European Tour: Sergio Garcia Talks Round 1 of Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

PGA Tour professional and Masters champion Sergio Garcia speaks to the media following the opening round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship about playing in the dessert and his recent equipment change

PGA Tour: Sergio Garcia recaps opening round of Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

Q. Slight disappointment, the only bogey you make on last hole, but overall a round of 67, how pleased with your day’s work?
SERGIO GARCIA: I’m very pleased. Obviously putted nicely. Felt like I hit the ball quite well. So drove the ball fairly well for the most part. Yeah, just a little unfortunate on the last that that pitch bounced on that pitchmark and just died.

Other than that, I thought I did well. I made a couple really good saves here and there when I needed them, and you know, made some birdies where I had to.

Sergio Garcia talks equipment change:

Q. Tell us about the new equipment, why you made the change and how it feels?
SERGIO GARCIA: Well, it’s quite simple. Obviously we were with Callaway. Unfortunately I wasn’t comfortable enough with the golf ball, and they needed me to play it. You know, we decided to kind of part ways. Nicely, though, so there was no bad feelings from any part or any side which was great, and then I just started playing whatever I tested this Christmas, what kind of felt best for me.

It was quite good today, so I’m happy with it.

Q. You have a wonderful record in the desert; what is it about this style of golf that seems to bring out the best in you?
SERGIO GARCIA: I don’t know. I can’t put my hand on it or I can’t tell you exactly why, but I’ve always enjoyed the desert. It feels like you can hit different kind of shots. Usually I’m fairly good in the wind, and usually it gets a little breezy here, so that kind of helps me game a little bit, and I was happy to see a nice start for the year.

Q. 5-under, what’s your analysis on today’s performance?
SERGIO GARCIA: It was a very solid day. Obviously I would love to par the last but unfortunately that didn’t happen. Other than that, I felt like I played pretty solid. Hit a good amount of shots, good, solid shots, a couple here and there that I didn’t quite commit as well as I should have. But other than that, you know, putted nicely. Chipped quite nicely other than the bad bounce on the last but it was a good day.

Q. With the new sticks, everything will feel different. How comfortable are you at the moment?
SERGIO GARCIA: I’m fairly comfortable. I had some good practice sessions throughout Christmas and New Year’s. So you know, it’s been feeling quite well. It’s just a matter of kind of getting a bit more used to it as the year goes on, but for the most part, you know, it feels quite good and I’m happy the way it went today.

Q. Conditions as you would have teed off, as you made the turn, things would have changed more with the climate and sun coming up. How much did you have to accommodate for that?
SERGIO GARCIA: Well, a little bit. The ball started going a little bit farther as we made the turn and everything started getting drier and a little bit of a breeze coming up. You had to pay attention to that but nothing that we are not used to and we haven’t done before. It was a pretty nice day.

Abu Dhabi, UAE

January 16, 2020

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports