Sergio Garcia has never been one to shy away from telling the world what he truly thinks. Admittedly, his outspokenness has made him relatable while also being an approach that ensures he continues to make headlines wherever he goes. The bottom line is that you know what you’re getting when it comes to one of the finest talents to have played golf over the last 25 years: passion, and lots of it.
Garcia returns to the Masters
This is why Garcia’s return to Augusta National in 2023 and indeed beyond will make for box-office viewing. Of course, it should be said that the chances of the Spaniard winning at Augusta National for the second time in his career are slim given that the 43-year-old is at +15000 in the latest Masters golf betting outright odds.
Instead, the most recent golf betting tips list Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy as the overall favorites – both players have been given the same odds of +750. In this sense and with other players in far better form, it won’t necessarily be Garcia’s play that will make for scintillating viewing but rather the way he conducts himself at an event that will see him come eyeball to eyeball with players he has recently disagreed with.
To understand why, you first have to go back to 2022 when the Spaniard joined the LIV Golf Series – much to the disappointment of his fellow peers who opted to remain on the PGA Tour.
Last week golfing in Austin before I head to Spain to visit with family, then PIF Saudi International for golf.
— Sergio Garcia (@TheSergioGarcia) January 27, 2023
La última semana de entrenamiento antes de ir a España a ver a mi familia, y de allí a jugar el
PIF Saudi International. @Golf_Saudi pic.twitter.com/q6vq8pfjrX
A parting of ways
Following Garcia’s decision to join the rebel league, he was no longer an eligible member of the PGA Tour after blanket bans were handed to anyone who joined LIV.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the segregation between both professional tours then led to a difference of opinion, most notably, between Garcia and PGA players he used to call close friends. Specifically, Garcia has aired his frustration at 33-year-old McIlroy after the Northern Irishman took an uncompromising stance on players who had left the PGA Tour in order to join the Saudi-backed league.
In Garcia’s opinion, this fallout was avoidable but owing to McIlroy’s views on the matter, the two now no longer speak.
Sergio Garcia calls out Rory McIlroy for ‘lacking maturity.’ 👀
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) February 24, 2023
Read his full comments: https://t.co/HkjJdVcZA1 pic.twitter.com/NrWjN479OD
The stage is set
Ordinarily speaking, this stand-off wouldn’t be a problem if Garcia and McIlroy weren’t likely to cross paths but with LIV members allowed to play in the majors that they have previously won, the pair will, in theory, come face to face every spring at Augusta National until they retire.
This may not be a bad thing as the Masters could give Garcia and McIlroy a chance to clear the air and pick up a friendship that was forged during the playing of the Ryder Cup. Back then, the duo fought tooth and nail on the same team in an effort to bring glory to Team Europe which they successfully managed to do on four different occasions between 2010 and 2018.
However, if reconciliation between the former teammates isn’t forthcoming at first, then the playing of the Masters every year could provide the backdrop to a new rivalry that few imagined would ever develop.
From purely an entertainment point of view, the reality is that sports fans will be eagerly awaiting what happens next with two ex-teammates set to lock horns on the hallowed turf of Augusta National.
