Sergio Garcia is on hot streak. When will it stop?
He’s hoping it’ll keep going through Sunday at least.
Garcia finished the second round of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open 7-under 64 to sit at 12 under through 36 holes, two shots off morning wave leaders Martin Laird and Patrick Cantlay.
The 40-year-old came into this week’s tournament at TPC Summerlin fresh off his win at the Sanderson Farms Championship — his first on the PGA Tour since the 2017 Masters and first professional win since the 2019 KLM Open last September.
In Garcia’s last six rounds, the highest number he’s written on his scorecard has been a 68. Friday’s 64 was his lowest round since the first round of the Travelers Championship in June.
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If you ask Garcia, though, his second-round 64 wasn’t as good as his first-round 66.
“In the middle of the round I hit a couple loose shots. Probably the par on 14 was the best hole of the day, from a flat lie, no green to work with,” Garcia said. “Have to hit the bunkers to give myself a chance, and then rolled probably a 16- or 17-footer for par. That was massive, because then that helped me go birdie, birdie the next two holes.”
Garcia’s shining moment of the day was when he holed out for eagle on the par-4 sixth. Using a 15-degree lob wedge from 111 yards to the hole, Garcia’s ball bounced off the green about eight feet to the right of the hole then spun back into the cup. At the time, the shot propelled him from T-6 to second, one shot off the lead, with three holes left to play.
“Obviously, it would’ve been nicer to do with crowds, but even without crowds still very nice,” Garcia said.
The shot. 💯
The reaction. 🤣@TheSergioGarcia spins it in for an eagle! #QuickHits pic.twitter.com/D76cBtIPG8— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 9, 2020
Garcia began his bogey-free round on No. 10 and carded four birdies in six holes on Nos. 11 through 16. After the turn, he carded his second eagle in five days eagle on No. 6 and another birdie on No. 9 to walk off the course T-3 after the morning wave.
Following back-to-back missed cuts at the Safeway Open and U.S. Open, Garcia’s game is finally coming together. Luck, confidence and determination have finally aligned.
“It’s funny because earlier in the year I felt like I was playing as well as I’ve been playing the last week and a half; just things weren’t really happening,” Garcia said. “So obviously it’s a combination of playing well, confidence, couple good breaks when you need them at the right time that keeps your round going, and that’s what I did.
“Like my par save on 14 today. You know, two months ago that was probably a bogey at best. I hit an unbelievable bunker shot from a flat lie and left myself about 16, 17 feet for par and I rolled it in. Those are the kinds of things you need to keep your rounds going.”
The last time Garcia, who boasts 16 European Tour wins and 11 PGA Tour wins, won two PGA Tour events in one year was 2011 when he won the MasterCard Colonial and Buick Classic. He last won back-t0-back events in 2011 on the European Tour, the Castelló Masters and Andalucía Masters.
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