Sergio Garcia to pass on TPC Boston
It's not often PGA Tour players, or any professional athletes, put their money where their mouth is. Yet that's exactly what Sergio Garcia decided to do Friday.
The Spaniard withdrew from next week's Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston, citing his need for rest so he can be prepared for the Ryder Cup in late September as well as the last two PGA Tour playoff events.
“” -- Sergio Garcia
Everybody knows how important the Ryder Cup is for me, and I want to be fully fit there. I want to be feeling strong so I can help my team.
"With the schedules that are coming, I have to think that I have a chance at getting to the Tour Championship, so having to play six weeks in a row and then one week off and then the Tour Championship and the Ryder Cup is just too much," Garcia said in a statement. "Everybody knows how important the Ryder Cup is for me, and I want to be fully fit there. I want to be feeling strong so I can help my team."
By skipping the Deutsche Bank, Garcia also is jeopardizing his chance to win the FedEx Cup title -- and potentially the $10 million bonus that goes to the winner.
"I know that I will lose some ground in the FedEx Cup," Garcia said. "If I would have played -- if for some reason I had done things differently -- if I would have played better at the PGA (Championship), maybe, then I would have been able to take some other week off."
Garcia is coming off a victory last week at the Wyndham Championship, which moved him to 33rd in the FedEx Cup standings. The top 30 after the BMW Championship qualify for the Tour Championship.
A high finish this week at The Barclays -- where he is the 36-hole co-leader with Nick Watney -- likely would put him well inside the top 30 and guarantee his spot at the Tour Championship.
Garcia's move has precedent. Just this week, Jason Dufner decided to skip The Barclays in favor of rest and practice to be ready for the duration of the FedEx Cup playoffs. Dufner finished the PGA Tour's regular season second in the FedEx standings.
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