Sergio Garcia begins his 2011 campaign at the Volvo Golf Champions in Bahrain with a spring in his step and enjoyment back in his game.
Garcia had appeared a troubled soul over the last year or so but he returns to action with a fresh mind and his hunger back.
“I am looking forward to playing, looking forward to enjoying it out there and hopefully, having a good time and do some of the things we know how to do,” said the Spaniard.
Garcia last played at the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World at the end of the 2010 season and has spent the last few weeks relaxing in either Spain, his home in Switzerland or in America.
“I am looking forward to building some momentum, enjoying it, having fun out there and getting the game back to where we know we can get it,” he said. “It is obviously a working process but I am looking forward to it.”
Garcia took a brief break from the game after the US PGA Championship last year and has slipped down to World Number 80, a far cry from when he was World Number Two a little under two years ago.
“I wasn’t playing like I wanted to, and when you don’t play the way you know how to play, it’s a bit more frustrating,” he explained. “It [the break] was something I need to do and now I am looking forward to a kind of restart and getting going.”
Garcia is looking at the positives but recognises there is work ahead. “It happens to everyone. I think you kind of lose yourself out here and you have to try and find your way back, fins yourself again. And as I said last year, I needed to find myself again and from then on, work on my game and try to improve it.”
The Ryder Cup, where Garcia played a crucial role in Europe’s victory as one of the four assistant captains at The Celtic Manor Resort last October, could well be the catalyst that helps Garcia turn the corner. His passion and exuberance for the biennial contest stands alongside that of the other great Spanish players, Seve Ballesteros and 2012 Captain José Maria Olazábal.
“I have always said The Ryder Cup is very special to me and it was no different in Wales. It was a good experience. But not one I am looking forward to repeating any time soon as I would rather be inside the ropes playing golf.”
As for the next European Ryder Cup Captain, Garcia was delighted to see Olazábal take over the helm. “I think he is going to be an amazing Captain. He has been there a couple of times as vice captain and he’s done a great job. He brings so much charisma, so much passion. We know he and Seve, how much The Ryder Cup means to them and how they have done. I am sure it’s going to be amazing.”
