Sergio Garcia did not make the cut at The Masters this year. He could not withstand his metaphorical boxing match.
The 44-year-old Spaniard finished one stroke below the cut line at +7 and missed the weekend.
Conditions at Augusta National were rather unusual during the first two rounds. A massive storm blew through eastern Georgia on Wednesday night into Thursday morning, which sparked a two-hour delay. Wind stuck around throughout the afternoon and into Friday. Trees were rocking. Sand was being blown from the bunkers into the fairways. Gusts were blowing really good golf shots in unexpected ways to where they often finished in a far worse spot than expected.
All of this goes to say that conditions were extremely difficult and the leaderboard was volatile!
Garcia summed it up well after his first round and continued a hilarious tradition unlike any other. He has compared the course to a different boxer each and every year over the last few years.
It was very tricky. It was very tricky, not only because of the strength of the wind but the gusts. That’s what makes it very, very tough. You have to be — on this golf course, you have to be so precise with everything you do and all the shots into the greens. Not only on the tee, off the tee, but into the greens.
When you have wind gusts like this that is gusting and you don’t know if it’s blowing 5 or 40, it’s very difficult. It’s tricky. Obviously it happened to me a couple of times today where I felt like I hit a good shot.
Ryan hit a pitching wedge on 12 and hit it in the middle of the green about 15 feet away. I hit a 9-iron and I was 15 yards shorter than him. I caught a big gust and made a double.
— Sergio Garcia in 2024
And then he finished with the kicker.
It’s challenging, that’s for sure. It feels like — like I was telling them, it feels live I’ve just gone 12 rounds against Mike Tyson. I’m looking forward to going home and rest.
— Sergio Garcia in 2024
This is a comparison that is very familiar. Garcia has used it in the past, almost verbatim, just with a different guy. It was Canelo Alvarez instead of Mike Tyson last year.
To be totally honest, I felt like I played fairly well. I shot 74. I feel like I shot 86. I don’t know. It just felt like I came out of ten rounds with Canelo. So it was hard.
— Sergio Garcia in 2023
He actually got the trend started with Evander Holyfield back in 2022.
I fought hard, but I don’t know. I feel like I just came out of the ring with Evander Holyfield, like a 12-round match. I need to go home and rest.
— Sergio Garcia in 2022
If Garcia is doing this on purpose and intentionally enters into his post-round interview at The Masters with a different boxer in mind, it is absolutely hilarious. Especially if he didn’t think that anyone would catch on.
However, it is even funnier if Garcia is not doing this on purpose. To imagine him taking the podium and unknowingly using the exact same comparison with just a slightly different alteration year over year is amazing.
Perhaps he is a huge boxing fan and it is the first thing that comes to mind. It would be even better if Garcia isn’t a boxing fan and simply riffs in the same manner every spring.