IT’S BEEN SOME time since the global golfing fraternity has seen Sergio Garcia at his best.
There were encouraging signs at the Castello Masters in Valencia on Friday and things got even better for the 31-year-old 24 hours later when a near faultless round of 64 saw him surge eight shots clear of the rest of the field.
Starting the day two clear of Swede Alexander Noren, Garcia dropped a shot on the third before collecting pars on the next three consecutive holes. If the local crowd were feeling a little uneasy, however, they had no need to worry as a vast improvement was just around the corner.
The home favourite completed the par-four seventh in three shots and then eagled the eighth for the second day in a row. Five more birdies followed on the back nine, and Garcia finished the day on a tally of -19 and well ahead of Thailand’s Jaidee Thongchai on 11-under.
“It’s well set up, but it’s not over,” the former number two insisted. “Anybody can shoot a round like I did the last couple of days.
“I will have to be very focused. Everybody is going to to try to attack me and I have to realise that. There are still a couple of things I would like to improve, but it’s obviously getting better and I have more and more confidence.”
England’s Ross McGowan, the tournament’s early leader, is placed third on ten-under, with Richie Ramsay of Scotland, Gonzalo Fdez-Castano and Anthony Wall on stroke further back on -9 and in a tie for fourth.
Best of the Irish is Peter Lawrie, who is tied for 21st on five-under after a round of 66. Damien McGrane went around in 70 and lies on -4, while Northern Ireland’s Michael Hoey is three-under after his day’s work.