The player from Castellon was delighted with his opening round at the Open de España, he spoke of the difficulty of the conditions and said he is beginning to reap the rewards of the work he has put in over recent months.
Sergio García ended his opening day at the Open de España presented by Madrid with a smile. Thirty years after making his debut in the tournament, the Castellon native carded a 67 (-4) and was particularly pleased with a solid round in conditions that, he explained, were considerably more difficult than they might have appeared.
“I didn’t know it had been exactly thirty years, but it was great. I’m happy to have played well on a difficult day and, above all, a difficult afternoon, with a very gusty wind and the course soft and well-trodden. I’m honestly very pleased. It was solid, and I have to keep going.”
García stressed that the combination of wind and moisture on the course demanded extraordinary precision, especially when controlling distances.
“You could say that because it’s soft, it’s easier. But it isn’t really, because the ball spins back so much on the greens. With anything shorter than a six-iron, you have to hit little controlled shots all day to stop the ball coming back too far. And getting the distance right every time isn’t easy either.”
Asked which aspect of his game had stood out most, the Spaniard preferred to focus on his overall performance.
“Very good off the tee, without a doubt. I think I missed three or four fairways, which is good considering how difficult it was playing. But every part of my game was pretty good. My short game was good too, and we holed a couple of putts here and there that weren’t easy.”
One of his most striking shots came at the 12th, where he carved out a birdie from an unlikely position.
“The wind was coming from the left and I had to hit it through a gap of about two metres between two trees. I needed to shape it slightly from right to left so it would hold its line and not drift right. I hit a really good shot, with a little draw.”
Asked whether he could repeat the shot, García replied with a laugh: “It all depends on the moment. Normally, you would expect to hit a reasonably good shot to the middle of the green and make four. But we were fortunate enough to hit a very, very good shot and then hole the putt as well.”
The Spaniard also enjoyed the company of Justin Rose and Marco Penge and, particularly, the support of the Madrid fans. “It was a lovely group, with two excellent players who are also very good people. And the warmth of the Spanish fans whenever you play in Spain is always very, very special.”
Finally, when asked about the improvement he has shown in his recent appearances, García acknowledged that a great deal of technical and psychological work lies behind it.
“I’ve been working very hard, not only on my game but mentally as well, using all kinds of techniques to try to improve, feel more comfortable and have greater confidence. Little by little, it’s all beginning to bear fruit. Obviously, nothing is complete yet and I have to keep working every day.”
His objective for Friday is simple: “To play another good round tomorrow morning and be right up there.”
