El Niño hits Kapalua
| • | Woods' rally proves he'll be tough again |
| • | Garcia tells golf media to get a grip |
| • | Tournament historical statistics |
| • | Golfers boost Maui recovery |
By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer
KAPALUA, Maui — Sergio Garcia embraced Saturday's strong gusts and yesterday's relentless pressure with equal enthusiasm to win the season-opening Mercedes Championships in a playoff with David Toms.
Associated Press
Garcia carved up a relatively benign Plantation Course in the final round, shooting a 9-under-par 64. He caught Toms, who shot 67, with a 12-foot birdie putt on the last hole. Both finished at 18-under 274.
Sergio Garcia not only got a shiny trophy, but also a shiny, new Mercedes after yesterday's victory.
Garcia won the tournament in the same place — No. 18 was the first playoff hole — by sinking another 12-footer for birdie. Toms had missed that same putt, and the opportunity to win in regulation, minutes earlier.
"I saw it (Toms' putt) on TV," Garcia said. "I hit mine in regulation from the opposite side. I actually thought he made the putt in regulation, then it stayed short. I knew that it was just inside-right putt. So I hit it right there, perfect stroke, in the middle."
Garcia's putter dropped before the putt did. He raised his hands, hugged his caddy and Toms, and walked around in a happy daze. The Spaniard who likes to be called El Nino, and turns 22 Wednesday, had won his fifth tournament in the last year — three on the PGA Tour.
Garcia became the first since Tiger Woods to win the Mercedes in his first trip. The select event only includes champions from the previous year. When Woods won in 1997, he was 11 months younger than Garcia is now.
"He has obviously got a lot of talent," Toms said of Garcia. "Maybe he's ready to break out. He's got the power, got great imagination around the greens. He loves to play golf as much as anybody I've ever seen."
El Nino's passion was obvious the past two days. He climbed within four of the leaders Saturday by playing a Plantation Course blown beyond recognition in 68. While others couldn't help but curse the wind, Garcia flirted with it.
"What wind?" he said, with a huge grin. "I feel great."
Toms, the reigning PGA champion, also embraced the challenge. When both eagled the ninth hole yesterday — Garcia reached the green of the par-5 in two and Toms chipped in — the game was on.
It just took awhile to figure out who was in.
Chris DiMarco, who started the day tied with Toms, took a one-shot advantage up to the back nine. Garcia caught him at 15 under with birdie on the 10th, then surged into first alone — for the first time — with birdie at the 13th.
Associated Press
Toms got hot at the same hole, draining birdie putts at 13, 14 and 15 to grab the advantage at 17-under.
Sergio Garcia celebrates on the 18th green of the Plantation Course at Kapalua, Maui, after birdieing the final hole to force a playoff with David Toms in the Mercedes Championships.
While Garcia scrambled to keep up, DiMarco dropped out of contention. His downfall came on the 15th, where he three-putted for bogey to fall out of a share of the lead. Another bogey on the final hole dropped him into a tie for fifth, with Mark Calcavecchia (69) and Scott McCarron (66).
Garcia's lone letdown came while he was close enough to spit on the 14th green. After nearly driving the par-4 (305 yards) hole, he flopped his chip shot just short. It rolled back to him and he took bogey to drop a shot behind.
He got that back on the next hole, two-putting for birdie, then tied Toms at 17 under with a nine-foot birdie putt at No. 16.
"I was there, making those birdies," Garcia recalled, "and I'm thinking to myself, 'Jesus, this is what you work for, this is what you're waiting for.' It's such a thrill. It's like you grow, you grow up."
Toms' birdie at No. 17 set up Garcia's heroics on the final hole —Êa par-5 he had not birdied until he did it twice yesterday. He pumped his fist twice when the first birdie putt went in, just as he remembered Jim Furyk doing a year ago in the same spot.
Associated Press
Furyk made another run yesterday, shooting a bogey-free 65. But he couldn't catch Garcia, Toms or third-round leader Kenny Perry (69-275), who birdied the final hole when an eagle would have put him in the playoff.
David Toms missed his chance to win in regulation.
Toms was left to lament the putt that got away on the 72nd hole while the foggy mist enveloped Kapalua.
"The rain was coming down pretty heavy," Toms said. "Even DiMarco made the comment, 'The mist got you.' I felt I hit it solid enough not to be short. I left it about half a roll short.
"I felt like I was going to make it. I was convinced I was going to make it and win the tournament right there. I was shocked that I left it short. When I looked up halfway, I thought it was in. It was right dead center. It just didn't get there."
Garcia, Toms, Perry and Furyk will join defending Sony Open in Hawai'i champion Brad Faxon at Waialae Country Club this week. Faxon climbed into ninth yesterday at Kapalua, shooting 69—280.
Woods finally found his putting stroke, and avoided disaster on the opening hole, to share 10th place at 65—281.
Garcia, who is $720,000 richer, will also be back at Kapalua next year.
"To tell you the truth," Garcia said, "I don't think I'd be this good if I wouldn't have been that bad in 2000. I learned a lot of things in 2000. It made my family come even closer than what it was, and that gave me a lot of strength."
In the final official tournament of 2001 Garcia and Toms — ranked sixth and seventh in the world — lost to Mike Weir in a playoff. That came up yesterday when they were walking down the 18th fairway.
"I said, 'It's amazing the last two tournaments we played together, we've been in the playoff together,' " Garcia recalled. "He's like, 'Yeah, but you know, the last one we didn't win.'
"I said, 'Don't worry, I think this time one of us is going to win.' "
• • •
SCOREBOARD
x—won on first hole of playoff
x-Sergio Garcia, $720,000 73-69-68-64—274
David Toms, $432,000 69-66-72-67—274
Kenny Perry, $275,000 68-67-71-69—275
Jim Furyk, $196,000 67-72-73-65—277
Scott McCarron, $150,000 71-72-69-66—278
Mark Calcavecchia, $150,000 72-66-71-69—278
Chris DiMarco, $150,000 67-72-68-71—278
Scott Verplank, $130,000 67-69-70-73—279
Brad Faxon, $120,000 71-71-69-69—280
Tiger Woods, $105,000 68-74-74-65—281
Bob Estes, $105,000 70-70-71-70—281
David Duval, $92,000 67-71-72-72—282
Joel Edwards, $88,000 69-71-71-72—283
Retief Goosen, $83,500 69-71-77-67—284
Mike Weir, $83,500 63-74-74-73—284
Davis Love III, $77,500 69-72-78-68—287
Tom Pernice, Jr., $77,500 70-70-75-72—287
Justin Leonard, $73,000 70-72-75-71—288
Cameron Beckman, $73,000 67-73-75-73—288
Joe Durant, $69,000 73-73-74-69—289
Frank Lickliter II, $69,000 66-74-77-72—289
Scott Hoch, $64,000 72-75-73-70—290
Shigeki Maruyama, $64,000 72-75-72-71—290
Robert Allenby, $64,000 74-72-71-73—290
Steve Stricker, $60,000 71-70-79-71—291
Hal Sutton, $57,000 75-73-76-68—292
Jesper Parnevik, $57,000 74-75-72-71—292
John Cook, $55,000 72-69-78-74—293
David Gossett, $54,000 74-78-72-72—296
Jeff Sluman, $52,500 74-76-78-70—298
Robert Damron, $52,500 69-73-85-71—298
Garrett Willis, $51,000 77-80-74-73—304
