Sergio's Latest Brand Building Moment

Paul Forsyth reports from Doral, where the highlight of the day was Sergio Garcia spitting in a cup while cameras were rolling.

If any under the age of 35 were actually watching the telecast, we would already be reliving this great moment in etiquette history on YouTube.

His defense is priceless:

"But it (the spit) did go in the middle (of the hole) and wasn't going to affect anyone else. If it did, I would have wiped it off."

Ah right laddie. You would have been down on hands and knees with a towel mopping up the cup. Right! 

Update on Sunday, March 25, 2007 at 09:07 AM by Geoff

Thanks to FX for the spotting the YouTube posting.

Comments

[Four-putt]

Listen to the audio after TW hits his tee shot on 14 Saturday. As it reaches the apogee of its graceful arc, again someone broke Mighty Wind near a tee box mic.

[NRH]

Caught the replay and could not believe my eyes. A straight up punk in a gentleman's game. Of all the things you have ever thought of doing after missing a putt, has spitting in the cup ever crossed your mind?

A half dozen Tour wins and prowess in RC team play are overshadowed by his antics/temper. Shoe toss, bratty 04 Masters press conference, middle finger at Bethpage, Tiger whining, accusing a rules official of fixing in Australia, fighting with his pro-am partner, no showing the Booz Allen as defending champ, being a less popular pairing than Ben Crane and whatever else I can't remember off the top of my head.

Maybe Seve, Olazabal and his girlfriend's dad can sit him down for a long look in front of a mirror.

[Brad]

There is a youtube video up already. I would post the link but it seem the blog software won't let me.

[Steven T.]

I like the way addidas dresses him too. NOT. Who would buy and wear that stuff? Plaid pants are better than those rags.

[F. X.]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wX6VQ0KJJo

"I didn't spit, I just let it go down."

[Les Herzog]

I am going to be 80 years old in June and have played golf since I was 8 years old. Sergio Garcia spitting in the cup after missing a putt had to be the most gross display of unsportsmanship conduct that I have ever witnessed on the golf course. He should be fined and suspended from the tour. Do we really need him on the PGA Tour?

Les Herzog
Mesa, Arizona

[ReverendTMac]

NRH: pretty much every time, you want the honest answer. At least I have the common courtesy to fire my dip juice into the fringe. God, Sergio, show some class.

Must be a generational thing - Sergio's my age, IIRC - but honestly, I'm having a hell of a time getting worked up about it. To hear the histrionics, you'd think he spit on a war veteran and had a leak in the nearest baby carriage. Meanwhile, there's a distinct possibility that Arjun Atwal is going to go down for street racing and the crash that killed the other driver, but there's no calls for his head. You want to talk bad behaviour, well, that's where the conversation should start.

[LEFTY]

The bright side...

it's the first thing Sergio has gotten into the hole on the green in a long time...

at least, like, four, five years, right?

[86general]

I found it pretty disgusting, but obviously not everyone feels this way (the Reverend...).

One thing I believe everyone could agree on is that his behavior was incredibly immature.

I see it as a the immaturity of a toddler's temper tantrum, mixed with a disgusting bodily function, like picking one's nose, urinating in public, or putting you hand down your pants and scratching.

Golf's athletes in general carry themselves so much better and more professionally than those of other sports, but Sergio is probably the PGA Tour's equivalent of a young idiot like Randy Moss in the NFL, or one of the numerous tattooed, gangster-ed young NBA "stars."

He's incredibly talented, but he probably should be in another sport like soccer. He can't seem to control himself, either with his golf or his conduct, enough to get the most out of all that talent.

[Hawkeye]

Reverend TMac, it's not a generational thing. I'm not much older than Sergio, and while I must plead guilty to having treated cups less respectfully in years past, I had definitely outgrown such behaviour when I was ten years younger than Sergio is now. Suggestion to S.G.: Try flipping the ball out of the cup with your middle finger the next time you feel a similar urge. Not as noticable.

[Ace]

I'm surprised worse hasn't happened to a golf hole on tour. Maybe that time is coming.

[keith86]

you guys are lucky you don't work in highrise construction spitting would be one of the least disgusting things I see everyday having said that I would not like to be the next putter although by the time I got my ball in the hole Sergios secretion would be dry

[PaynoNZ]

Not a very classy thing to do in the cup agreed but does anyone whinge when the camera focuses on 'Golden Boy' Tiger having a bit spit or when he says F**k after a stray tee shot? Not likely.

Steven T - Sergio wears 'those rags' because Adidas pay him a dumpload to do so. And it gets him and the brand noticed doesn't it? The sport's a business and it's all about marketing nowadays. BTW- plaid is sooo last century.