For Garcia, two putters are better than one
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents
MARANA, Ariz. -- Some players have their rescue clubs.
Sergio Garcia, though, took what he called a "safety net" along with him Wednesday at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. And he used both of those putters as he beat John Senden 3 and 2 during the first round.
Garcia used the short putter, a Rossa Monaco, to make his first five birdies -- then pulled out the Monza Spider at the 15th and 16th holes, eventually making the 5-footer that dispatched the Australian with the belly model.
The 28-year-old Spaniard will now play American Boo Weekley, a 2-and-1 winner over Martin Kaymer, in Thursday's second round.
Garcia had just started working with putting guru Stan Utley on Tuesday. While he was pleased by the early results, he wasn't totally comfortable so he had the belly putter in his bag as a back-up.
"I did make a decision early on and I went with it for pretty much the whole round," said Garcia, who left his 3-iron behind. "But then I started not feeling quite as comfortable. I hit a couple not very good putts. So I decided to go with the safe route the last couple of holes.
"If I would have practiced it a little bit more, then I probably would have gone out with only one putter. ... It felt really good on the putting green. But it's different, the putting green is, than when you're out there on the heat of battle and the pressure is on.
"So I wanted to take just like, you can call it a safety net, just in case I didn't feel quite as comfortable."
Colin Montgomerie, who has also battled putting problems during his career, reasoned that Garcia's decision might make sense.
"I just hope he's taken out one of his other clubs," Montgomerie said. "Well, I mean, hey, it's half the shots. We're allowed 36 shots, we're allowed 36 putts; that's why it adds up to 72.
"Why have 13 for the 36 of them and only one for the other 36? Carry more than two."
Paul Casey -- who said he didn't know if he'd smile or be worried if he saw an opponent with two putters in his bag -- gave Garcia credit for making the choice.
"If he wasn't confident with that putter or wasn't sure about that putter, then what a play to take two putters out," the Englishman said. "Some would say that he kind of talked himself into it, but you've got 14 clubs, you might as well take what you want.
"If he won his match, he won his match."
Garcia was in control almost from the outset, too. He lost the first hole after an adventure in the desert, but he quickly established a lead he would not relinquish by rolling in putts of 7 and 33 feet on the next two holes. He also had a pair of two-putt birdies on par 5s and rolled in a 33-footer at the sixth.
"I guess I didn't have the best of starts," Garcia said. "I messed up a little on the first. I made a really big putt on 3 to get back to 1 up. So it was nice. And then made a couple of other birdies here and there, got in front, and I managed to keep it up there.
"I didn't make any other mistakes, other than the bogey on 14. And it was nice to finish it with a birdie on the last. So I'm pretty satisfied with that."
Garcia said he could remember putting two putters in his bag on one other occasion. He's struggled with his putting off and on during his career but Garcia is encouraged after the session with Utley, a former TOUR pro who specializes in the flat stick.
"At the end of the day I liked the things we worked on my putting yesterday; they feel good," Garcia said. "But I still have a little work to do. I've still got to get a little better at it."
While he's been a mainstay on the European Team at the Ryder Cup with a 14-4-2 record overall, Garcia hasn't fared as well at the Accenture Match Play Championship. He's 7-6 overall and has never advanced past the third round.
"I've been okay, but not great," Garcia said. "In some years I felt like I should have. But it's a funny format. You might get to the quarterfinals or some other day shoot 7 under and lose. And some other day you might shoot 3 under and win.
"It's just a matter of hopefully playing well and playing well at the right time so your opponent doesn't play better than you."
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