PARAMUS // Sergio Garcia has put another final-day heartbreak behind him and is already looking forward to a big run in the FedEx Cup over the next month. Two weeks on from his last-day setback in the US PGA Championship, when he lost a final-round lead to the superb putting of Padraig Harrington, Garcia lost out in a sudden-death play-off at The Barclays to Vijay Singh. Garcia thought he had won the tournament for a third time in his career when he sank a 27ft putt at the first extra hole, the 18th, at New Jersey's Ridgewood Country Club.
Then he watched as Singh shed his image as a dodgy putter by matching the Spaniard from 26ft and rolling a 20 footer to within inches on the 17th hole to seal victory. Despite a second runner-up finish in as many starts, Garcia refused to be downbeat. "Well, it happens," he said. "I think the important thing about it is that I keep putting myself in a good position, and unfortunately somebody just seems to be able to come up with some spectacular playing when I'm out there on top."
Just as he had done in defeat to Harrington at Oakland Hills in the US PGA, Garcia said he was happy with his game. "I felt like I played solid all week. I got a couple of bad breaks here and there that maybe would have made the difference, and a couple of good ones here and there, too," he said. "At the end of the day, I had a shot. That's what you ask yourself for, and Vijay just came out with the goods and you've just got to give hats off to him."
One of the upsides for Garcia is that he moved to second place in the FedEx Cup points standings behind Singh. With only the top 70 advancing to the third play-off, Garcia is set fair to advance to the finale, the 30-man Tour Championship and a shot at the US$10million (Dh36.7m) bonus for the leader. * PA Sport
