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THE HONDA CLASSIC

February 27, 2016

Sergio Garcia

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

ADAM HERRINGTON: Thank you, Sergio, for joining us, 67 today. And you Adam at the top providing some dramatics for the weekend here, and then heading into Sunday. We'll go ahead and get some comments on you from today's round and open it up for questions.

SERGIO GARCIA: No, it was great. Obviously very difficult out there. This course is getting tough.

But Adam played really, really well. Just a couple bad shots I guess, and cost him a lot. I played okay. Just a couple shots here and there that we like to hit a little bit better. Overall, I thought it was a great day. Everybody could see how difficult it was playing out there. I think the scoring was quite high.

So to be able to shoot 66 and 67, being up there I think we should be very proud.

Q. What was going through your head as you watched Adam suffer on No. 15?
SERGIO GARCIA: Well, it can happen. It's as simple as that. Obviously I had my problems. I had a really, really difficult, long putt on 15. So I was thinking about that.

But it's never nice to watch that, and even less when a guy that you're friendly with and it happens. And he was playing so well. But you know, like I said, it can happen at any time to anyone. I think he still managed to recover from that well, which was good to see.

Q. Can that affect you at all, even though you're not the guy making the swing, when you see something like that happen? Obviously you know all the trouble that's around there.
SERGIO GARCIA: I mean, I would be lying to tell you it doesn't affect you after you're teeing it up and you see him hit it in the water, so it obviously does. The shot is already tough and it makes it a little bit tougher. But there's nothing you can do. That's the beauty of golf and those are the things that we have to deal with.

Q. You recall the last time you had a four-shot swing on a hole, and was there any part of you that's surprised to see yourself tied for the lead, given at one point, Adam was playing as well as he was?
SERGIO GARCIA: Yes, for sure, obviously he was playing really well. He just got off a really good par save on 14 -- well, we both did, I guess.

But like I said, those last holes, with the wind that we were playing, wind was blowing towards the water on all of them. It's tough. It's difficult. I wasn't expecting it, and even less to go from being three back to being one in front.

But you know, like I said, it can happen to anyone. You don't need to hit that bad a shot to make a 7 like he did. I mean, obviously the worst shot he hit was his first shot. He obviously came out a little bit of it. The third shot I thought was perfect and he thought it was great, too, and unfortunately it just went through the wind and hit it over the water. But it was like five feet left of the hole, so it can happen.

Q. Will it make a difference tomorrow, especially on a course like this, playing with somebody you're friendly with in the last group?
SERGIO GARCIA: I don't know. I'll let you know tomorrow. Hopefully it does (smiling). The course is still going to be playing tough no matter who you play with. Obviously I'd rather play with someone that I'm really friendly with and that I really enjoy playing with than someone that I don't. I would be lying to you if I said differently.

But we'll see. Hopefully I can go out there and play well again, and you know, have a decent shot at it. Obviously if he gets to 6- or 7-under through 14 holes, he's going to be tough.

Q. When Adam is playing the way he's playing and he's three shots clear of you after 14 holes, is there any part of you that's thinking about a position you'd like to be in when you come off 18?
SERGIO GARCIA: Do you mean today or --

Q. Yeah, today.
SERGIO GARCIA: No. I think I was obviously, like I said, it was playing tough out there, and I was obviously trying to do the best I could.

You know, it was unfortunate to 3-putt 13. I felt like I hit a better second shot, and I obviously misjudged the first putt. I thought it was much quicker. But you know, I was 9-under. I thought, you know, if I can stay at nine or maybe even get to 10, obviously if he shoots 61 the way the course was playing, the only thing you can do is just turn around and say, you know -- I want to say it in Spanish, but you'll have to beep it. (Laughter).

There's nothing you can do against that. So I was just trying to make sure to stay with him again, stay patient, and you know, still have a shot at tomorrow. Obviously if he finishes 12-under like he was there, three shots back, still have a shot. It's a tough golf course. But you know, I'd rather be where I am right now.

Q. And secondly, finish off the front nine with six straight 1-putts, how much was that -- and some in that tricky six to ten-foot range.
SERGIO GARCIA: So much for a bad putter, huh (laughing).

Q. I never said that.
SERGIO GARCIA: No, it was just a comment. No, it was great. It was really good. I think it was a mix of some really good shots and then some really good saves. So you know, obviously I have my days where I putt better than others, but it's just a work in process.

As Adam says, it's easy to judge and everybody judges quickly when you miss a couple of putts. There are some weeks that you feel better than others, and it was nice to be able to do that to get on that run and hit some good putts on 10,11, 12. Unfortunately none of them went in, but I thought it was -- I felt like I putted really, really well today. Well, the whole week I guess.

Q. You and Adam were both young star phenoms who came up roughly the same age. You're veterans now. You probably had similar pressures. Is there a kinship at all between you two?
SERGIO GARCIA: Excuse me, a what?

Q. A kinship?
SERGIO GARCIA: What is that.

Q. Kindred spirits. Amigos. Like brothers.
SERGIO GARCIA: Sorry, I am Spanish. My English is okay but it's not that good (laughter).

Like I said, we enjoy each other's company. We've grown up together playing the game as amateurs and obviously as professionals. We live next to each other in Switzerland. So there's a lot of similarities, and we are the same age, almost. He'll get there in June -- July, sorry. I guess if you look at it that way, there are some similarities there and maybe some things that we feel connected by, but you know, he has his life. I think he's probably quite different personally, on the personal side, than I am. Everybody has their own way of doing things and liking the way they do things, but at the end of the day, we enjoy each other and we're friends, yeah.

Q. Adam just said in here that you're both desperate for the win tomorrow. When it comes down to it down the stretch, do you think you'll want it a bit more than him?
SERGIO GARCIA: No, I doubt it. I think we both will be wanting it badly if it gets to that, and hopefully it will get to that. We'll see. We'll see what happens. At the end of the day, what I have to do is go out there and keep playing well, give myself a shot at it, and you know, then destiny will tell us.

Q. I was going to mention, that you had a win in Vietnam a couple months ago, but it's been a few years since you won on the PGA TOUR. I know you want to stay in the present, but what would it mean sitting here tomorrow with another PGA TOUR win?
SERGIO GARCIA: Nothing. It's the same. Everybody -- you know, there's something that I don't like, and when I hear guys say, oh, yeah, you won -- yeah, you won in Vietnam or you won in Qatar, but you haven't won on the PGA TOUR. It feels like, you know, those wins don't mean anything, and you know, it's such a wrong comment.

Every win, every victory is difficult. It doesn't matter, even if it's against your father in your home course. Every single victory is tough. There's a lot of great players out in the world today, and you know, the victory in Vietnam wasn't easy. I had to play well to get that. And the victory in Qatar, same thing.

So you know, a win is a win. It doesn't matter where it is. To me at least, they all mean a lot, and a PGA TOUR win doesn't mean more than others. They all mean a lot.

Q. You talked about how none of the parts of your game were really there last week and you had a big struggle, yet you'll tee it up tomorrow with a chance to win on a really tough track. Are you surprised in the least?
SERGIO GARCIA: A little bit I guess, but that's the beauty of golf. I've always said it; some weeks, you look like an 8-handicapper, and some of the weeks you look like the best player in the world. That's the beauty and the bad thing about golf, I guess. It's always testing you. Not only game-wise, but mentally and in life and everything. So that's one of the reasons why we love it, because you never seem to be able to conquer the game. That's the beautiful thing about it.

Q. Do you see it as purely a two-horse race tomorrow, head-to-head?
SERGIO GARCIA: Not at all. Who can tell me that, you know, the guys that are 4-under are not going to go and play like Adam did today and be 6-, 7-under and get it to 10-, 11-under. It's not that easy to make birdies out there, but it can be done.

You know, we'll see. We'll see how the day goes, and then if it becomes a two-horse race on the last three or four holes, I'll welcome that. But I will expect some of the guys behind to shoot a good number and make it tough on all of us.

ADAM HERRINGTON: With that, we'll let you get out of here. Thank you for your time.

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