Garcia’s slump a mystery

SIX months ago who would have foreseen the possibility of the European Ryder Cup team facing the Americans in October without Sergio Garcia?

Since 1999, the Spaniard has been a major force in the competition and even if his contribution dipped at Valhalla in 2008, he wasn’t the only one guilty of such failings on that occasion.

Furthermore, at 30 he should be approaching the best years of a career that began as a teenage amateur when, at 19, he chased Tiger Woods all the way home in the US PGA Championship at Medinah in 1999, a year in which he captured his first professional title, the Murphys Irish Open, at Druids Glen.

A host of outstanding victories followed, most notably in the US Players Championship at Sawgrass and the World Championship, both in 2008, and while Pádraig Harrington beat him to the British Open in 2007 and the US PGA in 2008, it seemed only a matter of time before major championships came his way.

However he now finds himself in the midst of a serious slump.

In the recent BMW Championship, he missed the cut by a staggering 11 shots after rounds of 76 and 77 on one of the easiest courses on the European circuit. Even before that debacle, however, he revealed he advised European captain Colin Montgomerie not to give him one of his three “wild card” places at Celtic Manor due to his form.

Currently, the enigmatic Spaniard is 20th in the world points list and 19th in the European Tour section.

Where Harrington was concerned, the Scot would have expected the three-time major champion to play himself into the team and for much of the year, it looked a near certainty that he would do so. However he has dropped out of the four automatic spots in the world points list and is now sixth in the world bracket (two out of an automatic spot) and back in 11th in the European list, six places too high.

However, Harrington showed his game is indecent shape with a closing 64 in the Travellers Championship in Connecticut at the weekend that moved him up to a share of fifth and a cheque for $210,750 (€170,971). However, his schedule doesn’t include either the French or Scottish Opens, two of the most valuable tournaments on the European schedule, over the next couple of weeks.

Harrington said: “I have a lot of work to do to make the team,” and he hasn’t helped his cause by not playing either France or Scotland. That may be a pity given that opening and closing rounds of 64 (with 71 and 69 sandwiched in between) in the Travellers suggests he is now approaching top form although, no doubt, he will see the JP McManus Pro-Am on Monday and Tuesday at Adare Manor as the ideal means for keeping the game ticking over.

Monty will be happy that Lee Westwood, Luke Donald, Ian Poulter, Rory McIlroy and Robert Karlsson, who have confined their activities mostly to the US circuit this year, have entered the French Open along with other team contenders like Martin Kaymer, Alvaro Quiros, Ross Fisher, the Molonari brothers and Welshman Rhys Davies.

AS of now, the Ryder Cupmomentum remains with Europeal though Montgomerie’s American counterpart Corey Pavin gave his team’s morale a big boost by making it into a play-off for the Travellers Championship on Sunday.

The 50-year-old Pavin eventually dropped out at the first extra hole, leaving the 45-year-old Scott Verplank to fight it out with left hander Bubba Watson. Watson, 31, prevailed two holes later.

A big hitter, who knocked his drive at the 72nd hole 396 yards (admittedly with the help of a spectacular bounce off a cart path), he captured his first Tour title after four play-off failures and boosted his chances of a place in Pavin’s team. He has improved from 34th to 13th in their points list, the way led by Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Anthony Kim, Lucas Glover, Dustin Johnson, Matt Kucha, Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker in the automatic top eight places and followed by Hunter Mahan, Ben Crane, Ricky Barnes and Stewart Cink.

The Travellers turned into something of a nightmare for Englishman Justin Rose who carried a three-stroke advantage into the final round. But he went the way of so many final round leaders who so often find the pressure too much by crashing to a five over 75 that left him in a tie for ninth.

Although Rose can point to his outstanding victory in the Memorial tournament earlier this month, his collapse in Connecticut could well register in Monty’s mind when it comes to dishing out those three ‘wild card’ picks.