How bad was Sergio García’s barren run?

YOU MIGHT never see a more cathartic moment on a golf course. At 7:30 pm on April 9th, as the sun dipped below the pines at Augusta National, Sergio García sank to his knees after rolling in a putt that ended his 21-year-long wait for victory at a major tournament. The 37-year-old had appeared in 73 such competitions before last week’s Masters without winning, the third-highest tally in history. Had he choked in the final holes, as he threatened to do during a fourth-day duel with Justin Rose, Mr García would have endured his 23rd top-ten finish without victory—five more than any other man. “I'm not good enough. I don′t have the thing I need to have,” he had admitted after the 2012 edition of this event, in which he squandered yet another promising position. “I have my chances and my opportunities and I waste them.” Not this time. After an enthralling final round, in which the Spaniard surged ahead of his rival, fell behind, recovered from a seemingly...Continue reading