15th Jan 2014 | Abu Dhabi Championship
Garcia Putting Himself In Contention
Never finished outside the top-15 in Abu Dhabi and a likely winner now his putting woes are behind him.
For all his talent Sergio Garcia is a much maligned figure in golf. His failure to win a major and his flaky putting make him an easy target but often the criticism is unfair.
There is no hiding from the fact he hasn’t won a major but he does have 25 professional tour wins to his name and in regular European Tour events he represents a fair bet.
In five starts at the Abu Dhabi Championship he is yet to finish outside the top-15 but I like his chances even more now that his putting has improved.
Strokes Gained Putting Rank (PGA Tour only)
2009: 119
2010: 159
2011: 144
2012: 26
2013: 8
Having struggled with his putter for years, Sergio Garcia has made giant strides recently. Previous ranked as one of the worst putters on tour, he comes off a career-high 2013 when he ranked eighth for strokes gained putting.
With a newfound confidence in the flat stick, Garcia is a good bet to start the year with a win at 9/1 (Bet365).
Odds correct at time of publishing: 10:45 15th Jan, 2014 but subject to change
