Garcia has already drawn the ire of Tiger Woods.
The Philly crowd could be on him next.
Garcia could feel the wrath – and hear those familiar boos – from fans who have largely embraced Woods following his two-year run in suburban Philadelphia with the AT&T National.
Garcia tried to downplay the possibility of the crowd turning on him once play starts on Thursday after Garcia’s ”fried chicken” comment about Woods and other incidents of boorish behaviour, notably, a run-in with the gallery at the 2002 US Open at Bethpage
”I feel like I had a great relationship with the crowds for pretty much my whole career,” he said. ”Obviously, a couple incidents here and there, but other than that, I feel very fortunate. I feel like they love me. I love them too. I respect them very much. Obviously, you can’t please everyone, but I couldn’t be unhappy about the way I feel about the crowds.”
Unable to arrange a private meeting, Garcia left Woods a note with hopes of moving on from his racially charged comment and getting back to playing golf.
”I did leave him a note – a handwritten note,” Garcia said. ”And hopefully, he can take a look at it. It’s a big week and I understand that it’s difficult to meet up and stuff. So hopefully, I’ll be able to do it. If not, at least he has read the note and he’s happy with that.”
Garcia said it would be up to Woods to share the contents. With Garcia on the defensive, Woods came out as if he were about to apply for Philadelphia’s chamber of commerce.
Area golf fans who hadn’t seen important golf in Philly for decades flocked to Woods in 2010 and 2011 at Aronimink and made him feel as loved as Julius Erving or Bob Clarke.
Woods has a more pressing task on his plate than making peace with Garcia. He’s hoping to end his five-year drought without winning a major.
Woods won four majors on courses he had never played – Medinah for the 1999 PGA Championship, Valhalla for the PGA Championship the following year, Bethpage Black in the 2002 US Open and Royal Liverpool for the 2006 British Open.
Garcia returns to America, for the first time since a public feud with Woods took an ugly turn at a celebration dinner in England. Garcia jokingly was asked if he would invite Woods over for dinner during the US Open. ”We will serve fried chicken,” Garcia replied with a grin.
Garcia approached Woods on the practice range Monday at Merion for a handshake, and little more.
”We didn’t discuss anything,” Woods said. ”Just came up and said, ‘Hi,’ and that was it.”
Asked if Garcia apologized, Woods said, ”No. It’s already done. We’ve already gone through it all. It’s time for the US Open, and we tee it up in two days.” (AP)