Sergio Garcia Surges at Transitions Championship with "The Claw"

Sergio Garcia has gone to "the claw" putting grip and rebounded to good form, one shot back of leaders Garrett Willis and Chris Couch at the Transitions Championship at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, Florida.   

Garcia had experimented with a long putter previously and then went back to the short putter before trying the claw in the fall of 2010.  The claw grip began with PGA Tour players Skip Kendal and Chris DiMarco, then was picked up by Mark Calcavecchia.  Others have used it successfully from time to time.

“I started it in November of last year,” Garcia explained.  It was at the Dubai tournament when he first used it in competition. “It’s feeling good, and I’ll stick with it and hopefully it lasts until I can’t even walk!”

Garcia said he got to the point where he just decided to try it.

“I’ve always been kind of fooling around with it but I’ve never had the guts of doing it (in competition),” he explained about the change in putting styles.  “Last year at the end I decided, why not try it and it felt good.”

He hesitated to make the change previously because he had some good rounds putting conventionally.

While Garcia did not believe that making more putts helped the rest of his game today, he did say, “obviously making putts helps, but it’s about putting well and putting well doesn’t mean that you are making everything.  It’s the feel you get when you are putting.”

Garcia had 28 putts in Round 2 and 30 putts in Round 1.  He had a chance for eagle on the first hole, which was his 10th. His first hole, the 10th, he putted three feet for birdie. “Always a nice way to start,” he said.

“It’s not like I didn’t putt well the other way, but I felt like I was a little inconsistent, hit a lot of good ones, but some really bad ones,” he added.  “With this, it seems to be consistent.  Obviously for me the most important thing is to hit the putt and know that it has a chance, and it depends on the speed and read.”

Garcia’s ballstriking has always been one of the best qualities of his game, and the first two rounds at the Copperhead Course were no exception as he was bogey-free.  

His biggest challenge was being stung by a bee five holes into the round.

“I hit my drive and I was walking off the tee and I felt like there was something in the back of my head, the back of my head and hat and it was—I thought it was maybe a leaf or a little bug,“ he said.  "And as soon as I touched it, it stung me on the finger."

First aid was offered, but Garcia declined it.

“I took the stinger out,” he said.  “It was fine. I wasn’t happy when it happened, but it didn’t last too long.”     

Garcia, formerly a top-ranked player, is now 85th in the World Golf Rankings. He is exempt from the Masters and The Players' Championship.  But he is not in the US Open now, although there is plenty of time.  His exemption for the PGA Tour for The Players' runs five years, from 2008-2013.