At the 1999 PGA Championship, when Sergio Garcia hit his miracle shot from the base of a red oak tree on the 16th hole at Medinah and ran up the fairway to see it land on the green, he seemed to hold the world in his hands. He was 19, wildly talented, charismatic and challenging the great Tiger Woods in the final round of a major championship. If you’re into historical what-ifs, it’s fascinating to wonder how his life, and Tiger’s, might have been different if Sergio had won that day.
Garcia didn’t win, though, and to some extent, considering all that happened between him and Tiger for the rest of their careers, it felt almost inevitable that he wouldn’t win. There’s a reason we landed on the word “feud” for this post instead of “rivalry”—it’s hard to call something a rivalry when the results are so lopsided.
But the mere fact that Tiger won almost every clash between them—with one notable, almost ridiculous exception in 2000, in the midst of the Tiger Slam—did nothing to dim the mutual loathing. It’s one of the most fascinating relationships in professional sports in the 21st century, and this week on Local Knowledge, we’re releasing the first of a two-part series about their long, toxic history together. In this episode, we focus on the early years, particularly the Battle at Bighorn that seemed to spark the animosity. Listen below, or wherever you get your podcasts.
MORE:Â Is Sergio Garcia’s career a success or disappointment?
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
