Sergio Garcia has never won a Major tournament, a drought that could end in a year of fantastic third act finishes.
Sports is the ultimate spectacle, something that has been put to the test and paid off time and time again in this year. From the buzzer beater finish to the Warriors blowing a 3-1 lead last year to the Cubs winning the World Series and the Patriots’ epic Super Bowl comeback, this has been the year where it’s not over until it’s over has truly held up.
Another thing this year has done is been kind to the right narrative. The Patriots, Cubs, and Cavaliers all stared down one negative narrative before pivoting to the storybook finish that sports fans dream of and wax poetic about years from the point in time. On Sunday, we have another opportunity for the right narrative to finally play out.
Like the Cubs and Cavaliers, Sergio Garcia is in a championship drought of epic proportions. Here’s the setup: Garcia has played in 71 straight Major tournaments and has won a grand total of zero. The question is, in a year of third act twist endings that pay off to the audience’s delight, will Garcia finally break his losing streak with a win at golf’s most prestigious tournament?
If the sports gods are paying any sort of attention, he will. Garcia winning The Masters on Sunday fits snug with the comeback narratives we’ve seen come to happy conclusions throughout the year. There was no better way for the Cubs to win their first World Series in 108-years than in extras after a rain delay. The Cavaliers winning their first title ever, and LeBron’s first in Cleveland, couldn’t have been made sweeter than a series comeback that erased a 3-1 deficit in a triumphant Game 7 win. LeBron’s block is now iconic, Jason Heyward’s rain delay speech is now the stuff of baseball lore.
Is Sergio Garcia next?
At the end of the third day of The Masters, Garcia was sitting tied for the lead at 6-under. Anything can happen on the back-9 at Augusta but he’s sitting pretty as far as making his dream come true. Beyond Garcia’s legacy, sports fans need to be rooting for this more than anything else on Sunday. Sure, it’d be nice to see Jordan Spieth win — again — and there are other great stories in play. Justin Rose leading a Major after 54-holes in the first time in his career is phenomenal. Rickie Fowler will never not be someone we should be pulling for. But rooting for Garcia right now, this close to glory he’s never tasted before is too good to pass up. We as sports fans are naturally attracted to the underdog, to begin with, and here we sit in a sports cycle set up to benefit the underdog like never before. Why stop with Sergio?
Losing 71 straight Majors is a hard rut to be trapped in, but Garcia is on the brink of climbing out of that and finally etching his name among the legendary names he’s played with over the years but always been a few strokes behind. The biggest win of his career was back in 2008 after a thrilling sudden-death victory at the Players Championship. He’s hung close on the leaderboard with Payne Stewart, Davis Love III, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth. His skill spans keeping pace with three different generations of golfers, yet he’s always been nothing more than close.
What better story to root for than Sergio Garcia finally validating his career at the most hallowed ground in all of golf?