PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass feels like home for Sergio Garcia.
‘The first time I came here in 2000, I saw the course and said this is the kind of course I like to play,’ Garcia said Tuesday. ‘It’s kind of like Valderrama (in Spain). It’s a course I’ve always felt comfortable on, always liked.’
Garcia won at the Spanish course last October as part of consecutive wins on the European Tour. He hopes to win The Players Championship for a second time this week, building on an impressive track record.
Garcia won over Paul Goydos in a playoff in 2008 and was runner-up to Phil Mickelson in 2007. He has cashed in here every year since 2003 and is the all-time money leader in the event.
At a place where many feel uncomfortable, the Spaniard thrives because he feels capable of executing almost every shot required to succeed at Pete Dye’s masterpiece.
‘It’s the kind of course where you have to work the ball,’ he said. ‘It tests pretty much every part of your game. I know the shot I want to hit on pretty much every hole.’