Sergio Garcia is one of the most successful European golfers of all time, with 10 regular PGA Tour titles, 15 regular European Tour trophies, and one Masters Green Jacket highlighting a sparkling individual career.
But if you were to ask most golf fans which competition Garcia is most closely associated with, plenty would say the Ryder Cup - an astute observation given he is the team event's highest point scorer of all time from either side with 28.5.
At 44 years old, Garcia now competes in the LIV Golf League as Fireballs GC's captain and has collected one victory since joining the 54-hole circuit in 2022.
Interestingly, he has also taken steps into golf course design since switching tours and spoke to Golf Monthly's Jeremy Ellwood from the site of his latest project in Comporta, Portugal - Torre Golf Course - which is on the country's west coast, just below Lisbon.
Reflecting on some of the highlights of a professional career which began in 1999, here are seven takeaways from our exclusive interview with Sergio Garcia.
HOW MANY MAJORS GARCIA THOUGHT HE COULD WIN
At the time of writing, Garcia has only claimed one Major. That was at the 2017 Masters after he outlasted good friend, Justin Rose to finally get over the line.
Since turning pro in 1999, the Spaniard had failed to capitalize on several good opportunities, finishing second at the 2007 and 2014 Open Championships as well as the 1999 and 2008 PGA Championships. Garcia's best result at a US Open was third in 2005.
But, before all of that, a young man from north-east Spain felt as if he would take every Major opportunity that came his way.
Garcia explained: "When you’re young, you have no fears and you think that you can take on the world and nobody’s gonna beat you. But unfortunately that’s not the truth.
"I would probably have thought that I’d win between five and 10 [Majors], I would have hoped, but it hasn’t happened as many as I’d liked. I had my chances."
YOU NEVER FORGET YOUR FIRST...
Just before the turn of the millennium, the world was waking up to the pro career of Sergio Garcia Fernandez. After landing the Open de Cataluna as an amateur, Garcia claimed his first pro title as a professional at the 1999 Murphy's Irish Open on July 4.
And despite a quarter of a century having passed since, the man who held off Angel Cabrera by three strokes still remembers it as if it was yesterday.
Garcia said: "I remember a lot. You never forget your first professional win. Obviously it was an amazing week, I remember that Angel Cabrera finished second and was on my heels all day and we had a great battle.
"I remember the nice putt I made on 13 for birdie, I made a long putt there on a tough hole. And obviously the second shot on 18, it was great, it was with a 5-iron or something like that."
THE ACHIEVEMENT HE DOESN'T GIVE ENOUGH CREDIT TO
Sergio Garcia's Ryder Cup statline reads like this: Played 10, Won 6, Points 28.5. Whichever way you look at it, that's incredibly impressive.
Speaking during this interview, Garcia said he would rather go 0-5 and Europe wins the Ryder Cup than vice versa. Luckily, he never had to experience that situation as he collected at least one point in all 10 of his appearances, gathering two or more in nine and three or more points in six events.
Asked what it means to him to be the Ryder Cup's all-time leading point scorer, Garcia said: "It’s amazing, I think that - first and foremost - to be able to play as many Ryder Cups as I have played and be able to help Europe win as many as we did, that’s the most important thing. And then to be able to become the highest points scorer in Ryder Cup history, that’s the icing on top of the cake, I guess.
"It’s something that I probably don’t give it enough credit because I’ve always thought more about the team as well. I’ve always said I’d rather go 0-5 and Europe wins the Ryder Cup than me going 5-0 and we lose the cup.
"When you sit back and you think about how consistent I’ve been able to be in Ryder Cups and how many points I’ve been able to win, thanks not only to me but some of my partners, it makes me very proud."
TWO OR THREE MORE RYDER CUPS
While the aforementioned stats are good, Garcia believes they could get even better if he is ultimately allowed to compete in another Ryder Cup.
The Spaniard - with his eyes no doubt firmly fixed on Phil Mickelson's all-time Ryder Cup appearance record (12) - thinks he could help Team Europe in at least two more contests yet.
Responding to a question about retaining Ryder Cup ambitions, Garcia replied: "I definitely hope so. I hope that things get better and I would love to.
"I’ve had talks with the European Tour and I still want to support the European Tour, so hopefully we all come to an agreement and that can be restored.
"I feel like my game’s still good enough to play at least two or three Ryder Cups, so if I can keep that level going, hopefully everything gets sorted and we can get to that point."
LIV MOVE DIDN'T AFFECT LEGACY
After the majority of players moved over to the LIV Golf League back in 2022, many of them were met with derision from external quarters, however, the reaction has certainly been far less severe for those who have switched in the months and years since.
Garcia insists his legacy was not harmed by his change in tour and pointed to his family as his primary concern, regardless.
He said: "My legacy? No, I don’t think so. I think my legacy is mostly my family, my wife and my kids and how I treat them, how nice of a family that I leave here. I think that’s mostly my legacy.
"Obviously then there’s a little bit of when it comes down to golf too, but I think that’s a little bit more secondary."
I CAN STILL WIN ANOTHER MAJOR
When it comes to winning Major championships, Garcia was quick to state "I'm not done." The 44-year-old has plenty more shots at winning another Masters given his past champions exemption, although his quest to reach the other three will be slightly tougher.
Nevertheless, Garcia is convinced that if he continues to play the level of golf that saw him record a 12th-place finish at the US Open this year, another Major is well within reach.
Asked if another Major was a realistic possibility, he said: "I think so, without a doubt. I think with the way that I’ve played over these last few years, but mostly this year, it definitely shows me that I can.
"I played very well at the US Open without too much stuff really going my way - I finished 12th - so I felt like I had a little bit of an outside chance there.
"The way I’ve been playing, it gives me the feeling that I’m not done in that aspect. I will give myself chances, and then it comes down to little things here and there, but I still feel like I can give myself chances."
OPEN QUALIFYING VOW
Earlier this year, Garcia took part in Final Open Qualifying at West Lancashire Golf Club but narrowly missed out on a trip to Royal Troon by two strokes.
It was the second year in a row that the Spaniard had failed to make it through to golf's oldest Major following 24 consecutive appearances - a run that was effectively brought to a halt by his LIV move.
Moving forward, Garcia says he will continue to run the qualifying gauntlet as many times as he needs to in order to play the Major that he loves.
Asked if he would continue to enter Open Qualifying every year, Garcia said: "Yes, until I feel like I can’t do it anymore or I don’t have a chance to do it. Obviously, I would love to not have to qualify, but if it comes to that then I’m always willing to. I love The Open, I always have, and I would love to be able to play it many more times."
FAVORITE COURSE HELPED INSPIRE LATEST DESIGN
Now that Garcia has a little more time on his hands, he can finally start to properly pursue another of his passions - golf-course design.
Every architect has their own style and unique way of shaping a golf course, so what will define a Sergio Garcia course exactly? Well, according to the man himself, there will be one notable similarity between them and his favorite course in the world.
Garcia said: "I think you’ll see small greens, for the most part. Valderrama is my favorite golf course - small targets. It helps in many ways of focusing better when you hit your shots into the greens.
"And when it comes to taking care of the golf course, it’s much nicer and easier to maintain. There’s less water needed than if you have super-big greens where you have to use more water, more chemicals, more machines and stuff like that. Sustainability is important for us, too, so I guess they go hand in hand."
