Sports Then and Now

Sergio Garcia is looking to recapture past form at the 2011 Masters.

Former world number two, Sergio Garcia, made his long awaited return to the PGA Tour with a decent showing at the Transitions Championship in Florida. The Spaniard was playing his first American event in seven months, and there were signs over the weekend that Garcia could be back to his best. His tournament somewhat drifted away on the third and fourth days after finding himself tied for second after two rounds.

Rounds of 72 and 71 saw Garcia drop down the leaderboard to finish tied for 15th, but there were plenty of positives to take for Sergio following his spell away from the game last year after nearly two years spent struggling with every part of his game. His first two rounds saw Garcia avoid picking up a single bogey and there seems to be a strong base for the fan’s favorite to rebuild his game and the golf odds reflect this.

The 31-year-old displayed his new clawed putting grip, and the evidence suggested the changes have worked, birdying three of the opening four holes despite being attacked by a bee in his stunning second round of 66. Read the rest of this entry →

Rich Beem is one of 27 golfers whose victory at the PGA Championship makred their only win in a major.

Like the musical group that had one big hit then faded off into the world of elevator music and reunion tours, the PGA Championship has more than its share of champions whose greatest moment under the professional golf sun came at the final major of the season.

Names like Jim Turnesa, Chandler Harper, John Mahaffey, Wayne Grady, Jeff Sluman Shaun Micheel and Rich Beem grace the victory roster at the PGA Championships while golf greats including Arnold Palmer, Nick Faldo, Hale Irwin and Seve Ballesteros never claimed the crown.

Of the four major championships, the PGA Championship has by far been the kindest to players looking for their first (and in many cases only) major championship.

Since World War II, 37 golfers have claimed their first major title at the PGA Championship. This compares to 33 for the U.S. Open, 26 for the British Open and 24 for the Masters.
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