Now That He's 30, What Did You Expect From Sergio Garcia in His 20s?

It is hard to believe, but Sergio Garcia turns 30 this weekend.  (I can't believe I turn 27 in April.)  Since bursting into the public consciousness at Medinah in the '99 PGA Championship, Garcia has produced as solid of a career as could be had by almost any professional golfers in their 20s.

Garcia did way better than Justin Rose.  He accomplished way more than Matt Kuchar.  Ty Tryon is a sore subject.  In other words, Garcia handled the label of "next best thing since Tiger" better than any of his peers.  Perhaps the only player to handle it better could be Rory McIlroy, who still has another ten years to see if that is true.

At the same time, though, Garcia failed to meet expectations.  Yes, he won the Players Championship, but he is majorless despite several very close calls to win a major.  He ceded the Open Championship to Padraig Harrington in 2007 in a playoff.  A year later, Harrington foiled Garcia's chance at his first major.

Still, with nearly twenty global wins in his twenties, Garcia's accomplishments are awfully impressive.  Though Tiger and Jack really defied the rule that golfers begin winning majors in their 30s, Garcia seemed to have an awfully higher standard placed on him. 

Perhaps it was him standing up to Tiger in the first place that made that so.  More likely was the youthful brilliance of Seve Ballesteros.

Should Sergio have won a major in his twenties?  Yeah.  He got himself on the doorstep twice and could not walk through the door.

Is the best likely to come?  Probably.  Sergio will win his major.  Davis Love III did and it is evident that Garcia is more talented.  He will shed his dreaded label.

The question for me, though, is if Sergio Garcia will mature in his 30s.  If he does not, he very well could become the Spanish Woody Austin - minus the scuba get-up.  Garcia will need to find maturity and focus that often eludes him in order to realize his full potential in the peak of his career.