Sergio Garcia battled ghosts of the intangible (history) and tangible (stats) in the third round of the Masters.
Not only has the Spaniard never won a major – a streak of 71 consecutive events – but he also has never played well on Saturdays at Augusta National with a cumulative score of 38-over par in 13 third rounds.
He subdued the statistical ghost with a 2-under-par 70 and is 6-under par for the tournament. He will be in the final pairing in Sunday’s final round alongside Justin Rose with a chance to subdue the historical ghost and shed the label of best player to never win a major.
“Swing didn’t feel quite as good as yesterday,” he told CBS. “I made some good putts when I had to. At the end of the day it’s about staying patient. I feel like I hit some good shots coming in on the back nine.”
The bad luck that has affected Garcia in some of his previous majors – remember the ricochet off the flagstick at the 2007 British Open? – may have turned for him on Saturday the 13th hole.
After a drive up the right on the par 5, Garcia’s second shot with a 4-iron appeared to land in the tributary of Rae’s Creek that fronts the green. Instead of hitting and rolling back into the water, the ball somehow stuck in the second cut. Garcia said he thought the grass might be longer on the bank this year than in the past.
Garcia took advantage to hit the 25-yard chip to within a foot and make birdie.
“My mentality has kind of changed a little bit, particularly this week, but I’ve definitely had some good breaks throughout all three rounds,” he said. “Thirteen was one of them.”
That new, more positive mindset is something that Garcia said can be partially credited to finding happiness in his life off the course. He is supposed to get married this year and said his fiancée, Angela Akins, is a very positive person, as is his coach.
That new mental approach has helped him feel better about Augusta National, a place where he has just one top-10 finish since 2005.
“There’s nothing wrong with Augusta,” he said. “The main thing that has improved is the way I’m looking at it the past 2-3 years and this year.
“It’s the kind of place if you are trying to fight against it it’s going to beat you down. You just have to roll with it and realize that sometimes you are going to get good breaks like what’s happened to me a few times this week.”
There is one more ghost that will be pushing Garcia on Sunday, almost like a second caddie. That ghost will be, of course, Seve Ballesteros.
Ballesteros is a two-time Masters champ who died in 2011. He was one of Garcia’s idols, along with Jose Maria Olazabal, also a two-time Masters champ.
Garcia was asked at least three times after Saturday’s round about the impact of potentially winning the Masters on Sunday, which would be the day Ballesteros turned 70.
“I don’t know how much it would mean to join both of my idols as a Masters winner,” he said. “It would be nice to have a chance and hopefully do it.”
