad a drive. I’ve been hitting that drive every day like a high cut. This drive was probably going three yards left of the ones I’ve hit the other three days, and unfortunately it hit the tree and went in the bush. But even that, you know, in the past, I would have ‑ I would have started going, you know, at my caddie, and oh, you know, why doesn’t it go through and whatever (laughter).
‘But you know, I was like, well, if that’s what is supposed to happen, let it happen. Let’s try to make a great 5 here and see if we can put a hell of a finish to have a chance. And if not, we’ll shake Justin’s hand and congratulate him for winning.
‘So I think that that I’ve been doing very well throughout the whole week, and it’s something I need to keep improving and keep getting better at it.’
The round was played with incredible sportsmanship and Garcia revealed what Rose said after he sank his putt on the first sudden death hole.
‘It was very nice. We obviously gave each other a big hug and he said, you know, “Nobody deserved it more than you do.” So he was ‑ he said, “I’m very happy for you. Enjoy it.”
‘It was a great battle. He played awesome. I played nicely, too. So you know, it was nice to be able to battle that out with him, you know, throughout the whole day.’
It was a fitting end to a thrilling Sunday.
