Garcia set to rest

Sergio Garcia will recharge his batteries this week after sealing his place in the European Ryder Cup side by finishing 22nd at the Bridgestone Invitational in Akron won by Tiger Woods.

Garcia has an impressive record in the Ryder Cup which bodes well for Europe’s prospects of beating the Americans again at the K Club near Dublin in three weeks' time.

He was joint top-scorer with Lee Westwood in the record-breaking victory in Detroit two years ago and was a star of the 1999 and 2002 matches as well.

Garcia is not playing this week’s European tour event in Munich, where the final places in the Ryder Cup side will be decided.

“I felt I needed to make an effort to make sure I was on the team and I’m a little bit drained out after playing six of the last seven weeks,” he said. “I need to rest for a week and get ready for Switzerland and then the Ryder Cup.”

He is defending the European Masters title at Crans-sur-Sierre next week against a field which includes Michelle Wie and has elected not to take his place in the HSBC World Match Play championship at Wentworth on September 14-17.

“I’m starting to get things back together. I struggled from the TPC (the Players Championship in March) to the US Open, but I feel like I am swinging pretty solid again and my putting is better.”

Garcia had a chance to win his first major title at the Open last month, but, paired with eventual winner Woods in the final round, he slipped to fifth. Two weeks ago he was joint third in the US PGA championship in Chicago.

He has got to know Greg Norman well during his career. Indeed, it was when he was playing with the Australian at the Greg Norman International in Sydney five years ago that he reacted badly to being given a two-shot penalty for an improper drop and was subsequently fined a reported £5,000 (€7,300).

Now Garcia has started seeing Greg Norman’s 23-year-old daughter Morgan-Leigh.

“I’m not going to talk about that, but it’s nice. She’s a wonderful girl and we will see how it goes,” the 26-year-old Spaniard said.

After losing a three-stroke lead in the last five holes Woods registered his fourth straight victory – and fifth in eight years at Firestone Country Club in Akron – by beating fellow American Stewart Cink at the fourth hole of a play-off.

An eight-foot birdie putt gave the world number one the first prize of nearly £700,000 (€1m) after they had tied on the 10 under par mark of 270. It was Woods’ 13th play-off win in 15 attempts.