Still Going Strong

We dissect how Sergio Garcia has rebuilt his game to allow him to still compete at the very top well into his 40s

- By Kit Alexander. Photographs by Getty Images

When a more mature European team were trounced 19-9 by their younger American counterparts in the Ryder Cup last September, it seemed like a natural changing of the guard. The question many people were asking was “who will be the next generation of European stars to step up on the world stage?” While four of the team were in their 40s, one of those was Europe’s second top scorer. Sergio Garcia played some excellent golf and notched up three points for his team. The Spaniard has been playing at the top level for 23 years, but having just turned 42, there’s still plenty left in the tank and no shortage of desire to add to the one Major and 36 professional wins he already has. There’s plenty of exciting talent coming through in European golf, but don’t bet against this master having a big year in 2022 and beyond.

Nothing to prove

Garcia already has an incredible career. He got the Major monkey off his back at the 2017 Masters and his 36 wins include 16 on the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour) and 11 on the PGA Tour. These stretch from his breakthrough victory in his sixth start as a pro in the 1999 Irish Open at just 19 years of age to his most recent title at the Sanderson Farms Championship in October 2020. He won the Players Championship in 2008 and has spent over 450 weeks in the world’s top ten, reaching a career-high of number two, also in 2008. He has 22 Major top-tens alongside that win at Augusta National, but no top-tens and 11 missed cuts in the 17 Majors since he donned the Green Jacket.