Dubai: Sergio Garcia said finding love had helped his game after winning the Omega Dubai Desert Classic on Sunday.
The 37-year-old Spaniard got engaged to Golf Channel reporter Angela Akins last month before going on to win his first European Tour event in three years since the 2014 Qatar Masters.
“I think that when things are going well off the golf course it’s much easier to feel comfortable on the golf course,” said Garcia, who finished on 19 under par, three strokes clear of Henrik Stenson at Emirates Golf Club, to become the sixth Spaniard to lift the Dallah ‘coffee pot’ Trophy.
“Because there’s no worries outside, you can concentrate on what you’re doing out there on the course.
“So it definitely helps. I’m not going to lie. I’m excited about a lot of the things that are coming, not only my way, but also Angela’s way, and our families and stuff. We’re very excited about the future,” added Garcia, who moved back into the World’s Top-10 with this victory.
The former World No.2 is one of the highest ranked players to have never won a Major, with four runners-up spots, two each in the Open and the PGA Championship, as well as single third and fourth place finishes in the US Open and Masters respectively.
Last year’s Desert Classic champion Danny Willett went onto become a father and win the Masters soon after his Dubai triumph, so can Garcia use his current state of domestic bliss to get that elusive Major he so deserves?
“When I get to the Majors, I just want to do the best I can, just like any other week, so that’s not going to change,” he said.
“Some weeks I’m, with all respect, really good like this week, and some weeks are not quite as good, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not trying.
“At the end of the day the only thing I can do is give my best out there and leave the course feeling like I gave it everything.
“Sometimes you feel a bit more comfortable and you’re a little bit more relaxed and a little bit freer and you play better.
“And sometimes you’re a little bit tighter. And it doesn’t mean that you’re not trying as hard, but it’s just not that easy, golf is really tough.
“We try to play as well as we can every single week, and I’m going to keep trying to give myself more shots and more chances at Majors and see what happens.”
This was the first time in eight appearances in Dubai that Garcia has managed to finish inside the top 10. His previous best was an 11th place finish in 2009. It’s also his first event of 2017, boding well for what the rest of the year may bring.
