Will Sergio Garcia's Newfound Maturity Result in a Major Victory?

Just over a year ago, those who witnessed Sergio Garcia's playoff loss to Padraig Harrington at The Open Championship saw an immature man lament his poor luck. 

"I'm playing against a lot of guys out there, more than the field," was one of the more memorable quotes from Garcia that week. 

To those who watched closely, it was clear Sergio was struggling with makeable putts and not the golfing gods.

This past May, Garcia overcame sub-par putting and effectively channeled his emotions into a victory at The Players Championship.  Although he finished that week tied for 39th in putting average, he had a different look in his eye and his stroke on the greens during the final round. 

His clutch putts on 17 and 18 were a complete 180 from his finish at the aforementioned Open Championship at Carnoustie.

But he won The Players, so his improved mental outlook was no surprise.

This past Sunday, we again saw Garcia's improved control of his emotions at the Barclays.  He was more likely to yell at his ball to keep going down the fairway than mourn aloud when he failed to hole a chip or execute a shot to his liking. 

The bad breaks were there.  There were several chips, including one that ricocheted off the pin that seemingly should have gone in.  But Garcia shrugged them off quickly this time and stayed focused through the end of the tournament.

In the end, he didn't win, but that had nothing to do with his mental toughness or his putting stroke.  Garcia actually led the field at the Barclays in putting average and finished tied for second in putts per round.

More telling than the errant drive and ensuing recovery shot that cost him on the second playoff hole was his clutch putt on the previous hole.

Even more proof that Garcia has changed was the way he laughed when Vijay Singh matched Sergio's 27-foot birdie with a 26-footer of his own. 

Maybe this was just an exchange between friends, but a year ago Garcia would not have been so jovial at that stage.

He even joked with a reporter after the round, saying, "I think I should get the most improved putting stroke of the year." 

Garcia's inability to win a major so far is really the result of three things: his poor putting, his lack of mental toughness, and Tiger Woods.

He certainly has improved upon the first two, and with a few good breaks, a major championship will be his in the near future.