It didn't start out well, but Sergio Garcia had to admit his par at Riviera Country Club's 13th hole on Saturday was one of his best ever.
"I would put it in my top three," Garcia said of the par that actually came by way of the 10th hole, after the Spaniard's errant shot from the 13th tee ended up in a bunker behind the green at 10.
It was a surprise for American Ryan Moore, who was standing over a putt at the 10th when Garcia's ball came out of nowhere and plopped into the bunker behind him.
"I didn't even know there was anybody on the 10th hole. I mean, I didn't even know where my ball was going," said Garcia, whose three-under par 68 left him in a tie for third on five-under 208 -- three shots off Retief Goosen's lead.
Garcia faced a tough shot out of the bunker, between a television tower and a tree back toward the 13th green.
"The difficult part about it was that I was in a little bit of a downslope in the bunker, ball a little bit above my feet, having to hit like a low, low cut that went underneath the branches," said Garcia.
In fact, his ball clipped a branch and came up just short of the green.
An indifferent chip left him 15 feet to the hole, and he made it -- another save in a week in which he said his ability to get up and down reminded him a bit of late compatriot Seve Ballesteros.
"I've hit some beauties and I've hit some shockers," Garcia said. "It was a little bit Seve-like, I would guess, the way I saved some of those pars -- where it looked like I was going to make bogey or double, something like that."
Source: AFP
