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Why are you so enamored with Garcia???? Many might say Adam Scott is the best without a major. No question that Sergio is a great ball-striker, Greater ego, and mediocre putter. He certeinly isn't a closer!

Renowed losers are always popular with the crowds, look at the joy when Ivanisevic won Wimbledon or the popularity Jimmy White still has in snooker.

The only exception would be if he was British, then he would be slated by the media as a choker.

Adam Scott the best player not to have won a major??
He's never come anywhere near and chokes continuously in run of the mill tournaments.
At least Garcia has come close and genuinley been unlucky rather than bottled it. He'll get there.

His new putter needs to work wonders on him. Yes Garcia is one of the greatest ball strikers in the game at the minute, however his putting has been poor. Garcia will probably win a Major but I don't think it will come at the Open.

i don't think there is any rush for Garcia to win a major...he shouldn't be feeling much pressure..it's not as if he's Monty's age or anything he's still quite young. Harrington didn't win a major till he was 37, now he's got 3 majors a year a half later. There will be plently of oppurtunites for Garcia to win in the future in which one of those could be this Sunday but in my oponion there is no need to get concerned that Garcia won't win a major, he's to good a player for that.

I have been to the Players Championship a number of times, and the player who I enjoy watching the most is Garcia. His ball striking is phenomenal. His driving is majestic, and for a relatively small guy he generates incredible power. I dont think he is a choker at all. Sure his putting is not his best part of his game, but if it were reversed his driving the weak part and putting the good part, giving equal results, he would not be deemed a choker. He was world number 2 for golds sake.

He is an outstanding player that truly needs a little luck. As one muppet said before, The more I practiced the luckier I got - well I only buy part of that. There are many I hit wonders in Golf who win majors by getting very lucky and others just not performing at the highest standards on that day. Curtis, Micheel, Hamilton, Beem, Lawrie What about Ogilvy!! He needed 25 players to fall apart, by various forms of golf suicide

Garcia missed an 8 footer to win the British open well struck putt that on another day would have fallen. People forget Harrington choked, when he pushed a drive and duffed his approach. He did well to even get up and down to force the playoff. At the PGA Harrington nailed putts on the back nine that are 1 in 10 chances. Even on 18 he drained a 25 footer, which the stats show are made 6% of the time (thank Bob Kostas for that figure!). Obviously you need to be in position, but man he got LUCKY..

The comment about Adam Scott was surely a joke. There are many players better than Adam who have not one a major. He recently purchased Leer Jet to meet the demands of his commercial interests, and since then has slipped to 43rd in the world. I think he should focus on the golf !! There are a group of women I have seen a few times at the Players following Adam they name themselves Scotties Hotties so its not all bad for Adam!

why does the blog remove the dashes!

"Even on 18 he drained a 25 footer, which the stats show are made 6% of the time (thank Bob Kostas for that figure!). Obviously you need to be in position, but man he got LUCKY.."

Harrington was not lucky in the PGA, he was inspired. Sinking putts when the heat is on is what separates great players from good players.

I think anyone who thinks Harrington has been lucky to win majors is not giving him the credit he has earned and now deserves. We know an element of luck is needed to get you through sometimes but 3 major wins is the mark of a great player and harrington is certainly that.

With Tiger coming back to form and Sergio apparently happy with a putter in hand this could, maybe just maybe, be one very special week.

Come on Sergio!!!

BMACO1981.. go watch the PGA back 9 again... he could be there all day and not make that many single putts from those distances. There was a putt on 15 that was in 3 putt range and he holed it. You call it inspired. I call it luck. Garcia hit the flag on 16, rolled 15 feet away. I call that unlucky.

Don't get me wrong - obviously Harrington is a great player but all victories came with luck on his side, or no luck on someone else part. And sure, that's golf...

Check out this link.

s_major_championships_winning_golfers
(Wikipedia search major champions if the link is removed)

Interesting to see so many 'great' players with only one major. I am not an huge advocate of you have to win a major or multiple to ge a great player, or go down in history as such. John Daly won 2 - one as a last minute qualifier. Anybody can win one, even 2. Daly and Cabrera can vouch for that...

Padraig is lucky to have won 3 majors - one would be about right for a golfer of his ability - Garcia needs to win one soon, otherwise he probably never will - but then again if he DOES win one soon, he will no doubt go on to win maybe 4 or 5

I hope Sergio can win a major. Undoubtedly he is a very good player, but the fact that he is still to win major must be a burden. Right or wrong when we look back at sporting careers we look at hard facts, and hence coming second place will always be remembered as not winning.
That is why Tiger is so good. He has backed his talents with an ability to win and that is what marks out truely great players.

The Open is the major that Garcia is most likely to win because it calls for more variety of shots than the other 3 majors. Also the greens in the Open tend to be slightly slower than American greens.

So there is less emphasis on putting - hence Garcia has never particularly shone at the Masters.

Garcia can hit wonderful low punched shots, a skill which many of them are not entirely comfortable.

Garcia was unlucky at the end at Carnoustie (he hit a good putt that missed by fractions) and also played well at the US PGA.

"Padraig is lucky to have won 3 majors - one would be about right for a golfer of his ability"

Harrington has won 3 majors because he's able to deliver the goods when it matters most. Who gives a stuff about "ability" - golf is about nerve + determination and Harrington has those qualities in spades. I love Garcia as a player but it's not because of luck that he's failed to win a major, it's because he's a very weak putter.

"BMACO1981.. go watch the PGA back 9 again... he could be there all day and not make that many single putts from those distances. There was a putt on 15 that was in 3 putt range and he holed it. You call it inspired. I call it luck."

But.. he did the same thing at Carnoustie and at Birkdale, the guy is just a great putter when the chips are down. Was Tiger Woods lucky to sink that 10 footer to get into the play-off with Rocco Mediate last year? No, he just sinks putts when he needs to.

The chips have been down for Padraig the last 5 tournaments where he has failed to make the cut! I agree he can be a good putter, however he is 136th on the pga putts per GIR this year.

I think Tiger WAS lucky to get into that playoff. That putt had a good a chance staying out as going in. Tiger doesn't always make them either. He just gives himself chances in every tournament.

We can't really compare anyone to Tiger - it is not his putts on the final hole that make him player he is - it is the hole in between that he has done amazing things just to stay in contention. Last years Arnie tournament he hit water during the 3rd round 18th hole. From 180 over water he sticks it to 15 feet and makes the putt.

" I love Garcia as a player but it's not because of luck that he's failed to win a major, it's because he's a very weak putter. "

He has had 6 top 10's at the Open. You don't get that from weak putting. He was half a roll away from winning one. If that had gone in would he suddenly become a great putter??

Nice piece Rob; I think one of the reasons Sergio hasn't won any of the other majors is because of the negative pressure applied by the American press who for some reason love to hate him and, hence, he gets little support from the fans.

Winning The Open won't change much in that regard, but it might give him the confidence to overcome the negative vibes from Johnny Miller et al and begin to do himself justice in the States.

somear says, "Anybody can win one, even 2."

Anybody who would write this sentence knows very little about the game of golf.

powerfulKiki, I am not sure what about that statement has anything to do with my knowledge of golf. It is my opinion that any golfer, no matter what his rankings, can win a major. Look at the list of one time winners to validate. Any golfer can have his best tournament during a major. Timing is everything. I personnally think too much is placed on a major. There are some PGA tour events that have the same quality fields and winning one of those tournaments is sometimes harder.