"People might think it was an easy decision. It wasn't"

Ryder Cup record-breaker Sergio Garcia talks about playing for Europe, the Majors, his hopes for the future and, of course, his move to LIV two years ago

- JEREMY ELLWOOD

When I was asked to travel to Portugal in September to talk to Sergio Garcia about his career and the second, nearly finished course at Terras da Comporta that bears his design signature – the Torre – I’ll admit to being a little hesitant. Yes, he’s a big name and a great player, but in many people’s eyes his reputation has been more than a little soured due to various incidents on tour and, of course, his high-profile defection to LIV two years ago.

For many, here was a man who appeared to have been served extremely well financially by the two main tours for 23 years making it sound like it had all been a bit of an ordeal. I would count myself among them, reflecting that when he and Justin Rose were battling it out for the 2017 Masters, it was the Spaniard who I was willing to win over and above the Englishman on account of his long, and hitherto fruitless, quest for the maiden Major most felt his golf game more than warranted. Seven years on, I couldn’t imagine myself rooting for him in the same way.

Garcia has always been a great player but slightly fiery character. When I interviewed him nearly 20 years ago just after the 2005 Open in St Andrews, I raised the subject of his occasionally feisty nature, writing this: “I have to confess that I, like many I suspect, have struggled to warm to him in light of various misdemeanours in his early years, whether kicking a misbehaving shoe down the 15th at Wentworth in 1999, doubling the size of an offending divot in St Andrews’ sacred turf in the 2000 Open, or openly slating European Tour referee John Paramor over a ruling in 2001.”