Sergio García (+1) wasn’t in the mood to look on the bright side today. He hasn’t quite taken control of his swing, and not even a sensational comeback like the one he staged this Friday brings a smile to his face. He shot 68, the fifth-best score of the day at the time of handing in his card, seven fewer than yesterday. It’s his lowest round in a Major since the Open Championship in 2022. He has climbed the leaderboard significantly and has practically secured the cut. This would end a streak of seven consecutive missed cuts in this major. He would return to the PGA weekend ten years later. There’s a lot of good in what Sergio has done today, although it’s hard for the man from Borriol to see it.
Sergio even doubts whether he’ll make the cut. Well, actually, more than doubting, he’s convinced he won’t. “There’s a 99.9 percent chance I won’t make the cut. I’m sure. I’ve missed the cut about 300 times by one in the Majors, and this week will be the same,” he asserts. Obviously, at the time of making these statements to the Spanish media at the PGA Championship, it’s impossible to know where the cut line will be. The top 70 and ties advance, and the +1 where he was at the end was in 64th place. Really, something strange, very strange, would have to happen this afternoon at Quail Hollow for him to miss out. In fact, logic suggests that +2 should be the final cut.
García, although it’s hard for him to realise it right now, has delivered a highly valuable round of golf. Without feeling completely comfortable from the tee, he did find something to hold onto in the practice session he had yesterday with DeChambeau right after playing. He was much more precise. He hasn’t quite loosened up or felt in control of his swing, but he has managed to find a way to stay more in play. In fact, yesterday he lost more than half a stroke compared to the field from tee to green, and today he gained almost four. At least, that was the data at the end of his round; it may change when the day is complete. He has plenty of resources, and today he showcased them, although for Sergio, to put it bluntly, it’s hard to admit that sometimes you have to play poorly and still get results. And that is very important.
The Masters champion showed a lot of courage in his round. He started off very well. He made three birdies on holes 10, 12, and 15. He missed up to three good chances to shave off a few more strokes, and on the way back, on hole 2, he suffered a crushing bogey that left him outside the cut at that moment. There was more than a reasonable risk of giving up because, in addition, he had bad luck with his second shot. “The ball got stuck with mud, so I’m going to miss the cut because of that,” he lamented.
But he didn’t wave the white flag. He kept fighting. He saved a huge par on hole 6 and strung together two crucial birdies on 7 and 8. Two textbook birdies. The first leaving his ball almost given, and the second with a very good putt, finally, of just over three metres. His fight was rewarded. He completed the comeback with a magnificent recovery to save par on hole 9.
Perhaps Sergio won’t see it today, nor tomorrow, nor next week, but the truth is he did some really good things today at Quail Hollow.
