Refreshed Garcia relishing return

**jcinta** Sat Nov 19, 2011 10:30 am

It is not only Tiger Woods who is looking to start afresh this week - the same applies to Sergio Garcia.

While Woods kicks off his 2011 TaylorMade R11 Driver
in California having been relegated to world number three by Martin Kaymer, Garcia plays the inaugural Volvo Golf Champions in Bahrain after slumping to 80th in the rankings.
But the 31-year-old Spaniard remains hopeful.
"The extended break I have taken over the winter has refreshed both me and my enthusiasm for the game all over again," he said.
"I'm looking forward to testing my game against many of the best players on the European Tour."
Only 22 months ago Garcia was ranked second to Woods and, with the American just coming back from serious knee surgery, the TaylorMade R11 Driver
was there for him to take over at the top.
Instead, in the very week he could have gone to number one, Greg Norman's daughter Morgan-Leigh broke off their relationship and his career instantly went into decline.
Garcia, who spoke openly about the hurt he felt, has not had a top-three finish since and in 22 strokeplay events last year the best he did was 10th.
That came after Colin Montgomerie had invited him to be an assistant at the Ryder Cup - an event Garcia was not playing in for the first time since he became the youngest-ever team member in 1999.
New captain Jose Maria Olazabal gave his Taylormade R9 Supermax Driver
a vote of confidence on the day he was appointed last week.
"We all know his determination to make the team," commented Olazabal, also in this week's field.
"It's up to him to get the motivation to play golf again. At the end last year I asked, 'Are you feeling okay? Are you feeling hungry again to play golf?' And he said that he was feeling much better.
"He can't wait to start the season again and that's the best answer I could get.
"Now it's just a matter of seeing him develop on the golf course. I truly believe that in the next year and a half we will see Sergio coming back."
Padraig Harrington, disqualified after one Taylormade R9 Supermax Driver
in Abu Dhabi over a ball-marking incident, partners Ryder Cup team-mates Ian Poulter and Francesco Molinari.