The New Sergio

At 37, there are changes in his life and his golf.

- Jaime Diaz

EVOLVED’ IS NOT A WORD that had been associated with Sergio Garcia, but it was just such a golfer who won the Masters. After rallying in regulation before defeating Justin Rose in sudden death, the Spaniard was asked what he was more proud of, the character he’d demonstrated or his actual shots—which just happened to be the best of his life.“Definitely the character,” Garcia said with quick conviction. Of course, after months of coming to a belated understanding of how one can cause the other, the green jacket he was wearing offered the final proof.

And now, with the heart of the golf season upon us, the question remains: Was Augusta an isolated sweet spot in time that will go down as the biggest achievement of a remarkable career, or something deeper and fundamental enough to make him a historic player?

If it’s the former, Garcia will fall under that intriguing and rare category of supremely gifted player whose lone masterpiece only intensified the prolonged tease of all his flawed majors. Someone like the embattled Tom Weiskopf, whose tour de force at Troon in 1973 contrasted cruelly with 11 other top-fives in majors, including five seconds. At the moment, Garcia has 12 other top-fives in majors, including four runnerup finishes (see chart).

But if it’s the latter, Garcia will fulfill the destiny that seemed clear even before he scissor-kicked up the hill of Medinah’s 16th fairway at his first runner-up finish, the 1999 PGA Championship. Says sport psychologist Bob Rotella: “If Sergio’s actually learned how to put things behind him and just play, and it wasn’t just a one-week thing, he’s going to win a lot of tournaments.” Instructor David Leadbetter, who still remembers how the sound of the skinny 15-year-old’s shots caught his attention, says, “Now I would expect him to win two or three more majors.”