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Since Wednesday, the top golfers in the world, as sorted by the world rankings, have been battling it out in the only match play event of the year. We've seen some wacky things so far (Graeme McDowell with 3 straight comebacks, all #1 seeds ousted by round 2, Rory McIlroy hitting cactus into people), but what happened in a specific match today might take the cake.
The round of 16 brought on arguably the most intriguing match of the day: Sergio Garcia vs. Rickie Fowler. Experienced flare vs. colorful youth. A match where beautiful ball striking and talent was on full display. But, thanks to Sergio, we saw a bit of an unusual gesture that can only be seen in the game of match play.
On hole 7, Garcia was 3 up with about a 4 footer for par left. Fowler had a 17 footer for par left. Oddly enough, after Rickie conceded Sergio's putt, Sergio did the same to Rickie. I've played a lot of match play, and I can confidently say that a 13 foot differential in a "good-good" situation is the most I've ever seen. That might be the biggest discrepancy in the history of "good-goods." Many of us, including Nick Faldo immediately questioned the move.
Then we found out about the explanation. Golf Channel was able to report to us that Sergio gave Rickie that putt because he felt bad about holding him up on the previous hole. He felt like he needed to repay Rickie for the delay, and decided to do so by giving him the long putt on the 7th.
My take: This is a classy move by Sergio Garcia. He's taken a lot of heat from the media (fried chicken comment about Tiger, spitting in a cup, flipping the bird to the gallery), but it seems like his mind is in a better place now. He specifically said that he wants golf to return to the gentlemen's game that it was once before, and it certainly seems like he's sincere about doing that. He did more than just apologize for his delay on the previous hole, he provided a gesture to show that he was really sorry. That's about as professional and classy as you could get during a big event. I applaud him for that.
Sergio didn't end up winning the match (Rickie won 1 up), but I feel like he won a lot of fans over today with his gesture. This controversial concession didn't cost him the match at all. Rickie caught fire at the end and has been playing some great golf this week. Sergio didn't play well down the stretch, but he's been having a good season regardless. I can definitely see Rickie making a run to the final match, and I can also see Sergio receiving a bit of good karma/fortune with him possibly winning a major this year.
Regardless of how others will take it, I know how I feel about Sergio Garcia. He's always been one of my favorite golfers, but now, I think he tops the list. I just hope others don't take what he tried to do today the wrong way.
Video of the event:
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